The first segment runs over 6-minutes, entitled Behind the Test Film. Before production began von Trier and his crew created a short test film to see if it was possible to pull off some of the shots that were envisioned with the Red Camera. Mixed with some behind-the-scenes bits we see the test film, shot with different actors, which includes a demo of the “falling acorn” scene, one of the more striking moments in Antichrist (it’s the moment in the finished film where Dafoe stands in front of the cabin with the acorns slowly falling around him.) Quite a fascinating inclusion, especially when we first see how the scene was shot, which doesn’t look all that special, and then get to see the finished product, which is really quite mesmerizing. The Making of Antichrist - a gallery of supplemental features, produced by Zentropa's DVD production company, Electric Parc, featuring director Lars von Trier and various members of his tech team, including director of photography Anthony Dod Mantle, sound designer Kristian Eidnes Andersen, production designer Karl "Kalli" Juliusson, producer Meta Louise Foldager, researcher Heidi Laura, etc. In Danish and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary.

The film follows Ippolita (Carla Gravina), a disabled woman who begins experiencing demonic voices and visions of her past life after being hypnotized to try to cure her psychosomatic condition. Instead of helping, it makes things a lot worse and formalizes her full demonic possession, setting into motion acts of violence and sexuality that the normal Ippolita would never partake in (or would she?), including incest with her brother, a serious Electra complex, and lots of foaming at the mouth. The disc then concludes with three theatrical trailers, two looking to be the Danish ones, and the third being the IFC trailer.Lars von Trier’s 2009 film, Antichrist, makes its debut on home video in the U.S. through Criterion, presenting the film in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this dual-layer Blu-ray disc. The transfer is presented in 1080p/24hz. The film was originally shown at 25fps and other Blu-ray releases from other regions presented the film in 1080i/50hz. The Criterion edition is the only version I know of to present the film at 24fps. I didn’t notice any issues with this conversion. On its theatrical release there was an unholy (pun apologies) fuss made about Antichrist's content, and it split critics pretty much straight down the middle, with some deriding it as tasteless, self-indulgent nonsense and others lauding it with equal passion (see above quote). The Cannes premiere saw several mini exoduses from the auditorium, while many of those who stayed to the end raised the roof in applause.

Up until it jumps the shark (the infamous scissor moment), the movie stands as a genuinely emotional experience: a portrait of the kind of extreme grief that few movies make an attempt at portraying. With the subtler supernatural elements, the movie begins to resemble two absolutely wonderful films: Andrzjec Zulawski's 'Possession' and my very favorite movie of all time, Nicolas Roeg's 'Don't Look Now.' But then things devolve into messy horror movie clichés, which resolve with some kind of bafflingly misogynistic image of dead women, throughout the ages, coming out of the woods, in a ghostly march. Willem Dafoe: Agent of Fantasy - Willem Dafoe discusses his work with Lars von Trier, the challenges the script for Antichrist presented to him, his interaction with Charlotte Gainsbourg, some of the explicit scenes from the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p). Eden - production designer Karl "Kalli" Juliusson, producer Meta Louise Foldager and director Lars von Trier talk about the specific locations used in the film. In English and Danish, with optional Italian subtitles. (6 min). The Making of 'Antichrist' Again, this is broken down into little segments (these segments have unprecedented access, having been overseen by von Trier's production company). "Behind the Test Film" (HD, 6:32) is a fascinating short film where von Trier tried out various visual elements of the film to see if it would work. This is a must-watch; totally captivating. And on to the next! "Visual style" (HD, 15:31) takes a look at the stylistic flourishes the film employs, which is about as far away from von Trier's regimented Dogme 95 aesthetic, which compelled filmmakers to use handheld cameras, available light, etc. 'Antichrist' is all about the melding of fantasy and reality, and this section of the documentary brings up all the artifice: the various cameras, the visual effects, animals, etc. "Sound Design" (HD, 12:59) shows how the sound designers/composers walked the fine line between sound design and score, using all natural elements to create the various sounds in the movie. "Eden – Production Design" (HD, 5:12) isn't the most interesting bit in this section of the disc, but it does offer a hilarious detail – that the cabin they had built had to be left alone because some sort of rare, indigenous bird had chosen to nest near it. Hearing one of the world's great directors get irate about a bird is pretty hysterical. "Make Up Effects & Props" (HD, 8:13) is a piece about the various make up challenges and props that the practical effects guys had to cook up. I admit it, I turned it off about the time the discussion turned to "the prosthetic clitoris." I can only handle so much. Next, there's "Three Beggars" (HD, 8:05), about the film's animal actors, which was kind of fun. And lastly, "Evil of Women" (HD, 7:42) fascinatingly breaks down the kind of research that went into Charlotte Gainsbourg's character's thesis. Great stuff.Raising Hell: Featurette with Director/Co-Writer Alberto De Martino and Composer Ennio Morricone (480p; 10:20)

A car accident caused by her father leaves the young Ippolita paralyzed and her mother dead. Following her uncle’s advice she undergoes a hypnotic session with the intent to heal her, but it actually awakens the spirit of her ancestress who was condemned for witchcraft. Cinematographer Joe D’Amato (credited here as Aristide Massaccessi) gives the production plenty of dynamic colors, textures, and excellent locations to bask in the decadence of Roman life. Bruno Nicolai and Ennio Morricone score the feature with layers of screeching strings and bizarre textures evoking a holy intent at conflict with an undercurrent of chaos. It isn't Morricone's best score but it's very effective at complimenting the utterly bizarre happenings on screen. Ennio’s infernal violins render the music unsettling, keeping you parked on the edge of your seat. A few years later Ennio would provide an operatic score The Exorcist II: The Heretic with outstanding results.Willem Dafoe: Agent of Fantasy is the only exclusive Criterion supplement found on here, produced for this edition, featuring an 18-minute interview with Dafoe. He talks a bit about Manderlay, the previous film he worked with Lars von Trier on then moving on to how he got the role in Antichrist, which was pretty much by chance. He admits he didn’t/doesn’t completely understand every facet of the film but wasn’t concerned about asking questions, and also wasn’t concerned about the film’s violence, though he admits the original screenplay was actually worse. An excellent interview with a very intriguing actor. Where The Antichrist succeeds is in taking the demonic possession trope and applying it to a sexually frustrated woman. This allows for a broader exploration than a mere child robbed of innocence. We see someone who is defined by their disability and loses their faith in hopes of finding a sexual awakening and purpose in life. When she is unable to get approval (sex?) from her father and brother she opens herself to demonic temptation through a hunky psychotherapist bent on his own masculine need to cure Ippolita. Next there are interviews with the two characters. Charlotte Gainsbourg (6.18) is articulate in a mousy kind of a way, discussing how Trier made her feel comfortable with physically demanding and explicit scenes. Willem Dafoe (8.04) is a true gentleman, humbly expressing his delight in how he got the role and peppers the interview in admiration for Trier as a director and a writer, yet sympathetic to his mental trials of the time.