This checks the boxes for what I like in a folk horror movie. A village or rural location, an actual folk related villain you can see that isn't metaphorical or psychological, and.a villain that plays on local folktales. While I liked this, I didn't love it. Maybe because it happens too fast. This is only a 64 minute movie. If you're looking for a fast paced folk horror movie with some memorable images and atmospheric setting this this is for you. There were a lot of images of the creature in this movie that I enjoyed and there are some scary moments at the beginning and the monster. I enjoy the idea of a vampire coming to a mill night after night for flour. That seems like a scary story people would tell at night. The same goes for how this plays with the idea of not seeing the bride before the marriage. There are some well timed comedic moments as well.
The movie starts with Zivan (Slobodan Perovic) bringing flour to a miller named Vule (Toma Kuruzovic). At night Vule is attacked and killed by a vampire going into the mill. While you don't see the vampire's face you do see the mouth and the fangs which look awesome and the face is in the shadow. I like atmosphere of this scene as the candle goes out in the mill. The vampire bites Vule and this is well done because he is still shaking around as he dies and there is a nice amount of blood. The next day farmers find his dead body with the wound on his neck. The film then transitions to Zivan's kin Radojka (Mirjana Nikolic) who we saw the day before over the hill near Zivan and Vule. She is in the woods with sheep and a farmer named Strahinja (Petar Bozovic) sneaks up on her and they play around. They have a forbidden love as Strahinja is a pauper and Zivan doesn't approve of them being together. Strahinja goes to ask Zivan if he can marry Radojka and he doesn't give an answer. "You'll be waiting for an answer for a long time."
The mysterious vampire fangs at the beginning.
The Case of the Bloody Iris inspired shot of the beautiful Radojka
Strahinja tells Radojka that he cannot bear for her to marry someone else and will leave if he cannot have her. He meets with the other farmers who have talked about Vule being the fourth miller to die while while working there in the same way. Strahinja, wanting to make some money before he departs offers to work in the mill. His first night in there the same thing happens. It is a great visual when he is covered in flour as he falls from the top of the room. Apparently the vampire never attacks him because the farmers find him the next day covered in flour. They discuss the myth of Sava Savanovic and go to see an old woman in the neighboring village who apparently was alive when he was around. This is one of the funniest moments in the movie as they ask her if she knew him and they get no answer so they all start walking back then she says she did know him and they all rush back to her. This is repeated when they ask her where the grave is and she says it is by a ravine.
They eventually find the grave and put a steak through the middle of the coffin. A butterfly comes out that they can't catch. Strahinja talks about how he feels about Radojka. The rest of the men don't like Zivan and agree to help him take her from Zivan. This is another funny moment as they sneak around the farm but Zivan is right there as soon as they get to Radojka. A couple of the men keep falling down as they run away. They go to another village to consummate the marriage.
Spoiler Section
The farmers talk about how he shouldn't see her before the marriage and one of the women from the village guards the door when she sleeps. Strahinja sneaks in after the guard falls asleep and begins to take Radojka's clothes off...this reveals a big scar in her chest as she transforms into a vampire who gets on Strahinja's shoulders and he runs back to the site of the grave. He manages to take the stake out of the coffin and stab her with it, killing her. I do like the ambiguity here. Would he have ever known she was a vampire if he didn't break a marriage taboo. We see Zivan catch the butterfly and says he will show them for taking her. Did he have anything to do with it? Does the butterfly represent the vampire by day? I like that this movies does not tell all.
Radojka showing her fangs
Radojka fully transformed. Talk about beauty and the best. I can't help but think if this was an influence on Fiona in Shrek.
There are so many great images. Just Radojka's look as this beautiful blonde in a village with mostly older people is great in itself. Radojka's tranformation between beauty and beast is great. There is one shot I love where we see reflection from water in a well. While I enjoyed this movie I never got to the point of loving it and I'm glad it is only around an hour long because nothing ever hit the bullseye for me but there was nothing I didn't like. There is even a commentary on class in here between Zivan and Strahinja and the forbidden love story is a tale that goes back forever.
Rating: 6.5/10
Trivia: The movie was filmed in the village of Zilinje. The mill that appears in the movie is still in it's original location.
You can find this film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vojhfYK0T5c
Also available on Shudder and in the Severin Films Folk Horror Collection
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