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Review by Mr. P. Rigby for Viy [DVD]
(4 / 5)
Rating:
I loved this film. It looks beautiful from start to finish with a great sense of care being taken with colour and light.
As the other reviewer has pointed out 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 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.
Review by Mr. A. Peacock for Viy [DVD]
(3 / 5)
Rating:
Viy (or The Vij) one of the lesser known works of the brilliant writer Gogol’s; is a supremely creepy story. However the film isn’t really in the same catagory.
It begins in a camp jolly way, a long time ago in the past in Russia, with a small group of friends stopping off at a creepy house owned by an even creepier old (and slightly pervy?) woman. From that point on a story about dreams, witchery, demons and punishment unfolds.
The concept is certainly interesting, and the story itself is aswell, it just doesn’t translate that well to the big screen, the story itself doesnt particularly develop enough or last long enough to become totally engrossed, in many ways it is a sort of Edgar Allan Poe-esq short story; which in book form would be exciting, translated to the screen it just wouldn’t be eventful enough.
The film features in the book ‘1001 films you must see before you die’ which is the sole reason i bought this film, also i presumed it would soon be out of circulation anyway; but i can’t really figure out why it is. The demon’s themselves at the finale are supposed to be amazing, but in reality their all pretty similar and don’t really do anything.
I suppose it is worth seeing for the general idea behind it, as it is unlike anything you’ll have seen before; it’s certainly an oddity in cinema history, but it’s up to you whether that merit’s watching it; in my opinion it probably deserves 3 stars (at most) but unless your a particular fan of rare russian cinema then you probably won’t rate it higher.
HOWEVER! Other than the film itself, there is a particularly strong reason for buying this film: And that is the dvd itself. I’ve personally found that alot of dvds for Russian film’s are insanely weird (Artifical Eye’s Andrei Rublev, for example) but this one is undeniably the weirdest of all. The layout of the menus is so confusing and yet so infinite, you can find all manner of completely random things on the dvd; there are the usual dvd fodder like notes on the film etc, then there’s a feature or two about Gogol himself and the source materia; but after that you can stumble across random silent russian films from 1912 onwards and other things which i don’t want to spoil for you if you end up buying this dvd! All i will say is that there is absolutely no logic to the utterly bizarre features and shorts you’ll find!!
Worth buying for the Special Features alone!!
Review by Steven Taylor for Viy [DVD]
(5 / 5)
Rating:
If you’re a fan of the writer or of fairytales,this is for you ,given you’re not a snob about trendy effects or reading subtitles…It is a great film because it’s a literary translation of an interessant story about a shapeshifty witch, the daughter of a tough rich kulak or lordling,who seems like a hag and is yet a beauteous damsel who abducts frivolous seminary students for piggyback trips through the sky…It’s not really scary but it is a fun romp and I thought the effects excellent and effective-It is theatrical and of its time,to be sure but so what?It’s a european and a mythical theme and people still love such tales as it is a picturesque antidote to both the thematically bland or shabby and tendentious fare Hollywood stills churns out…It’s good but many of the extras never played on my copy although the three silent films did as did the Gogol film…Good extras even then-A worthy buy.
Review by Mrs. E. A. Molloy for Viy [DVD]
(5 / 5)
Rating:
One of the most lushly coloured and beautifully-shot films I’ve ever watched, The Viy is gripping, funny, creepy and lot of fun!
A young trainee-priest is engaged to watch over the body of a recently-deceased young woman, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy farmer, for three nights before her funeral; but knows something no-one else does – she’s a witch! After being locked in to the chapel every evening, he is tormented throughout each night by various ways and things!
I cannot recommend this enough! If you like creepy films you’ll love this. It looks like it was shot yesterday, and it genuinely gave me shivers down my spine
Review by Yashkoo for Viy [DVD]
(5 / 5)
Rating:
Creative and creepy ‘Viy’ is pretty much forgotten these days but when it was shown in the old communist days in Russia it scared the pants off audiences! When my wife saw it at the village cinema in the Ukraine she had nightmares for weeks! (Well she was a child then but it put her off horror movies for life! One day I’ll get her to watch Suspiria!) It’s the wild and wacky story of a priest attempting to keep a corpse dead. It’s all quite quaint now but it shows great flare and imagination especially in the fun special effects. If you love old vincent price/Roger Corman films and the Universal horror movies then this is certainly for you!