Viy (1967 film)
Viy is a 1967 Soviet Gothic dark fantasy folk horror film directed by Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov. Based on the story of the same name by Nikolai Gogol, the film's screenplay was written by Yershov, Kropachyov and Aleksandr Ptushko. The film was distributed by Mosfilm.
Plot
As the students of a Kiev seminary are sent home for vacation, three of them become lost in the countryside in the middle of the night. They spot a farmhouse and ask the old woman at the gate to let them spend the night. She agrees, on the condition that they sleep in separate areas of the farm. As one of the students, Khoma Brutus, lies down in the barn to sleep, the old woman tries to seduce him, which he staunchly refuses. She hypnotizes him, climbs on his back and rides him across the countryside like a horse. Khoma suddenly finds that they are flying and realizes she is a witch. Invoking the name of Christ, he forces her to land and beats her violently with a stick until she turns into a beautiful young woman, who cries out that he is killing her.Terrified, Khoma runs back to his seminary, where the rector informs him that a wealthy sotnik's dying daughter has specifically requested that Khoma say prayers for her soul. He reluctantly complies and finds he is returning to the farm where he met the witch. The girl dies before he arrives, and to his horror, he realizes she is the witch and that he has caused her death. The sotnik promises Khoma great reward if he will stand vigil and pray for her soul for the next three nights. If he does not, grave punishment is implied. After the funeral rites, the villagers tell the story of a huntsman who was bewitched by the girl and asked her to ride him like a horse, reminding Khoma of his own encounter.
Khoma is taken to the chapel where the girl's corpse lies and is locked in for the night. He lights every candle in the chapel and begins to recite the prayers. He pauses to sniff tobacco, and when he sneezes, the girl opens her eyes and climbs out of the coffin. Khoma quickly draws a sacred circle of chalk around himself, which acts as a barrier. Hearing him but unable to see him, the girl persistently tries to get to him as he prays fervently. When the rooster crows in the morning, the girl returns to her coffin and all the candles blow out.
Khoma gets drunk to strengthen himself for the second night. He draws the sacred circle again and begins his prayers. The coffin rises into the air and bangs against the sacred circle's barrier, prompting a panicked Khoma to pray for God's protection. Standing up in the coffin, the girl flies around the sacred circle while repeatedly calling out Khoma's name. As the rooster crows, the coffin returns to its place, and shortly after the girl lies down, she attempts to curse Khoma, causing his hair to turn grey.
Trying to explain what happened in the chapel, Khoma pleads with the sotnik to be allowed to leave, but the sotnik threatens him with a thousand lashes if he refuses, while offering him a thousand chervontsy if he completes the task. Khoma attempts to escape but is stopped by the sotnik's servants, who bring him back to the farm.
On the third and final night, a drunken Khoma once again draws the sacred circle before beginning his prayers. The girl summons various demonic figures to torment him, but they cannot get past the sacred circle either. She ultimately summons Viy, a large humanoid creature. Khoma believes himself to be safe upon hearing the rooster crow, but when he makes eye contact with Viy, Viy points at Khoma and the demons attack him. The rooster crows again and the demons all flee, leaving Khoma motionless on the floor. The girl turns back into the old woman and lies down in the coffin, which instantly falls apart. The rector enters the chapel and, seeing what has happened, races off to tell the others.
Back at the seminary, one of Khoma's two friends proposes they drink to his memory, while the other doubts that Khoma is actually dead.
Cast
Production
One of the filming locations was the village of Horoholyn lis in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. Shooting took place in a wooden church. It burned down in 2006 and was rebuilt.Some of the "witch" scenes and the ending where Viy appears were toned down due to technological limitations as well as then current restrictions on Soviet film production. The directors were able to avoid the previous restrictions by using what was considered a "folk tale".