Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh Blu-ray Movie Review

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a ghost story and folk horror for audiences with a love for classic European horror. The Russian folk-horror film explores the legend of the ghostly King Stakh. King Stakh is a legendary figure who community residents believe haunts the castle mansions. King Stakh rides a horse, mask on, and travels through the woodlands.

The legend states King Stakh was murdered during the 15^th century. King Stakh’s stature leaves a commanding presence. King Stakh takes on a ghostly form while continuing to haunt the land. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh explores the legend in a compelling way.

Inspired by European folklore, the folk horror classic of The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is both ghost story and supernatural chiller with eerie undercurrents for serious genre aficionados. A must see for genre fans who appreciate the surrealistic tones of the folk-horror genre – including the elements of classic ghost stories and European film horror in general. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh was a cultural achievement that inspired other European filmmakers.

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh includes haunting imagery of King Stakh riding through the snowy woodlands, a dwarf traveling through a countryside overrun with chaos, doll’s house performances, ghostly presences of questionable origin, imagery of bleeding characters, and other surrealistic visuals that create a haunting impression for the folk horror genre. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh doesn’t shy away from surrealism and experimental visuals.

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh strangely brings to mind Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the journey of the hero. King Stakh makes such an undeniably powerful impression on the story, the character simultaneously a ghostly presence and one that perhaps inspires action in those living in the woodlands and community that otherwise would not exist. For better or worse – the character one of legendary stature that inspires debate and discussion.

The cast of characters includes Andrey Beloretskiy (Boris Plotnikov), Nadezhda Yanovskaya (Elena Dimitrova), Ignatiy Gatsevits (Albert Filozov), pan Dubotovk (Roman Filippov), Ales Vorona (Boris Khmelnitskiy), and pani Kulsha (Valentina Shendrikova). The ensemble cast brought something enormously special to the production. The actors delve into their roles with dedication to the storytelling. There is a surrealism throughout the film and the actors seek to deliver on that genre undercurrent.

The production design by Aleksandr Chertovich (V profil i anfas, Otstupnik) is well-done and impresses in spades. The artistic sensibility of the film is top-notch. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a beautifully designed film. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh features set decoration by Ivan Romanovskiy (Nash bronepoyezd, Zazda strasti). The sense of scope and scale is outstanding for folk horror and this undercurrent of aesthetic wonderment adds to the charms of the storytelling.

The costume designs by Eleonora Semyonova (Otstupnik, Come and See) are impressive and are a joyous sight to see. The costumes by Semyonova are perfect for the ensemble cast of characters. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a job-well done by the costumer and the time-period and fantastical elements perfectly reflected by the designs.

Edited by Lyudmila Mikulo (Kontrakt so smertyu, Perekryostok), The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a well paced production. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is perfectly cut by the editor. The sense of style was captured by the essence of the editing. The flow of The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is surreal and one can’t take their eyes off the film. An example of precise editing.

Featuring a score composed by Evgeniy Glebov (Ya rodom iz detstva, Tretya raketa), The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a beautiful and lush effort by the composer. Glebov created a special score that is a great undercurrent to the surreal visuals. The music adds so much wonder to the filmmaking. A score that is essential to the core.

The cinematography by Tatyana Loginova (Yas i Yanina, V profil i anfas) is one of the most transcendent qualities of The Savage Hunt of King Stakh. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a lush and uniquely visual feature-film. The beautiful visuals in The Savage Hunt of King Stakh are a sight to behold. The quality aesthetic achieved by the cinematographer adds so much joyous wonderment to the production. Haunting, serene, and mystifying visuals.

Written and directed by Valeri Rubinchik (Nankinskiy peyzazh, Otstupnik) with co-writing by Vladimir Korotkevich (The Life and Ascension of Yuras Bratchik, Chyornyy zamok Olshansky), The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a special kind of international classic – the film crosses genre barriers and feels both like an important drama and ghost tale at the same time. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh was so surreal and the visuals kept me hypnotized throughout. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh had me glued to the film with a sense of whimsy and beautiful poetry in each frame of the film. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a gem: something that should be considered a must-see for fans of classic international cinema.

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Deaf Crocodile, The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The feature restoration is outstanding and a sight to behold. Restored by Deaf Crocodile using the original film elements, The Savage Hunt of King Stakh has arguably never looked better than on this release. A testament to the efforts of Deaf Crocodile to preserving classic international cinema.

The restoration was completed of the rare extended Director's Cut of The Savage Hunt of King Stakh, which runs at 126 minutes and provides a more complete version of the film than previous versions only offering edited presentations (and not the director's cut as presented here on this release). The Savage Hunt of King Stakh has been well encoded with Blu-ray authoring provided by industry best Fidelity in Motion.

The scan is naturally filmic and beautiful looking. The cinematography is beautifully showcased and reproduced on the release. The folk-horror aspect of the cinematography is a natural highlight. An incredible scan of the film and it has been well handled by distributor Deaf Crocodile.

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Russian uncompressed PCM mono (with English subtitles). The lossless audio preserves the original audio elements. The sound presentation has been well preserved. Dialogue is crisp and clear on the release. The English subtitles are quite good throughout. There are no egregious issues to report with regards to spelling or grammatical errors.

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release arrives with two options: a limited edition collectors release available exclusively on the Deaf Crocodile web store and a standard edition option. The artwork on the limited edition release is fantastic – beautiful and a sight to behold. The package has a rigid chipboard art-box and the set looks premium in hand. There is considerable weight and luxuriousness to the deluxe edition and it will make an outstanding addition to any collection.

The standard-edition is provided in a clear case. The standard edition slips inside of the deluxe edition art box. The deluxe edition includes a well- done booklet. A fantastic package by Deaf Crocodile and a great reminder to collectors of the value of physical media as a tangible thing. There is something quite special and beautiful about physical media and the experience of holding a film in an impressive physical form – one can appreciate the box art and the impact it has on the physical media experience.

On disc supplements include:

Introduction by Kier-La Janisse (HD, 13:01)

"The Wild, Wild Hunt of King Stakh" (HD, 16:10) is a visual essay by Evan Chester.

Audio Commentary by Mike White

Audio Commentary by Stephen R. Bissette

2024 Restoration Trailer (HD, 1:43)

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a must-see classic of international cinema. The Savage Hunt of King Stakh features hypnotic and breathtaking visuals. The poetic cinematography and filmmaking make The Savage Hunt of King Stakh a haunting experience. A folk-horror classic and one that is a great testament to the power of international cinema. The Blu-ray release features a fantastic restoration preserving the intended aesthetic of the feature-film. The release is a must-own for collectors of foreign cinema. Highly recommended.