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Viy

Play trailer Viy 1967 1h 18m Horror Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A group of seminary students from the city go on summer break, drunkenly wandering the countryside. They end up lost, and spend a night in the company of a haggard witch. A scuffle breaks out, and one of the students, Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov), murders the witch. Only it turns out he really killed a beautiful landowner's daughter (Natalya Varley), and now he must sit with her body in a church for three days, protecting it from evil spirits. This horror movie was based on a story by Nikolai Gogol.

Critics Reviews

View All (8) Critics Reviews
Anton Bitel Little White Lies Ershov and Kropachyov offer us all a glimpse of what such long dark nights of the soul might look like from the inside. Mar 16, 2021 Full Review Fred Camper Chicago Reader Russian director Alexander Ptushko is known for his special effects, which have an appropriately low-tech charm in this 1967 folktale. Oct 17, 2016 Full Review Wael Khairy The Cinephile Fix “Viy” is disturbing, absurd, bizarre, and outlandish at the same time. A real treat for anyone who wants to take a deep dive into a world of phantasmagoria. Sep 23, 2022 Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse "Viy" is a great film, which goes much further than its supernatural horror premises through the prowess in direction, acting, but most of all, audiovisual aspect that deem the movie a true epic. Nov 18, 2021 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia Mixes myth and legend with the dazzling visual panache of Aleksandr Ptushko brilliant imagination. Mar 12, 2021 Full Review Maitland McDonagh TV Guide The Viy itself is a disappointment, a lumbering, silly looking thing that would be right at home in The Neverending Story. Rated: 2.5/5 Oct 17, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (52) audience reviews
Alec B What's great is that the movie keeps the folk horror elements of the original story so that it really feels like it belongs in the era it takes place in. There are some truly imaginative make-up effects in the finale. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/25/24 Full Review SIMON T Surprisingly interesting Russian ghost story. Featuring limpid cinematography, very good performances and a fine original score, this is well worth seeking out. The tone too is unusual, straddling religious symbolism, folk tales and dry comedy. Recommended. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/31/23 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. Although this was a little cheesy with the special effects and costumes, this movie is a cult classic. It is a truly special thing to have a creepy communist horror film be made, but to make it have a quality and entertaining story to boot make it all the better. This movie transcends the silliness that come with it. It takes a few jabs at Russian Orthodox, perhaps this could be seen as subtle jabs at faith. But, I guess it doesn't really matter considering that the church must be real if there is a ghoul called Viy and his hellions. I also loved the Russian culture that it exposed me too. I didn't know that Monks could drink?! Maybe this too was a jab at the faith. It was on Tubi. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review martin f The story is maybe too simple for its own good, you are just waiting to see the conclusion as there are no subplots or any twists but what a conclusion! The movie impresses with gothic visual splendors. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review William L The lovechild of Eastern European folklore and campy horror, Viy is an odd duck even within its own genre. Far from a spine-tingler, its nevertheless plenty entertaining as it attempts to punctuate its screenplay with philosophical musings while also delivering practical effects that are a far cry from today's standards, but that have plenty of charm in their dated style. Despite a sub-75 minute runtime, the setup is surprisingly slowly paced, taking its time in following an inebriated and unfocused Russian Orthodox priest from his rectory to a distant village, leaving most of the meat for the last half hour. While the humor may have been intended to impart on the audience a sense of madness linked with despair, after all this time it just ends up blatantly funny. The visual style and setting is almost a parody of more sincere dramas from this part of the world - a barren waste steeped in tradition, where life is balanced against matters of faith - but as to how much of that is intention is tough to say for certain. Regardless, a distinctive film that's perfect for an unorthodox Halloween movie night pick. I can see revisiting this one. (3/5) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/10/21 Full Review Audience Member I loved the imagery in this. It is also interesting to see Slavic tales :) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Viy

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Movie Info

Synopsis A group of seminary students from the city go on summer break, drunkenly wandering the countryside. They end up lost, and spend a night in the company of a haggard witch. A scuffle breaks out, and one of the students, Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov), murders the witch. Only it turns out he really killed a beautiful landowner's daughter (Natalya Varley), and now he must sit with her body in a church for three days, protecting it from evil spirits. This horror movie was based on a story by Nikolai Gogol.
Director
Georgiy Kropachyov, Konstantin Ershov
Screenwriter
Nikolai Gogol, Georgiy Kropachyov, Aleksandr Ptushko, Konstantin Ershov
Production Co
Mosfilm
Genre
Horror, Fantasy
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 6, 2020
Runtime
1h 18m
Sound Mix
Mono