Viy

"The Soviet Union’s first horror film!"

1967 1h 16m RU

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

88%

FRESH

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 296🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes★7.2IMDB · 10,735

DramaFantasyHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A seminary student on monastery holiday kills an old witch in a remote village. The hag then transforms into a beautiful young woman whose dying wish is for him to watch over her wake for three nights. With terrors occurring and his faith waning, he reads prayers on the overnight watch and tries to survive the supernatural encounters.

“The Soviet Union’s first horror film!”

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Cast

Leonid Kuravlyov
Khoma Brut
Natalya Varley
Pannochka, the Centurion's Daughter
Aleksey Glazyrin
Centurion
Nikolay Kutuzov
Witch
Vadim Zakharchenko
Freebie
Petro Vesklyarov
Dorosh
Vladimir Salnikov
Horobets
Dmytro Kapka
Overko

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Georgi Kropachyov
Writers: Georgi Kropachyov, Aleksandr Ptushko, Konstantin Ershov
Languages: Russian
Countries: Soviet Union

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 76-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

59 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Georgi Kropachyov, shot by Viktor Pishchalnikov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Karen Khachaturyan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Regina Pesetskaya shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Leonid Kuravlyov and Natalya Varley and Aleksey Glazyrin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Soviet Union’s first horror film!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0062453 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Georgi Kropachyov directs. Viktor Pishchalnikov behind the camera. Karen Khachaturyan scores. Regina Pesetskaya cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 76-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
259 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Georgi Kropachyov, shot by Viktor Pishchalnikov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Karen Khachaturyan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Regina Pesetskaya shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Leonid Kuravlyov and Natalya Varley and Aleksey Glazyrin carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The Soviet Union’s first horror film!".
8IMDB entry: tt0062453 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Viktor Pishchalnikov
Original score: Karen Khachaturyan
Editing: Regina Pesetskaya
Production design: Nikolay Markin
Costume design: Roza Satunovskaya
Makeup / hair: Sarra Mokil
Stunt coordinator: Aleksandr Ptushko
Runtime: 76 min · 1h 16m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: RU
IMDB: Viy (1967)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 10,735 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Also by

Georgi Kropachyov

The Wolverine's Trail
1979 · ★ 10.0

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-12-26
★ 7/10
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.

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