About the film
Khoma Brut is a cheerful, hard-drinking seminary student. On his way home for the summer he meets an old woman who turns out to be a witch; he beats her, and she dies as a beautiful young woman.
Her father, a rich Cossack, demands that Khoma read prayers over her body for three nights in a wooden church. Each night the dead girl rises, and each night the horrors around his chalk circle grow worse.
Viy is the first Soviet horror film and still has real atmosphere. The monsters were created under the supervision of the fairy-tale master Alexander Ptushko. Perfect for Halloween.
Did you know?
- It is considered the first horror film made in the USSR.
- Natalya Varley, the witch, was a trained circus performer and did her own flying-coffin scenes.
- Alexander Ptushko supervised the special effects.
