_Viy_ is a movie that is only going to appeal to arthouse snobs or perhaps Russians who are more familiar with the folk tale. Being that I am neither, I found this boring. There is no story to speak of here. If you've read the synopsis, you've seen the movie: a witch curses a priest, he is tasked with watching her corpse, she haunts him for three nights. The end. This did not need to be a feature film. Were it a short film or a stage play, it would work better. There are, however, a few redeeming qualities: it looks amazing, particularly the lighting; The moments in the church, between the witch, and priest are stelar. This is an effects-heavy film: think Jan Svankmajer or George Melies. So, it does have a charm to it that you can only get with old films, where they feel more like magic shows, and must have been astounding for the time. Unfortunately, I have seen better. All that will stick with me is a witch wearing a flower crown. Post script: In an early scene, our protagonist, Khoma, kicks a pig in the face. I was ready to write this off as merely acting, using forced perspective. Trouble is, later on, we have a pig being dragged by his ears. If you can agree that it's wrong to abuse a dog or cat, then you have to also agree that it's wrong to abuse a pig. If you disagree with all of that, then you're a sociopath; in which case, I can momentarily adopt your amoral philosophy to demonstrate that it does not hold water when applied against you.

The movie is fantastic, the characters are amazing, the story is really good but all the effects are in-camera so it feels a bit dated compared to some other classic horrors. This would be a perfect candidate for a modern remake. Overall -really enjoyed it and would recommend.

Catching up before it's leaving Shudder. An absolute classic. Also one of the best folk horror I've seen and it's funnier than I expected. It takes a while to get there but the second half was a riot! Khoma, a seminarian and his weavering faith has to watch over a "deceased" witch body for three nights encounters gradually increasing horrors each night. It's very creepy and atmospheric with wonderfully inventive monsters. The lead in his bowl-cut and was fantastic. I love the colors, textures, scenery, and practical effects! Shudder only has the one with English dub but it wasn't that bad.

When the horror bits get going, it's delightful--there's some super creepy makeup effects going on here. Pity these moments are sort of few and far between, making even a 75 minute movie feel like it drags a bit.

Fun characters, charming effects, and a simple story. A quick and easy to watch movie.