Podzemelye vedm (1990)

Podzemelye vedm (1990). 1h 25m | Not Rated

“I was privileged enough to pick up a copy of this seminal piece of Russian horror (horrorpiece, to employ the official term)at Mike Knightu0026#39;s Open-All-Night VHS Dungeon on W 5th Street, LA in the early 90s. For anyone familiar with the area at this time, Mikeu0026#39;s store was a great place for the distinguished VHS u0026quot;aficionadou0026quot; to relish in the more under-appreciated World rarities. Sadly, he who lives by the sword dies by the sword; I last heard Mikeu0026#39;s Dungeon was closed down for video piracy by none other than LAu0026#39;s infamous video piracy vigilante, The Pirate JB. On to the film, and what a film! Marina Levtoza (who later went on to star in what was a bigger box office success, yet inferior critical success, u0026#39;President i yego zhenshchinau0026#39; aka u0026#39;The President and his Womenu0026#39;) delivers a strikingly convincing performance as the mentally unhinged love interest Belogurochka. It is delightful to see a horror film of this calibre (trash horror) trying its hand at some old fashioned Biblical symbolism, as Marina is enticed by the dark side, or Satanu0026#39;s path, as represented by the witches. This is pure Genesis parody, and the tremendous clout of the chromatic imagery is rival, if not commensurate, to that of Polanskiu0026#39;s u0026#39;Rosemaryu0026#39;s Babyu0026#39; (1968). The witches, of course, inhabit a cave, symbolic of that small, hidden alcove in all our hearts where Satan lurks, u0026quot;whisperingu0026quot; to us with his empty promises. NOTE: The witches communicate with each other by whispering! Class!”