Viy

1967

1h 16m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

238

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Drama

Fantasy

Horror

A young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of a witch in the church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to protect him.

Directors

Konstantin Ershov

Georgi Kropachyov

Writers

Konstantin Ershov(screenplay by)

Georgi Kropachyov(screenplay by)

Aleksandr Ptushko(screenplay by)

Stars

Leonid Kuravlyov

Natalya Varley

Aleksey Glazyrin

See production, box office & company info

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Trailer
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Top cast

Leonid Kuravlyov

Хома Брут, бурсак, философ

Natalya Varley

Панночка, дочь сотника (озв. Кларой Румяновой)

Aleksey Glazyrin

сотник

Nikolay Kutuzov

ведьма

Vadim Zakharchenko

Халява, бурсак, богослов

Petro Vesklyarov

ректор бурсы …

Vladimir Salnikov

Горобец, бурсак, ритор

Оверко

Явтух

Степан

Спирид

утешитель

бурсак (нет в титрах)

Sergey Vanyashkin

дудочник (нет в титрах)

Boris Veselov

двуносый упырь (нет в титрах)

Aleksandra Denisova

селянка (нет в титрах)

Lyubov Kalyuzhnaya

селянка (нет в титрах)

Mykhailo Kramar

бурсак (нет в титрах)

Directors

Konstantin Ershov

Georgi Kropachyov

Writers

Konstantin Ershov(screenplay by)

Georgi Kropachyov(screenplay by)

Aleksandr Ptushko(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

I gather this is one of the few "horror" films ever made during the Soviet era and it plays rather well on the superstitions of a rural population who are pretty much scared of their own shadows! "Khoma" (Leonid Kuravlyov) is a young priest who is charged with sitting with the corpse of a young woman. Locked, overnight, inside a small wooden church, he must protect her body from the evil spirits that might emanate from the depths of Hell to corrupt not just her, but him too! The eponymous "Viy" is the mightiest of those demons who is determined to seduce the young man - but can the faith and strength of this man of God prevail? I really quite liked this - it is maybe a bit over-scripted, but the visual effects are fun and there is (deliberate) humour amongst the scenes of mayhem as coffins - and their occupants - whizz around the church scaring the cassock off the innocent and frequently terrified "Khoma". The denouement - well that has to be seen to be enjoyed. Don't let the opening few minutes - a bit fable-esque - put you off, this is easily as entertaining as anything Hammer were chucking out in the late 1960s and there are some quirky supporting characters to keep it lively for a quickly paced eighty minutes.

Geronimo196726 Dec, 2022