Viy (1967)

One thing I regret from my short time I spent in the Soviet Union was not getting to see any movies.  Granted, the time I was there was in the waning days of the USSR when Western films were beginning to be screened and filmmakers were experiencing the most freedom they had since the 1920s.  The reason I am disappointed is because, over the years, I have found that one way to learn about another culture is through its cinema, just as much as through its literature.  While both often present idealized versions, and this was quite true of the state-controlled movie industry of the USSR, there are still cultural touchpoints that shine through despite censorship and propaganda. 

Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov) is a young seminary student at a monastery in Kiev.  While out causing mischief during a break with his friends Gorobets (Vladimir Salnikov) and Khalyava (Vadim Zakharchenko) the trio get lost and separated returning to the monastery.  Khoma finds shelter for the night only to find out that the person giving shelter is a witch (Nikolay Kutuzov).  He is forced to carry her across the sky like a horse but, when the spell is broken, they fall to Earth and he beats her within an inch of her life, only to see her change into a beautiful young woman (Natalya Varley).

The next day when he returns the Principal (Pyotr Vesklyarov) of the seminary informs him that the daughter of a local landowner (Aleksey Glazyrin) has asked for Khoma to personally sit with her and pray as she passes.  Khoma is reluctant to go but is duty-bound.  He arrives after the girl has passed and recognizes her and, again, tries to get out of saying the prayers.  However, her father advises him he has a choice: accept a large amount of gold for keeping vigil and praying for three days or suffer a thousand lashes.  Khoma decides to go through with the prayers only to find himself fighting off increasingly violent demonic attacks.

Viy is based on a short story by Nikolai Gogol'.  If some of what happens feels familiar it is because the same story was used, albeit much more loosely, as the basis of Mario Bava's Black Sunday.  This Russian version follows Gogol''s story much more closely. Despite the horror elements in this Nikolai Gogol' was known primarily as a humorist, often using his writing to poke fun at many of the authority figures of 19th century Russia.  Thus, he was often a favorite of the communist government as the upper classes and religious figures were often subtly portrayed as corrupt or idiotic.  Adapting his material, even a supernatural tale with religious overtones such as Viy, was safe. 

This was made during the regime of Leonid Brezhnev and, though many reforms that Nikita Krushchev had pushed for were reigned in, it still was a less restrictive time than under Josef Stalin.  In this case the landowner in the original story was already shown as violent and corrupt, so there was no real tweaking that needed to be done.  The thrill was in bringing the visions that Khoma has to life which, given the small budgets of even the most epic Soviet films, was no small feat. 

It is one that directors Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov and Aleksandr Ptushko manage to pull off well.  That one of the main reasons Viy was rediscovered decades later.  The beginning is criticized for being slow, but it moves at a rather brisk pace when considering the pacing of many Russian films.  Leonid Kuravlyov is outstanding in the role of Khoma, a young boy who knows in his heart he is not ready to face the test of faith that awaits him.  He does the best he can but the ending is inevitable. 

Natalya Varley has few speaking parts, having to play Pannochka in a purely physical manner for most of the film.  There is some in-camera trickery being done to make her seem even more threatening, but most of it comes from her own body movements and expressions, making her one of the most memorable horror villains.  Viy (Nikolay Stepanov) is an interesting and unique design that, while not matching the description from Gogol''s story exactly, is still an interesting creation. 

Much like This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse this movie manages to present demons and the tormentors of hell in a unique fashion despite not having much of budget to go on.  While the story itself is a well-told bit of folklore - largely created by Gogol' himself - it is the visuals that will stick with the viewer, and they are largely the doing of Ptushko who had worked on earlier effects-heavy films.  Thus, many situations that would have been limitations are used to an advantage, and Ptushko leans into the weirder descriptions of the nights Khoma spends with the corpse of Pannochka, where many would have held back.  That would not have made for such an interesting and memorable film if that had been the case. 

Viy (1967)

Time: 77 minutes

Starring: Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley

Directors: Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov, Aleksandr Ptushko