Episode 179 - Viy

From 1967 "Viy" or (Spirit of Evil) is a film from the USSR and Communist Party era. It was the first horror film officially released during Soviet rule and was distributed by Mosfilm the film studio established in 1920. Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov were the two Directors. Leonid Kuravlyov as Khoma Brutus is the seminary student who encounters the witch Pannochka played by Natalya Varley. Both lead actors continue to have careers in the Russian Federation. Included in the large cast are many actors as other seminary students who behave badly, the autocratic Rector of the seminary and a host of characters that aid the witch. The film purports to be a folktale with political overtones of life before the formation of the USSR. The movie is a rare view of 1960's movie making in the USSR.