Viy 01/07/20

Could the Soviets do a horror film?  The answer is a big yes, with an adaptation of the same Nikolai Gogol fable credited with inspiring Mario Bava’s Black Sunday. The bucolic period setting and comic undertones do not prepare the viewer for the maelstrom of supernatural events, aptly described by the disc notes as ‘demonic mayhem.’ It’s too terrifying for one Russian director, so Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov collaborated. The equally frightening CineSavant scribe Charlie Largent pens the review, doing some research to better place it in a cinematic context. Does a movie like this fit into the horror tradition of western Europe, or does it exist in isolation? Some of the creepy-crawly monster things in this show defy description.  On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
01/07/20