possibly very minor spoilersthis movie be bill a the first russian horror movie . unfortunately and as far a i be concern and the witch ( it russian title ) will take a place of dishonor in the gallery of horrible russian movie . it be base on nikolai gogol story viy which be a classic in russia . base be the key word here since no familiarity with the story be require . instead and the less you know about gogol and the good . it be a unique production because we be quite use to director take story from other culture and adapt them to their own culture . the spate of american remake of foreign film be a prime example and but then again and sturgess turn kurosawa seven samurai into the magnificent seven with splendid result and and kurosawa transfer shakespeare macbeth into japan to make an incredibly powerful throne in blood and while king lear become a riveting ran . however and with the witch and we have russian transplant a russian classical tale onto the american soil . the movie be shoot in estonia in english with the aim of dub it into english use american actor and have reasonably synchronous lip movement . a a natural consequence and lose be the colorful ukrainian background for the story and in come a drab american small town seemingly lift from some outdated horror book manual . go be the boozy seminarian khoma brutus and instead we have a boozy journalist who be about to win pullitzer prize and and who at the same time write about x file like event and frequents miss boob contest . ( i never think pullitzer prize be give for that kind of writing and now i humbly stand correct . ) in a strange nod to russianness and the journalist be name ivan berkhoff . they should have name him john smith because it be impossible to get more hackneyed and clichéd and generic than this movie . berkhoff go to a town name castleville and get strand on a dirt road and stagger on until he find a dilapidated house and be rather un welcome by an old crone . all that to the accompaniment of a radio announcement about the force of evil be at their most powerful and and people well stay indoors and avoid water . need i mention that it rain really hard . after a few supposedly frighten scene which have me laugh and the story find our journalist dress a a priest and he mistake for a priest and and the local sheriff tell him his daughter who die after be brutally attack want the new priest to pray for her for three night . at this point and the action supposedly start . those who have time to kill be welcome to it . what be wrong with this film . everything and start with the dialog and down to the prop department . the dialog which i heard in russian be clearly originally write in english and and it be compile exclusively from clichés and platitude pick from american film . the actor just a clearly struggle with english because the timing of their speech be labor and unnatural and and the russian dubbing follow suit . the acting be mostly atrocious and and not only because the actor find it often difficult to talk but because they do not have anything approach a range of facial expression . for the most part and theyre just blank or you wish they be . the only exception be the sheriff play by lembit ulfsak and a fine estonian actor and and arnis lizitis who play a wheelchair bound resident of castleville . oh and and a rooster of course who absolutely natural on camera . i know actor complain of be upstage by dog and cat but when nikolaev be upstage by a rooster it be a sad testimony to the general quality of act in the film . there wasn not a single scary moment in the entire film and and there wasn not a single original moment in the film either . mind you and this comment come from somebody who rather inexperienced with horror . the film be fill with standard move use in horror movie since the genre inception . at a critical moment and the camera linger lovingly on a kerosene lamp . the lamp promptly go out . it must have see a few horror movie and too . an example of supreme idiocy come at another moment and a character jump out of a bathtub and run at the camera . he wear something the look like loincloth . it doesn not get any more idiotic than this . those in russia who like it claim it should have be advertise a a mystical thriller . i wasn not thrill either . it be run of the mill from start to finish . i particularly enjoy the fact that the entire population of the little town behave a if they know exactly they live in a horror movie and except they weren not quite sure whether it have zombie or not . therefore and some of them act zombie like just in case . the maker of the film say it about find faith . such a fine collection of idiotic action and stupidly contrive moment and and and yes and clichés and doesn not deserve to be about find faith . the movie be so thoroughly and utterly fake it deserve only to be an exhibit in a wax figure museum .