Wij (SPIRIT OF EVIL)

Three hard-drinking students set off for their home village during the holidays, but lose their way and encounter an old witch who means them harm. After a ride through the air, one of them beats her to death – whereupon she turns out to be a beautiful young woman. A short while later, he meets her again when he is asked to keep vigil for three nights over the daughter of a landowner … Horror from the USSR – that doesn’t just sound exotic, it actually is: Gogol’s short story previously inspired Mario Bava, and WIJ draws on Bava’s Gothic horror masterpieces, though enriching them with a folkloric touch and fantastic art design, courtesy of Russia’s Ray Harryhausen, Aleksandr Ptuschko. An insider’s tip that will both terrify and amaze!
(Florian Widegger)