7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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. Based on the classic novella by Nikolai Gogol.
Starring: Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley, Aleksey Glazyrin, Nikolay Kutuzov, Vadim ZakharchenkoForeign | 100% |
Horror | 98% |
Drama | 21% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Russian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Iron Mask came and went without causing much if any notice either at the box office or in home media sales, but those interested can read my Iron Mask Blu-ray review’s first paragraph for a patently hilarious (to me, anyway) list of the alternate titles the film was released under in various markets. Among those was Viy 2, which probably was one of the smarter choices, given the fact that Iron Mask was a supposed sequel to a 2014 effort called Viy, a film which itself was also released under a laundry list of different names (as evidenced by our very database, which has the film listed as Forbidden Empire). Viy was hugely successful in Russia (something that no doubt led to some bean counter somewhere suggesting a sequel), but it wasn’t the first film bearing that title to come out of that nation, even if the previous effort was produced when there was a USSR.
Viy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. There's unfortunately no technical information provided by Severin on the insert, and I haven't been able to dredge up any authoritative information on any restoration, but this is a rather nice looking transfer, all things considered, though the color timing can seem a little peculiar at times, often with a noticeable bluish undertone. As a result darker scenes in particular tend to have blacks that can veer toward purplish hues and flesh tones that are a little alien looking. In brighter lit moments, the palette pops rather well, and fine detail levels are quite appealing. Some of the old school compositing definitely shows its "seams", as can perhaps be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. Grain resolves naturally throughout and I noticed no major compression issues.
Viy features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in either Russian or English. There are some slight mix differences between the two, especially in terms of amplitude for dialogue, but both offer good, solid fidelity which supports all the spoken elements, as well as both ambient environmental effects and other sound effects, and the enjoyable (and pretty ubiquitous) score by Karen Khachaturyan (the nephew of Aram Khachaturian of "Sabre Dance" fame). Optional English subtitles for both languages are available.
- The Portrait (480p; 7:53)
- The Queen of Spades (480p; 16:30)
- Satan Exultant (480p; 19:30)
There's something almost indelibly "Russian" about Viy, and those with an interest in the folklore (real or imagined) of this country will find a lot to like about this film. There's actually not a ton to the story (it's kind of interesting to read how various analysts have come along in the wake of Gogol's original and subjected the tale to all sorts of interpretations, some rather fanciful), and so the film's relatively brief running time is not an issue in terms of development. Some of the special effects are charmingly quaint by today's standards, but the film definitely has style in abundance and some very effectively spooky moments. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package very enjoyable. Recommended.
Лептирица | The She-Butterfly | Limited Edition
1973
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Temnye vody
1993
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1983
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1989
1993
1987
1988
1983
1988
De dødes tjern
1958
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Kladivo na čarodějnice / Witches' Hammer / The Witch Hunt
1969
1974
دختری در شب تنها به خانه میرود / Dokhtari dar šab tanhâ be xâne miravad
2014
2013
1993
Chi o suu bara
1974