I generally don’t enjoy the so-called ‘torture porn’ sub-genre, so I avoid things like Hostel or A Serbian Film, but other than that I try and make sure I watch a variety – especially in October. This Soviet era film, now available in the West, is one of the true classic horror movies, with no blood, sex or CGI but a brilliantly chilling story, amazingly elegant effects, and a final reel of full of horrifyingly conceived monsters . So in the interest of this, the church sets them free for a short time to get it all out of their system so they can come back and to the grind of catholicism. The film was distributed by Mosfilm, and was the first Soviet-era horror film to be officially released in the USSR. Though she has little dialogue, Natalya Varley is eerily radiant as the witch. A group of seminary students from the city go on summer break, drunkenly wandering the countryside. She manages to find them space to bed down for the night. Give this one a shot, weirdos! Unfortunately, because he and his compatriots stop for the night to get their drink on, the girl dies before they can reach town. Only it turns out he really killed a beautiful landowner's daughter (Natalya Varley), and now he must sit with her body in a church for three days, protecting it from evil spirits.

Please click the link below to receive your verification email. They steal food and linens from the townsfolk RIGHT as they are released from school (seriously?). If you look at the effects-driven films of its era (the 50’s and 60’s), you can see how much they were pushing the boundaries in visual storytelling, camera work, and special effects and makeup.

Unique and influential masterpiece that opened new boundaries for camp fun in the most artistic way possible. A seminarian in Czarist Ukraine must say prayers for three nights over the corpse of a deceased witch who had a vendetta against him. Error: API requests are being delayed. “I summon the vampires! | Fresh (3) Realising he has been caught by a witch, Khoma struggles free and clubs the old woman to the ground with a handy stick. Copyright © Fandango. The cinematography is weird and fun; an obvious influence on Sam Raimi (Evil Dead 1 & 2) and Nobuhiko Obayashi (Hausu) for its crazy angles, quick movements, and dizzying spins.

Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. To redeem himself, he is sent on a mission with a group of stout men to a farming community. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. #31daysofhalloween #dis, Day 18: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1, Day 17: Host (2020) Surreal Soviet-era Christmas fantasy movie. A trap laid by the witch… to get the man who rejected and then killed her confined to a room where she can exact her revenge. If the final “demon” hadn’t been so laughable it may have gotten a higher rating… but what can you expect from the 1960’s communist Russia?!

| Top Critics (1) Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time. Review by Richard Gilliam Though bereft of the suggestive violence of many European horror films of the 1960s, the Soviet-made Viy compares visually to sources as diverse as the silent-era black-and-white expressionistic motifs of F.W. Coming Soon. Dirty and frazzled from his night of terror, he is chastised by the head bishop for his wicked and wild behavior. Murnau and the primary color contrasts of … The protagonist, Khoma (Leonid Kuravlev), treats his clerical duties as though they were a job rather than a calling.

His daughter demanded Khoma read prayers over her for three nights and by God he’ll do it, or he’ll have a thousand lashes instead! With Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley, Aleksey Glazyrin, Nikolay Kutuzov. Viy. Proud member of the "video store generation.". The church itself is a fantastic set, aged gray beams and iconography so faded as to almost be part of the woodwork. I had never heard of this film…granted my tastes usually don’t precede the early ’70s, but when a friend sent me a link to the trailer I knew I had to check it out. One such film is the 1967 Russian classic Viy (pronounced “VEE”).… Read More Viy (1967) | Review Faithfully adapted from the Nikolai Gogol short story. The whole situation has Khorma scared out of his mind, so he leaves her to die and hightails it back to his school. And it also seems like it took a page from the Disney effects-driven films of the time period (Darby O’Gill, 20,000 Leagues, etc.) Viy (Spirit of Evil or Vii, Russian: Вий) is a 1967 Soviet horror film directed by Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov. A young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of witch in a small old wooden church of a remote village.

The percentage of users who rated this 3.5 stars or higher. A young monk-in-training (Khoma “the philosopher” – played by the enigmatic Leonid Kuravlyov) is not unlike the rest of his ilk.

Khoma tries to buck up his courage, but this fails miserable when the witch rises from her coffin. The first few scenes in the church I found myself distracted by the lighting and the camera work. Sign up here. He's more overwhelmed by circumstance than the tragic victim of some greatly personal flaw. and precedes movies that really used most of these techniques (like Escape to Witch Mountain). On the first night the corpse rises from her coffin and attempts to gain entry to the protective circle in which Khoma has placed himself. Viy serves as the prototypical horror film of the 1960s, one whose special effects and lowbrow exterior disguise its own considerably more nuanced agenda.

A man trapped by convention, culture, and religion, he must do everything in his power to survive. He would never have known about this, but one day his neighbor created a time machine. ‘The Outsider’ Trailer: Ben Mendelsohn Investigates an Unexplainable Murder in New HBO Series, ‘Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway’ Trailer: That Rascally Rabbit is Back, Day 20: Crawl (2019)

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Russian director Alexander Ptushko is known for his special effects, which have an appropriately low-tech charm in this 1967 folktale.

It is here that, while in the long, dark nights of the locked doors, the dead regain life, the souls of Hell taunt the young monk to near terrifying insanity, and the test of Faith will be as powerful as the witches, monsters and the mighty demon Viy who haunt his every step and bay for his very soul. The use of early rear-projector techniques is really utilized and pushed to the limits. Just confirm how you got your ticket. Mostly I’d heard about the sequences featuring the witch and a cavalcade of monsters and the few screenshots I’d seen made it seem like a nightmare caught on film. The sets are lush and take their art direction from the Russian orthodox aesthetic (dripping candles, dower sculptures, paintings of saints) mixed with traditional western horror motifs like cobwebs, coffins, and cold lighting. (1967). Apparently, young seminary students are real assholes. I’d never really come across it before, however, and while I’d seen more recent Russian films like the Night Watch series I couldn’t seem to find a copy of Viy anywhere (except for Forbidden Empire, a more recent adaption of the same Nikolai Gogol novella, and also called Viy). Viy (Movie Review) Brett's rating: ★ ★ ★ Director: Konstantin Ershov, Georgi Kropachyov | Release Date: 1967. #31daysofhalloween #mote, Day 13: The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)

Poorly dubbed. View production, box office, & company info. All this frenetic over-indulgence does have one downside. By now, he’s realized she’s a witch and, when they land, he beats her nearly to death with a stick. they'll be adding 5 new features a week for a total of 200 by year's end.

Proud member of the "video store generation." Cinemark From "Veronica Mars" to Rebecca take a look back at the career of Armie Hammer on and off the screen.

Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. Coming Soon, Regal Now check your email to confirm your subscription. A vengeful witch and her fiendish servant return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the witch's beautiful look-alike descendant, with only the girl's brother and a handsome doctor standing in her way. The lessons are – be kind to your elders, don’t be afraid of ghosts as long as the lord is with you, and never, NEVER look Viy in the eye! Are you ready for the best Story Updates of your life ?!