This was one of several fantasy films released by the DVD label RusCiCo (Russian Cinema Council) to promote classics in the field which would seldom have traveled outside their native land; it remains the only one I have watched (though I own quite a few) and, for the record, my second acquaintance with it came via a copy off "You Tube" rather than the extras-laden disc itself as a complementary viewing to Mario Bava's BLACK Sunday (1960) – since both films were inspired by the Nikolai Gogol tale "The Vij".Needless to say, this version is much closer to the source material but this does not make it the better rendition; truth be told, many horror classics have been loosely adapted to the screen and, yet, the end result has been wholly embraced by critics and fans alike (say, James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN {1931}, Terence Fisher's Dracula {1958}, or any of Roger Corman's efforts inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe). Bava's film rightly placed the witch at the center of the narrative (amazingly, almost without her ever emerging from the family crypt!) whereas this film – and, one assumes, the original text – makes the frankly boring seminarian hero its protagonist. At just 72 minutes, the movie certainly does not overstay its welcome – but it also somewhat exposes the essentially thin plot line: a young man is helped by an old lady, but he understandably snubs her unwarranted advances; however, he allows her to ride him piggyback(!)…only for them to slowly rise off the ground, revealing her to be a witch. Back on firm land, the aspiring cleric beats up the woman, who turns to her true form of a young girl – after which the boy flees the scene. As soon as he reports back to the seminary, he is told to travel to the estate of a prominent local family to pray over the body of their dying daughter; when he arrives, it transpires not only that the afflicted party is the witch herself (who expressly asked for him to be there!) but that she had succumbed to her wounds. Tradition now binds him to make a 3-night vigil over her corpse… but her plan is to exact revenge by tormenting him with assorted supernatural occurrences that, inevitably, lead to his own demise (which proves just-as-baffling to outsiders, especially as he seems to be getting old before his time)!The film looks very handsome in colour, and the striking special effects work by "artistic director" Aleksandr Ptushko are at once charming and sinister; still, these are mainly relegated to the final night – as the first two go by a bit too quickly, serving only for the revivified girl to repeatedly attempt in breaking the chalk-drawn circle inside which the young man has managed to attain sanctuary (once using the coffin itself as a battering ram!). The parade of grotesques at the end include the briefly-seen titular creature, which is not averse to being used as comedy relief – since the Vij asks its acolytes to fold out its overgrown ears because they are obstructing its field of vision i.e. their intended prey! Unsurprisingly, the movie is Russian to the bone – so that we get much carousing (singing, drinking and camaraderie) throughout – which tends to deflect attention from the otherwise nicely- handled genre trappings…and brings me back to the notion that, sometimes, foreign-made versions of any given tale can have a better chance of externalizing its core themes.

I loved this film. It looks beautiful from start to finish with a great sense of care taken with colour and lighting.It's not really a horrifying horror film but it does get quite tense and there's a real sense of drama about it; especially in the build up of each consecutive night. The daughter of the landowner is great as the possessed tool of the devil and some of the visual ideas at play look fantastic even now.The protagonist is funny and engaging making for a watchable performance. Elements are camp but if you like a more artistic approach favouring style over realism then this is a little gem of a movie.Also of note for those wary of foreign/subtitled films, the pace is snappy and I was surprised when it finished as it didn't feel like I had been watching it for that long.This isn't Hellraiser but it is a wonderful experience that should delight any fan of stylised cinema.

Simple, yes. It's not modern, that's all. And that's the point. It's an older movie and even when it was made, the material it was made of was old. That works. And, it might seem like a dull idea - three truant seminarians, a philosopher, a theologian, and an orator, as they call themselves, on leave in the Russian countryside.But, first, the filming is beautiful, outdoor country life for the most part - and I mean a-way out in the country of feudal Russia. Elegant, deliberate shots, artfully done - faces loaded with character (and, yes, check out the witch!); the country; the church, the age, the situation – you are transported to a place where a witch may just be.Be sure to catch the music. The incidental music could be Prokofiev, by the sound. The hymn that comes about half an hour in could be a bit Rachmaninov's Vespers, while the camera pans the procession to and icons within, matching the piety on the faces of the servants as they lay the master's daughter to rest. Really beautiful in a way we can reproduce neither here nor now. (BTW, the English dubs are also well done.) For suspense, the transformation of the student meeting the real world - real? – really - a very naive youth encountering the witch. And doesn't it happen every day? And so, a moral – cool!The film has all the well done elements of a neatly cinema-fied classic. Not at all trivial. What could a remake offer, and what would it take away?

I'm not particularly a fan of horror flicks. I watched this movie simply because I wanted to see something Russian. But as I found out, this is much more than a typical horror flick. It has a lyrical quality to it almost like a Greek play. True, it has ghosts & goblins & creepy things in it. But so do Greek plays.I consider this to be a fantasy or an allegory with some nice subtle insights about rustic life and the human condition in general. Some of the witty dialogue is absolutely priceless. I'm not familiar with the writings of Gogol who wrote the original story of "Viy", but if you're a fan of Tolstoy's short stories ("The Imp and the Crust") or Guy de Maupassant ("The Devil") or maybe the lighter side of Poe ("Never Bet the Devil Your Head"), then this'll be right up your alley.And of course it'll scare the socks off your arse.The camera illusions in this movie are absolutely 1st class. Don't be put off by the fact that it had a "low budget" by Hollywood standards. The minimalist approach really brought out the director's creativity in this case. Like an old 1940s Jean Cocteau film, the special effects are timeless in their simplicity, and they will hold up for the next 50 years, long after CGI has gone the way of the dodo (and not a moment too soon).