Viy (1967, RUS) C-72m. *** D: Georgi Kropachyov, Konstantin Yershov. Starring Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley, Aleksei Glazyrin, Vadim Zakharchenko. A young seminarian on leave spends the night in a house of an old recluse and realizes that she is actually a witch. The witch ultimately changes into a beautiful young woman, exactly the one to whose deathbed the seminarian is called on the next day. Will he be brave enough to spend three nights saying prayers for her? Interesting, well-directed chiller was the first Soviet horror film, with atmosphere and design reminiscent of the Russian fairy tales of the 1950s and 1960s. A must for horror film fans! Adapted from a short story by Nikolai Gogol, which was also the basis for Mario Bava's classic LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO (1960). Some sources credit cowriter and special effects supervisor Aleksandr Ptushko with the direction as well. English title: THE VIY OR SPIRIT OF EVIL.


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© Ron Altman