''Alraune, die Henkerstochter, genannt die rote Hanne'' (''Alraune, the Hangman's Daughter, Named Red Hanna'') is a 1918 silent
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
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 pa ...
and Joseph Klein and starring
Max Auzinger
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ( ...
. 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)
* ''Alraune, ...
. ''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 tril ...
, 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 German ...
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 (: sperm or sperms) is the male reproductive Cell (biology), 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 ...
of a dead man to impregnate a
prostitute
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...
. 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 Alraune
1910s German films
1910s German-language films
Silent science fiction horror films
German-language science fiction horror films