"The witch gave Russian soldiers a hard time": Ukraine shoots horror films about Putin's army

We simply cleaned them and used them," said Iryna Kostiuk, the producer of the tape. Signatures were even left on some body armor, crossed out in some places - obviously, things had already passed from one Russian to another. The film, also known as The Witch of Konotop, tells the story of a woman who renounces her witchcraft powers, but regains them when the Russians kill her fiancé. The tape became a box office hit, collecting $ 1.

4 million - a record amount for a country living in a time of war, curfew and blackouts. "The Witch" opened a new film universe - "Heroines of Dark Times", which is supervised by Kostyuk. The second part has already been completed - "The Dam", a bloody zombie horror about Ukrainian soldiers who stumble upon a secret Soviet laboratory of the 1950s. The heroine, nicknamed Mara, together with the team, faces not only the army of the undead, but also her own fears.

Why do Ukrainians want to watch horrors when there is a real war around them? Kostyuk explains: "In 2023, people wanted revenge. And "The Witch" gave it — it's a film where a Ukrainian witch "gives the Russians a hard time. " For a Western viewer, such scenes may seem too violent, but for Ukrainians, they are a form of emotional release.

The new film "Dam", which was presented for the first time at the American Film Market, aims to go beyond the borders of Ukraine and interest both horror fans and those who are worried about Russian imperialism. The third film of the cycle is already in development - about a policewoman fighting neo-Nazi vampires. Despite the constant shelling, Kostyuk continues to work - she recently finished shooting the game version of "Mavka" called "True Myth".