Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Viy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 25, 2021

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.

Here's a little geography pop quiz for you: could you place Transylvania on a map? This may seem like an odd question, given that Viy is a Russian film culled from a story by Nikolai Gogol which Gogol perhaps fibbed a bit about by suggesting it was based entirely on folklore (the consensus is that Gogol was responsible for at least some of the story, which had no directly discernable antecedents in fable or fairy tale). But as John Leman Riley gets into (as does Richard Stanley, albeit perhaps less directly), Viy can be seen as just one of several vampire(ish?) tales that seemed to erupt as almost part of the cultural zeitgeist in the 19th century. In that regard, it's perhaps salient to note that Transylvania more or less abuts southwestern Russia, and Kiev, the city where Gogol set at least the beginning of his story, is not all that far from where Dracula famously hung out (in more ways than one).

Apparently seminary students in 19th century Russia got what amounted to "summer vacation", and the film opens with a monastery releasing its charges, though not without the head monk chastising the young men for having gotten in trouble the last time they all took off. In traditional fairy tale style, three young monks in training end up getting lost, eventually stumbling on a kind of farmhouse where they encounter a weird old woman who lives there. She allows them to stay overnight, but only if they sleep in separate places. Later, she accosts Khoma Brutus (Leonid Kuravlyov), one of the three, and almost instantly Khoma becomes aware that the woman is a witch (the fact that she puts a spell on him and turns him more or less into a gravity defying "horse" she rides is probably his first clue). Khoma fights back, and actually ends up severely injuring the woman, who magically turns into a gorgeous young woman named Pannochka (Natalay Varley), before she expires from the beating she received from Khoma.

Khoma, understandably panicked, attempts to escape (something that will be a recurring feature in this story), but is soon called back to "the scene of the crime", where he has been summoned by name to keep vigil and offer prayers for the body of the young woman. What ensues is three nights of Khoma doing battle with supernatural forces, with some interstitial scenes given over to Khoma's repeated attempts to get the hell out of whatever the Russian version of Dodge might be.

There evidently was a silent version of Viy produced way back in 1909 which is now considered lost, as well as at least a few other adaptations that have cropped up over the years. One unexpected connection which frankly might be a bit questionable is Mario Bava's Black Sunday, which both the back cover of this release and several online sites posit as an adaptation of the Gogol story. Those familiar with the Bava film may well want to check out this offering and see what if any tethers they can make out between the two properties.

Viy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Viy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Viy the Vampire (1080p; 22:57) is a fun interview with the always colorful Richard Stanley. For those unacquainted with Mr. Stanley, I can recommend the very engaging Severin Films Blu-ray release of Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau .


• From the Woods to the Cosmos (1080p; 34:46) is a really interesting overview of Soviet fantasy and science fiction films by John Leman Riley. This featurette may be worth the price of admission alone for some historically minded genre enthusiasts.


• Trailer (1080p; 1:53)


• Soviet Silent Horror

  The Portrait (480p; 7:53)

  
  

  The Queen of Spades (480p; 16:30)

  
  

  Satan Exultant (480p; 19:30)

Viy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.