Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki Bear with its somewhat slow first two thirds, and you will be greatly rewarded with this one.Atmospheric, low budget Ukrainian obscurity begins slowly, by exploring a bit of religion and folklore and superstitions, before venturing into horror territory for its final third, when corpses weep blood, coffins levitate, skeletons walk, the camera goes into well done 360 degree spins, and really creepy white dust-covered demonic ogres crawl out of the woodwork and attack to poor fool who has to spend three nights with the dead body, of a woman he killed, in a small farming community outside of Kiev. More fairy tale fantasy than horror, until the final third, but never boring.

Hawk20011 I really enjoyed watching this film. The humour was subtle, the photography beautiful and the effects were far better than I would have expected from a 1967 Russian movie. The comical antics of the antihero and the filming techniques reminded me much of Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness. The stop motion photography at the end of the movie showing double-jointed freakish vampires crawling along the walls, reminded me of the 1992 version of "Dracula" or Samara's movements in "The Ring". It wouldn't surprise me to hear that this film inspired future horror film directors. The camera techniques are ahead of their time. I highly recommend this movie.

guitarphil I loved this film. It looks beautiful from start to finish with a great sense of care taken with colour and lighting.It's not really a horrifying horror film but it does get quite tense and there's a real sense of drama about it; especially in the build up of each consecutive night. The daughter of the landowner is great as the possessed tool of the devil and some of the visual ideas at play look fantastic even now.The protagonist is funny and engaging making for a watchable performance. Elements are camp but if you like a more artistic approach favouring style over realism then this is a little gem of a movie.Also of note for those wary of foreign/subtitled films, the pace is snappy and I was surprised when it finished as it didn't feel like I had been watching it for that long.This isn't Hellraiser but it is a wonderful experience that should delight any fan of stylised cinema.

The_Void 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.