''Alraune, die Henkerstochter, genannt die rote Hanne'' (''Alraune, the Hangman's Daughter, Named Red Hanna'') is a 1918 silent

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by

Eugen Illés Eugen is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Archduke Eugen of Austria (1863–1954), last Habsburg Grandmaster of the Teutonic Order from 1894 to 1923 * Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (1865–1947), Swedish painter, art collector, and pat ...

and Joseph Klein and starring Max Auzinger. The film was produced by Luna-Film and distributed by Natural Film GmbH. The art direction was by

Artur Günther Artur Günther (1893–1972) was a German art director.Giesen p.202 He designed the sets for more than a hundred films during a lengthy career. Selected filmography * '' When the Dead Speak'' (1917) * '' Ikarus, the Flying Man'' (1918) * ''Alrau ...

. ''Alraune, die Henkerstochter, genannt die rote Hanne'' was released in the US under the title ''Sacrifice''.

Inspiration

Despite the title, this film has very little connection to the 1911 novel by

Hanns Heinz Ewers Hanns Heinz Ewers (3 November 1871 – 12 June 1943) was a German actor, poet, philosopher, and writer of short stories and novels. While he wrote on a wide range of subjects, he is now known mainly for his works of horror, particularly his trilo ...

, with the only reference being to the

Mandrake root "Mandrake Root" is a song by Deep Purple that is featured on their debut album ''Shades of Deep Purple''. The title is in reference to the mandrake plant, but is also the name of a pre-Purple band that Blackmore was trying to form in Germany ...

which plays a role in saving the dying child. In contrast to the Hungarian film by the same name, and released the same year, an intact version can still be found at George Eastman International Museum of Photography and Film.

Plot

A doctor uses the

sperm Sperm is the male reproductive cell, or gamete, in anisogamous forms of sexual reproduction (forms in which there is a larger, female reproductive cell and a smaller, male one). Animals produce motile sperm with a tail known as a flagellum, whi ...

of a dead man to impregnate a

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. The resultant child then grows up only to turn against the man who created her.

Cast

In alphabetical order

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1918 horror films 1910s science fiction horror films Films of the German Empire German black-and-white films German silent feature films German science fiction horror films Films based on German novels Films based on works by Hanns Heinz Ewers 1910s German films 1910s German-language films Silent science fiction horror films