ViCE, Russian Studies screen films in spirit of Halloween

Halloween is this week, and to celebrate the notorious holiday the Russian Studies Department and the Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) Film League will hold a movie marathon in its spirit.

The Russian Studies Department will put on the Three Nights of Terror: three Russian films over three nights, each one meant to inspire fear and delight in the student body. "It's more or less a traditional thing. We do the same thing every year—if you wish, a Russian Horror Picture Show," said Professor of Russian Studies Dan Ungurianu. "We were looking for what we can contribute to the American tradition."

The idea emerged spontaneously several years ago, and soon became a yearly event. The first film to screen will be Night Watch, a modern, big-budget blockbuster weaving together an epic tale of vampires and magical forces. The next screening is Day Watch, the sequel to Night Watch. There is an edited American release as well, but the department will screen the Russian version.

The series will conclude with Viy. This film dates back to 1967, and is the first and only horror film to come out of Soviet-era Russia. The basis for Viy is a classic, short horror story of the same name by the famed Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, about a priest who becomes entangled in a witch's twisted mischief. The department has put on other films besides Day Watch and Night Watch, but Viy is constant as the last film in the tradition. "[Viy] is a perfect ending and really a perfect Halloween flick in my opinion. It's a sort of low-budget production but with first-class actors." Ungurianu said. "It is pure horror. Undiluted."

Each film for the Three Nights of Terror will be in Russian with English subtitles, and screened over three nights at Rockefeller Hall room 200 at 8 p.m. from Oct. 29 to 31. But students have other movie options for the eve of Halloween, as ViCE will also be screening two films in the spirit of the holiday. One is The Crazies, a film about a town's residents inexplicably turning into serial killers. The other film is Hocus Pocus, a live-action Disney film about three witches who seek eternal life.

The Film League Committee decided to screen the films after being approached by the Class of 2011 Council, who traditionally organize the gamut of Halloween festivities, including the dance in the College Center Villard Room. "They approached us to do something with them, to kind of make the Halloween events Saturday be more eclectic," said Nora Lovotti '11, chair of the ViCE Film League.

The committee had such an extensive list of movie ideas that they decided to do a double-feature, ultimately deciding to match a newer offering (The Crazies) with light Disney fare. "While Halloween is obviously about being scared, it's also a holiday of our childhood," said Lovotti. "That's why we thought the combination of showing The Crazies and Hocus Pocus would be a fun way to tie in both of those Halloween connotations." ViCE currently hasn't settled on the particulars for the event yet, including the all-important questions of snacks and decoration. "Let's just say that we may have some tricks up our sleeves," said Lovotti. The movies will run back-to-back in the second floor of the Students' Building on Oct. 30 at 9 p.m.

"I think it's just gonna be a low-key, fun way to celebrate Halloween in addition to all the other partying and trick-or-treating and everything that's going on on-campus," said Lovotti.