Movies
Russian Horror, ‘Viy,’ Breaking Records Internationally!
Local language fare is continuing its strong start to 2014 at the Russian box office, as director Oleg Stephcehnko’s horror adaptation, Viy, is reportedly on-track for a record opening for a 3D film in the country, reports THR.
Viy, which premiered across Russia Thursday, had taken an estimated $17 million (600 million rubles) by Sunday night, producer Alexey Petrukhin said.
The film, based on a novel written by Gogol, the classic Ukrainian-born Russian writer of the 1800s, was last adapted for the screen in Russia by Georgy Kropachev and Konstantin Ershov in 1967. The new film, which shot on location in the Czech Republic, reprises the classic story of an ancient evil force that is awoken deep in the bowels of a monastery after the death of a beautiful maiden.
A faithful adaptation of Nikolay Gogol’s classic Russian horror story, starring an international cast that includes Jason Flemyng and Charles Dance, as well as Russia’s Alexey Chadov, the film opened to $2.5 million, before adding $3.2 million Friday and $6 million Saturday.
Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 psychological horror movie Possession is getting a remake from Smile writer/director Parker Finn, and Deadline reports that The Batman actor Paul Dano has joined the cast.
No word at this time on character details, though.
The original film starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a married couple in Cold War-era West Berlin whose relationship spirals into a supernatural nightmare. In Finn’s update, Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner will star as the turbulent couple in Finn’s Possession, and Adjani has officially given her blessing on Qualley’s casting.
Parker Finn is writing and directing the new take on Possession.
He’s also producing alongside Jonathan Fass via Bad Feeling, along with Roy Lee and Andrew Childs via Vertigo, and Robert Pattinson. Marc Bienstock is serving as exec producer.
Our own Brian Keiper celebrated Possession‘s 40th anniversary here on BD back in 2021, writing: “Few movies depict emotional turmoil as effectively and daringly as Andrzej Zulawksi’s Possession. It is a challenging and sometimes inscrutable film, both for the mind and the emotions. Zulawski struggles through a number of deep issues throughout the course of the film; issues that speak to some of humanity’s deepest pains and fears. In many ways it is about loss— loss of political ideals, loss of faith, and loss of innocence. But most of all, Possession is about the fear, pain, and anger that comes from the loss of a marriage.”
This will mark Dano’s first horror role. The actor previously appeared in sci-fi hits Looper and Okja.
Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill in Possession
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