Viy

Viy

1967

Director- Konstantin Yershov, Georgi Kropachyov

Cast- Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley

From Russia

Viy is based on an 1835 story by Nikolai Gogol. It is also considered the first horror movie made during the Soviet era in Russia.

The story centers around Khoma, a young seminary student. While on vacation from school he encounters a witch who appears to him as an ugly hag (reminiscent of the Russian Baba Yaga). After she harasses him, he beats her almost to death only to find she has transformed into a beautiful young girl.

Upon returning to school he finds out that a local nobleman’s  daughter is on the verge of death and she has personally requested that Khoma pray over her for 3 nights after her death. He, of course, finds out the young girl is the same witch he had met before. What follows is a collection of macabre imagery that could hold its own in any Tim Burton film.

The film offers a western audience a view into both old Russian culture and folklore. Instead of the Catholic priests we are used to seeing in this genre, we see eastern orthodox priests. The magic circle, normally used by the witch or sorcerer to summon evil, is used in this movie by Khoma as protection from evil.

The movie is slow at times, but the 3 nights of prayer, where Khoma is haunted by the witch, makes the wait worthwhile.  The young witch, with pale white skin and jet black hair, clad in a simple white gown, is beautiful and archetypal.  The fantastic imagery, involving black cats, ravens, the witch riding her coffin like a magic carpet and an army of demons, is done with simple, practical effects which make them more realistic and evocative of Häxan at times. The film culminates with the young witch summoning the titular Viy, a demon whose very gaze is deadly.

The story has been remade several times, most recently in 2014 (also known as Forbidden Empire) in a special effects heavy epic with Jason Flemyng and Charles Dance. In that film, the story of Viy though is really secondary another plot.

For a real macabre masterpiece, seek out the original 1967 film. It is dark, moody, and strange.