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Viy – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Soviet Union, 1967
Director: Aleksandr Ptushko, Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov
Writers: Aleksandr Ptushko, Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov
Cast: Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley, Aleksey Glazyrin, Nikolay Kutuzov, Vadim Zakharchenko, Pyotr Vesklyarov, Vladimir Salnikov, Dmitriy Kapka, Stepan Shkurat, Georgiy Sochevko, Nikolay Yakovchenko, Nikolay Panasev

Release Date: December 10th, 2019
Approximate Running Time: 76 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Russian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.98

"In 19th-century Russia, a seminary student is forced to spend three nights with the corpse of a beautiful young witch. But when she rises from the dead to seduce him, it will summon a nightmare of fear, desire, and the ultimate demonic mayhem." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Viy comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.9 GB

Feature: 21.7 GB

Though no information is provided about this transfer's source, it is most likely the same HD restoration from original film elements that Eureka used for their Blu-ray release. The bulk of this transfer looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, color saturation is very good, and image clarity and compression are solid. That said, though black levels generally look strong, there are moments where they look more purple than black.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Russian), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Russian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Although both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, the Russian language track has better range. Included are removable English subtitles for the Russian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 53 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Russian, no subtitles), an interview with John Leman Riley about the history of Soviet fantasy and sci-fi film titled From The Woods to the Cosmos (34 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Russian film clips), an interview with filmmaker Richard Stanley titled Viy the Vampire (22 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and excerpts from three Soviet silent films, The Portrait (7 minutes 30 seconds, no sound or text), The Queen of Spades (16 minutes 30 seconds, no sound, Russian intertitles with removable English subtitles) and Satan Exultant (19 minutes 30 seconds , no sound, Russian intertitles with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Viy was co-directed by Aleksandr Ptushko, who's been referred to as the Soviet Ray Harryhausen because of his work in special effects, notably stop-motion animation. Notable films he directed are Ilya Muromets, Sampo, and Ruslan and Ludmila. Viy is an adaptation of Nikolay Gogol’s horror novella of the same name. Nikolay Gogol’s Viy is a story that has been adapted numerous times; the most notable of these is Mario Bava’s Black Sunday.

Viy is a fusion of fantasy cinema and gothic horror; at its heart is a story about a Cossack named Khoma whose life goes into a spiral after an encounter with a witch. When he meets this woman, she presents herself as old and haggard-looking, and it is not until he kills her that she reveals her real identity: a beautiful young woman. After fleeing the scene of the crime, karma steps in when it is revealed that her dying words were to have Khoma stay with her corpse for three nights and deliver solemn prayers for her soul.

The first half of the narrative focuses on Khoma’s life at the monastery and his encounter with the witch. The opening setup does an excellent job fleshing out his persona, a mischievous trouble-maker who's always breaking the rules. After the witches' arrival, things shift from a whimsical tone into the realm of fantasy. When Khoma spends the three nights with the witch, there is a final tonal shift, and horror elements come to the forefront. That said, though things start off sluggishly, paving-wise, they really pick up in the last 30 minutes.

The most surprising aspect of Viy is its performances, especially Leonid Kuravlyov, who portrays Khoma. He tells the story through his eyes, delivering an outstanding performance that immerses the viewer in his character's state of mind. The most memorable performance is Natalya Varley's exemplary portrayal of Pannochka, a dead witch who rises from her coffin every night to torment Khoma. Her performance excels because of her physical presence; after her character's death, she does not speak, only looks menacing. When her character looks old and haggard, it is actually portrayed by an actor named Nikolay Kutuzov.

From a production standpoint, Viy is a film that often exceeds its resources, notably when it comes to production design and special effects. Watching Viy, it is clear that Aleksandr Ptushko is the creative force behind it; the other two directors had never directed before, and neither would ever work in horror ever again. As mentioned before, the centerpiece of Viy is the three nights that Khoma spends with the witch. Khoma’s only protection from the witch is a protective circle, which he uses against her attacks. On the third and final night, she pulls out all of the stops as she summons demons, other entities from hell, and a monster known as Viy. Ultimately, Viy is an exceptional horror film that’s overflowing with atmosphere, making it a must-see for fans of folk horror.

Viy gets a solid release from Severin Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of insightful extras; highly recommended.