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DramaFantasyHorror

Viy

- Spirit of Evil

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

Release Date : 1967-11-27

Language :Russian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : LuchMosfilm

Production Country : Soviet Union

Alternative Titles : Viy or Spirit of EvilThe Spirit of Evil

Cast

Leonid Kuravlyov

Character Name : Khoma Brut

Original Name : Леонид Куравлёв

Gender : Male

Natalya Varley

Character Name : Pannochka, the Centurion's Daughter

Original Name : Наталья Варлей

Gender : Female

Aleksey Glazyrin

Character Name : Centurion

Original Name : Алексей Глазырин

Gender : Male

Nikolay Kutuzov

Character Name : Witch

Original Name : Николай Кутузов

Gender : Male

Vadim Zakharchenko

Character Name : Freebie

Original Name : Вадим Захарченко

Gender : Male

Petro Vesklyarov

Character Name : Dorosh

Original Name : Пётр Вескляров

Gender : Male

Vladimir Salnikov

Character Name : Horobets

Original Name : Владимир Сальников

Gender : Male

Dmitriy Kapka

Character Name : Overko

Original Name : Дмитрий Капка

Gender : Male

Stepan Shkurat

Character Name : Yavtukh

Original Name : Степан Шкурат

Gender : Male

Georgiy Sochevko

Character Name : Stepan

Original Name : Григорий Сочевко

Gender : Male

Mykola Yakovchenko

Character Name : Spirid

Original Name : Микола Яковченко

Gender : Male

Nikolay Panasev

Character Name : comforter

Original Name : Николай Панасьев

Gender : Male

Boryslav Brondukov

Character Name : bursak (uncredited)

Original Name : Борислав Брондуков

Gender : Male

Sergey Vanyashkin

Character Name : piper (uncredited)

Original Name : Sergey Vanyashkin

Gender : Male

Boris Veselov

Character Name : two-nosed ghoul (uncredited)

Original Name : Boris Veselov

Gender : Male

Aleksandra Denisova

Character Name : countrywoman (uncredited)

Original Name : Александра Денисова

Gender : Female

Lyubov Kalyuzhnaya

Character Name : countrywoman (uncredited)

Original Name : Любовь Калюжная

Gender : Female

Mykhailo Kramar

Character Name : bursak (uncredited)

Original Name : Михайло Крамар

Gender : Male

Viktor Kolpakov

Character Name : countryman (uncredited)

Original Name : Виктор Колпаков

Gender : Male

Aleksandr Lebedev

Character Name : bursak who milks a goat (uncredited)

Original Name : Александр Лебедев

Gender : Male

Elena Muratova

Character Name : pitchwoman (uncredited)

Original Name : Елена Петровна Муратова

Gender : Female

Dmitriy Orlovskiy

Character Name : countryman (uncredited)

Original Name : Дмитрий Орловский

Gender : Male

Anna Pavlova

Character Name : countrywoman (uncredited)

Original Name : Анна Павлова

Gender : Female

Сергей Степанов

Character Name : Viy (uncredited)

Original Name : Сергей Степанов

Gender : Male

Nikolai Yudin

Character Name : monk (uncredited)

Original Name : Николай Юдин

Gender : Male

Klara Rumyanova

Character Name : Pannochka (voice)

Original Name : Клара Румянова

Gender : Female

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-12-26

I gather this is one of the few "horror" films ever made during the Soviet era and it plays rather well on the superstitions of a rural population who are pretty much scared of their own shadows! "Khoma" (Leonid Kuravlyov) is a young priest who is charged with sitting with the corpse of a young woman. Locked, overnight, inside a small wooden church, he must protect her body from the evil spirits that might emanate from the depths of Hell to corrupt not just her, but him too! The eponymous "Viy" is the mightiest of those demons who is determined to seduce the young man - but can the faith and strength of this man of God prevail? I really quite liked this - it is maybe a bit over-scripted, but the visual effects are fun and there is (deliberate) humour amongst the scenes of mayhem as coffins - and their occupants - whizz around the church scaring the cassock off the innocent and frequently terrified "Khoma". The denouement - well that has to be seen to be enjoyed. Don't let the opening few minutes - a bit fable-esque - put you off, this is easily as entertaining as anything Hammer were chucking out in the late 1960s and there are some quirky supporting characters to keep it lively for a quickly paced eighty minutes.