When ukrainian horror movie The Witch: Revenge started filming in late 2023, the costumes for the Russian soldiers were sourced straight from the battlefield. “They were real Russian uniforms. The captured soldiers or the dead soldiers, they just took those uniforms and cleaned them, and we used them,” the film’s producer, Iryna Kostyuk, says, speaking from Kyiv. Having cleaned the uniforms, the film-makers then had to dirty them up again so they looked suitably lived-in. Some of the vests still had names written in them – and several had names crossed out, presumably because Russian soldiers had filched them themselves from fallen comrades. “it was quite a challenge for the [Ukrainian] actors to wear them,” the producer says.
The movie, also known as The Konotop Witch, is about a witch who has renounced her powers but re-summons them after the Russians kill her fiance. It was a runaway hit at the Ukrainian box office last year, making $1.4m – a very big number for a country during a war, facing curfews and electricity cuts. It’s also the first in a horror universe cycle, called Heroines of the Dark Times, that Kostyuk is overseeing. Kostyuk and her team have now completed the second film in the series, The Dam. A zombie splatterfest, full of gore and severed heads, it follows a unit of Ukrainian soldiers, led by a female fighter codenamed Mara, who uncover a cold war era laboratory where Soviet scientists conducted nefarious experiments in the 1950s. Mara and her team face the certain battle with undead Soviet soldiers – but must also confront thier own innermost fears, and learn to trust one another.
The Witch: Revenge. Photograph: FILM.UA
It all begs a question: why turn to horror movies when you have so much of it in real life anyway? Kostyuk says that spectators’ responses to movies change in wartime. In 2023, she produced an animated family fantasy feature called Mavka: The Forest song about a mythical green-haired wood nymph who guards the forests. Although she had been working on it long before the invasion, she noticed that audiences responded to it differently after February 2022. “People started to see it as a movie about defending your land, about fighting for your identity,” she says. “Horror is a way to process trauma. it’s a safe space to explore your fears.”
Ukrainian Filmmaker Elena Kostyuk Defies War with Horror and Fantasy
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Ukrainian filmmaker Elena Kostyuk is continuing to produce films despite the ongoing war with Russia, blending horror, fantasy, and social commentary in projects like “The Dam” and “The True Myth.” Kostyuk’s work reflects both the immediate realities of conflict and a broader concern about Russian expansionism, while also providing a form of escapism for Ukrainian audiences.
The Dam: Horror with a Political Undercurrent
Kostyuk’s latest film, “The Dam” (2025), a horror film featuring zombies, premiered at the American Film market this week. The film is intended to appeal to both horror fans and those concerned about Russia’s geopolitical ambitions. Kostyuk connects the film’s themes to the historical context of russian imperialism. “[Putin] wants to take Russia now, back to the Soviet imperialist mindset, back to the USSR,” she stated, adding that Ukraine is “fighting the remains of that mindset and trying to stop it spilling out of the metaphorical bunker.” [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/08/ukrainian-filmmaker-elena-kostyuk-zombie-movies-war]
The film’s release comes as audience preferences in ukraine have shifted. While revenge narratives were popular in the early stages of the war, audiences now seek escapism. “The Dam” has had modest success as its Ukrainian release last month, reflecting this change in demand.
Wartime Filmmaking: Risk and Resilience
Filmmaking in Ukraine during wartime presents important challenges. Kostyuk acknowledges that safety is no longer a primary consideration when choosing filming locations. “Now that we are in the fourth year of war, I don’t think that the factor of safety applies any more when you are choosing your locations. You choose locations and then you deal with it. It is high,high risk.” [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/08/ukrainian-filmmaker-elena-kostyuk-zombie-movies-war]
Despite these risks,Kostyuk has successfully completed several projects. She recently oversaw the production of a live-action adaptation of the Ukrainian folk tale “Mavka,” titled “The True Myth,” filmed in Ukraine’s forests and lakes amidst ongoing air raids. The film was delivered on schedule, demonstrating remarkable resilience and logistical skill.
A Third Project: Neo-Nazi Vampires
Kostyuk is currently developing a third film,which will feature a policewoman battling rightwing neo-Nazi vampires. This project suggests a continued willingness to tackle complex and politically charged themes through the lens of genre filmmaking. [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/08/ukrainian-filmmaker-elena-kostyuk-zombie-movies-war]
Kostyuk: A Heroine of dark Times
Elena Kostyuk’s dedication to filmmaking in the face of war has earned her recognition as a symbol of Ukrainian resilience. Her ability to produce both zombie horror and family adventures during an invasion demonstrates a unique determination and creative spirit.
Further Developments: Kostyuk’s continued work highlights the importance of cultural production even – and perhaps especially – during times of conflict. Her films offer a window into the Ukrainian experience and contribute to a broader global conversation about the impact of war and the power of storytelling.