Bursting with startling imagery and stunning practical effects courtesy of directors Konstantin Yershov, Georgi Kropachyov, and perhaps most notably, artistic director Aleksandr Ptushko (the legendary special effects artist whose spectacular stop-motion effects and innovative colour cinematography has seen him referred to as the Soviet equivalent of Willis O’Brien, Ray Harryhausen, and even Mario Bava), VIY has influenced generations of directors for more than half a century.
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.
The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present VIY in its UK debut on Blu-ray from a HD restoration of the original film elements.
LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISC: A HOLY PLACE [Sveto mesto] (1990, dir. Djordje Kadijevic) A adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s short story and a stunning example of Serbian Gothic cinema from director Djordje Kadijevic. Described by critic Dejan Ognjanovic as “an unparalleled excess of perversity and terror”
New Interview with A HOLY PLACE director Djordje Kadijevic (Limited Edition Exclusive Only)
1080p presentation on Blu-ray
Original Russian mono audio
Optional English mono audio
Optional English subtitles and English SDH
Brand new audio commentary with film historian and eastern European cinema expert Michael Brooke
Brand new video essay on Russian novelist and VIY author Nikolai Gogol
Archival documentary on VIY
Three Russian silent film fragments, The Portrait [1915, 8 mins], The Queen of Spades [1916, 16 mins], and Satan Exultant [1917, 20 mins]
Newly commissioned sleeve artwork by Peter Savieri [TO BE REVEALED AT A LATER DATE]
A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay on Aleksandr Ptushko by Tim Lucas, and a new essay by Serbian writer and film critic Dejan Ognjanovic
