Easily the best Russian slasher, although there are virtually none. It's not streaming anywhere in the world except for Germany. SSD (let's call it Soviet Stories of Death, since it was never released in English-speaking countries) is a dirty, mean-spirited parody of reality TV with added arterial spray. Love in the Wild meets notoriously macabre Soviet campfire tales and gives birth to this horrid Friday the 13th knock-off with over-the-top acting.
Voyeuristic take on a familiar pulp plays off better than it might seem despite not being groundbreaking (My Little Eye, anyone?) The supernatural twist is also not something new for the genre, the problem is that the script didn't properly portray it, and it wasn't utilized in a satisfying manner. The gore is relatively tame, but Russian movies, as a rule, rarely get visceral-thus the lack of body count horror movies from the country.
All and all, SSD is an uncut gem never discovered by the international audience. It's bolder than other slashers from exotic places, and it doesn't disappoint more than a regular Kane Hodder flick available in every existing streaming platform.
Voyeuristic take on a familiar pulp plays off better than it might seem despite not being groundbreaking (My Little Eye, anyone?) The supernatural twist is also not something new for the genre, the problem is that the script didn't properly portray it, and it wasn't utilized in a satisfying manner. The gore is relatively tame, but Russian movies, as a rule, rarely get visceral-thus the lack of body count horror movies from the country.
All and all, SSD is an uncut gem never discovered by the international audience. It's bolder than other slashers from exotic places, and it doesn't disappoint more than a regular Kane Hodder flick available in every existing streaming platform.