Viy (1967)

Directors:

Georgi Kropachyov
Konstantin Yershov

Writers:

Nikolai Gogol (story)
Georgi Kropachyov
(more)

Release Date:

27 November 1967 (Soviet Union)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Church | Witch | Demon | Corpse | Village

Cast

Leonid Kuravlyov	...	Khoma Brutus - the philosopher
Natalya Varley	...	Pannochka
Aleksei Glazyrin	...	Sotnik
Nikolai Kutuzov	...	Witch (as N. Kutuzov)
Vadim Zakharchenko	...	Khaliava - the theologian
Pyotr Vesklyarov	...	Rector / Dorosh (as P. Vesklyarov)
Vladimir Salnikov	...	Gorobetz - the orator (as V. Salnikov)
Dmitri Kapka	...	Overko (as D. Kapka)
Stepan Shkurat	...	Yavtukh (as S. Shkurat)
G. Sochevko	...	Stepan
Nikolai Yakovchenko	...	Spirid (as N. Yakovchenko)
Nikolai Panasyev	...	Comforter

Directed by
Georgi Kropachyov
Konstantin Yershov

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nikolai Gogol		story
Georgi Kropachyov
Aleksandr Ptushko
Konstantin Yershov

Original Music by
Karen Khachaturyan

Cinematography by
Viktor Pishchalnikov		(as V. Pishchalnikov)
Fyodor Provorov		(as F. Provorov)

Film Editing by
R. Pesetskaya
Tamara Zubova

Production Design by
Nikolai Markin

Art Direction by
Aleksandr Ptushko

Costume Design by
Roza Satunovskaya		(as R. Satunovskaya)

Sound Department
Yevgeni Kashkevich	....	sound
Irina Stulova	....	sound

Special Effects by
Aleksandr Ptushko	....	special effects supervisor

Music Department
Emin Khachaturyan	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Mosfilm

Distributors

• Empresa Hispanoamericana de Video (EHV) (Argentina) (video)
• HB Films (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Hanzibar Films (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• International Visual Corporation (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
• Njutafilms (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sovexportfilm (Argentina)
• Works Editora (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Kinostudiya "Mosfilm"  production unit

Also Known As:

"Viy or Spirit of Evil" - USA (DVD title)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Mosfilm Studios, Moscow, Russia

Company:

Mosfilm

Trivia:

The first horror film to be made in Russia.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The first time Khorma inscribes a sacred chalk circle on the church floor, it is possible to see a partially erased circle already present, possible left over from previous takes of the scene.

Quotes:

Pannochka:I summon the vampires! I summon the werewolves!... I summon Viy!

Movie Connections:

Remade as Viy. Vozvrashchenie (2013)

Witchcraft vs faith

Viy is based on the same story, written by Nikolai Gogol, that inspired Mario Bava's masterpiece, Black Sunday. While the films have some similarities; for example, a witch and a fairytale atmosphere; the two really aren't much alike. Black Sunday went more for the straight horror, and was a better film for it. Viy is more of a religious themed film, and the witch plot line offers more in the way of the faith of the lead character than actual horror. The film has a massive amount of cult value, mostly due to the fact that it's not much like any other movie in terms of its style. The music and atmosphere combine to give it an other-worldly feel, and this helps massively where the plot is concerned. The basis of the film follows a man of God who must spend three days and three nights presiding over the corpse of a young girl, who also happens to be the local witch. Being dead isn't much of a hindrance to the witch, as she bombards our hero with black magic. With only his faith to protect him; will he be able to last three nights with her corpse?

The first half of the movie is really rather dull, as not a lot happens and it seems to mostly be a set-up for the latter section. The plot does pick up as the film goes on; but the film is never massively engaging, and that is its main downfall. However, the cinematography is great; and Viy has a very vibrant feel throughout. Black Sunday had a similar vibrant feel; and this film gives the viewer an idea of what Bava's film might have looked like in colour. The scenes that take place inside the church are the movie's main strongpoint, thus making it a shame that there aren't more of them. These scenes look great and brilliantly offset the gentle tone of the rest of the film. The climax delivers the best part of the movie, and the special effects there, while obviously cheap, look stunning and brilliantly suit the style of the film. Russia isn't very well known for its film industry, and this was one of the first horror films produced in the Soviet Union. Modern flick Night Watch has given the Russian film industry a new lease of life recently; and this film, like most other classics, is set for a remake. Oh well...I recommend Viy mainly to fans of art-house cinema.