Doors open at 8pm. VIY   1967 Directed by Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov 77 minutes In Russian with English subtitles

Here is a beloved Ukrainian-Russian gem, based on a traditional ghost story adapted by Nikolai Gogol. Although it is a horror film, the East Bloc horror movies were more 'fantastique' than in the west, and also include humor. Personally I'm tired of horror films in the west, it's all the same old bag of tricks... here we have some very very different. A sort of Russian 'folklore horror' flick.

I can't go into the narrative without spoiling the film, but let's say it is about three young drunk students (one is a philosopher, another is a theologian) who lose their way in the misty Russian countryside, and when they come across a little shack in the middle of nowhere, demand the old woman who lives there put them up for the night. What follows is mostly the wild trip of what happens to one of the students. Not much blood -  more wacky, weird, unsettling, surreal situations... including things swirling and flying through the air, erotic demons, and the conjuring up of creatures from hell. All the special effects are hand-made, and even some of the countryside backgrounds are clearly painted landscapes, giving it a lyrical atmosphere. It's wandering somewhere between reality and a dream world, with phantasmagoric images flooded by a rich color scheme of blues, reds and golds. The music soundtrack by Karen Khatchaturian has a deep Russian feel, and fits in perfectly with the strange images that are unleashed.

The film has a massive amount of cult value, mostly due to the fact that it's not much like any other movie in terms of style. The music and images fuse together to give it a off-kilter, supernatural, other-worldly mood.

This will be a high-definition screening.