Rare Belarusian Folk Horror Film ‘The Savage Hunt of

“This is a horrible, damned house.” Whoa – what do we have here?! Deaf Crocodile, Belarusfilm, & Seagull Films, in partnership with DiabolikDVD, are releasing on disc a lost Belarusian folk horror film titled The Savage Hunt of King Stakh, which originally debuted in 1980. Described as an “ultra-rare” film that is a “major rediscovery for genre fans” who might want to take a look. A mystical drama set in an out-of-the-way castle in the Belarusian woodlands at the end of the 19th century. A young ethnographer, Andrej Bielarecki, arrives at the castle to research local folk legends including the story of King Stakh. “Part folk horror, part supernatural mystery, King Stakh is a melancholy, chilling mixture of Terry Gilliam, Italian Gothic Horror, 1960s Hammer Films, and The Wicker Man.” Long unavailable, the film has recently been restored from the original film elements in its extended 126-minute Director’s Cut. The film stars Elena Dimitrova, Boris Plotnikov, Albert Filozov, Roman Filippov, and Boris Khmelnitskiy. Even though this isn’t getting a theatrical re-release, it’s so kooky and strange and peculiar, I can’t help featuring this new trailer anyway. // Continue Reading ›