Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
The young family who moved to a new apartment on the outskirts of the city. The nanny hired by them for the newborn daughter quickly gained confidence. However, the older boy, Egor, talks about the frightening behavior of a woman, but his parents do not believe him. The surveillance cameras installed by the father for comfort only confirm everything is in order. Then one day, Egor, returning home, finds no trace of either the nanny or the little sister, and the parents are in a strange trance and do not even remember that they had a daughter. Then Egor, together with his friends, goes in search, during which it turns out that the nanny is an ancient Slavic demon, popularly known as Baba Yaga.
Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest draws on Slavic folklore mythology to give it a culturally specific identity that separates it from generic Western horror, earning modest Novelty points. The cinematography has some effective atmospheric moments in the dark forest sequences. However, the plot is fairly predictable — the disbelieving parents, the perceptive child, the folkloric antagonist — following well-worn horror conventions despite the cultural dressing. Acting is serviceable but uneven, particularly among the child performers, and the ending resolves in a formulaic way without much payoff or surprise. A mid-tier entry in the Russian horror space with some charm but no breakout qualities.