Viy (1967)

Viy
Directed by Konstantin Ershov and Georgiy Kropachyov
Written by Konstantin Ershov and Georgiy Kropachyov from a story by Nicholai Gogol
1967/USSR
IMDb link
First viewing/YouTube
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
One of 1000 Movies on the “They Shoot Zombies Don’t They” List

[box] “I am fated to journey hand in hand with my strange heroes and to survey the surging immensity of life, to survey it through the laughter that all can see and through the tears unseen and unknown by anyone.” ― Nikolai Gogol[/box]

Horror Soviet-style turns out to be entertaining if not particularly scary.

Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov) is a bit of a sad sack and is studying to be a monk.  He and a few of his fellow students go on vacation, which consists of a lot of drinking and other sinful behavior.  They run out of money and don’t have a place to spend the night.  An old crone at a farmhouse agrees to take them in but they must all occupy different rooms. Khoma is left sleeping in the barn next to some livestock.  The old woman enters and tries to seduce him.  She talks him into letting her mount his back and flies off with him.

Clearly she is a witch and Khoma proceeds to beat her savagely.  As the old lady succumbs to the blows she transforms into a young beauty.  Khoma runs away.  On her death bed, she instructs her father to sent for Khoma to pray for her soul.  She dies and the father forces Khoma to spend three nights praying over her corpse.  She and monsters from hell try to scare him to death.

The plot summary may not suggest it but there is a good deal of comedy in this film.  Such a relief to get back to a List film that actually tells a story.  What these guys could have done with a bigger special effects budget!

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