User reviews

"Leptirica" is a Yugoslavian female vampire horror film from the early 70s shot in the Serbian countryside and based on a novel.The incredibly eerie beginning takes place in a mill.The old miller listens strange bird voices and while he's sleeping the millstone suddenly stops working and a strange creature with black hands,long nails,angry eyes and long teeth bites his neck and drinks his blood.Soon the area of a small Yugoslavian village and the dark woods are plagued with the attacks of a truly hideous vampire creature...This is my first Yugoslavian horror film and I'm highly impressed.It features some of the creepiest vampire attack scenes ever captured on screen.It's also based on Serbian folklore,unfortunately my DVD-R don't have English subtitles,so 90% of the plot went beyond me.Still if you want to see truly scary horror film try to find "Leptirica".9 out of 10.

I have watched this movie after finding out about it online. I didn't expect to watch overwhelming special effects or perfect film making. Keep in mind this was filmed in the '70s in Yugoslavia, and for TV. To make things worse, the recording I watched wasn't of extremely high quality (maybe a rip from a very old home recorded VHS).

The movie is seriously scary, but with some comedic relief which might be considered annoying if you don't expect to see them. Plot turns and surprises are well thought of in most instances. There is no attempt to "explain" the plot to the audience , as commonly happens with more modern western movies. I find this to be a nice thing, but some may find it a problem. The vampire the movie tells about is not a typical vampire from western movies, but maybe the retelling or older and more original Slavic legends.

The actress playing the protagonist's love interest was a treat. Beautiful and convincing, hard to believe she did not appear in famous movies. Effects rudimentary, but kind of convincing. Scares real. True that the vampire appears in three scenes: that's enough however. Those appearances are sudden, and only in one case can be expected.

Definitely advise for horror fans (with the caveat you are not watching Hollywood).

I came across this film completely by chance. I have never heard of it before even though I was born in Slovenia , which used to be a part of Yugoslavia. The She Butterfly has a very simple premise. It is shot in a beautiful countryside whose inhabitants are puzzled and shocked by the murders of five millworkers. It is clear that it is a doing of a malevolent presence. 1h3min running time is perfect. The film never drags or loses momentum. It also contains some quirky humour which you will especially enjoy if you are from the Balkan region. But the highlight of the film, in my opinion, is the soundtrack. It amplifies the general atmosphere and gives the whole film a haunting and eerie feel. Definitely recomended if you are a fan of old school horror.

Yes! There were quite a few 'not so smart' people at TV Serbia back in 80's because they showed this film at 19:00 or even worse around 10:00 so all the children (i.e. Me) could see it and think its drama for kids...What a misconception!!!

This is vampire-horror masterpiece! Unfortunetally its TV movie made with TV camera so you never have impression of a real movie...But that kind of work has many achievements because you simply don't expect that kind of HORROR in that form of film-making!

Makeup is brilliant!!! Acting is beutyfull - all professional, academic actors - which is not the case with 99.99% of horror movies! Story it pretty simple but it all revolves in 19th century Serbia so it has sweetest plot I'we ever seen in a Horror!

I recommend it with greatest pleasure!

A fellow IMDb user alerted me that this 70's TV movie was in fact the very first horror movie from Yugoslavia. I can't honestly say I have actually seen any others myself but this fact did leave me somewhat intrigued for sure. In the event, Leptirica proved to be a very fascinating watch indeed and one which suggests that the Serbs are missing a trick in not having made more horror films steeped in their folklore. Like most vampire films from other parts of Europe, the events in this one take place in the 19th century. More specifically, the action occurs in a rural village which relies on a cursed mill in which a succession of millers have been murdered in the night by a vampire, a being who once was called Sava Savanovic, a man who died one hundred years ago. Unlike most other European vampire presentations, though, the creature here is a long way off the sophisticated aristocratic blood-sucker variety and is instead a filthy feral beast with excess body hair, sharp nails and teeth. This seems to tie in more accurately with the traditional Serbian model which is like a cross-over between a vampire and a werewolf. I very much appreciated the difference here and had never before seen a depiction of this creature done quite in this way. It felt a very authentic rendering and one which seemed to have emerged organically from Serbian culture.

Similar to the tradition of fairy-tales from eastern and central Europe, there is also a fearless ambiguity to how events are played out on screen. Many aspects are never explained fully and remain tantalisingly remote and enigmatic. The vampire itself emerges suddenly and aggressively, it performs strange rituals such as covering its hands in flour, while it appears to mysteriously exist partially as a butterfly. These types of unusual details possibly are not explained fully as the intended Yugoslavian television audience perhaps were expected to understand them from widely told folk tales from that country. I don't know for sure if that is true but whatever the case, the result is to the overall benefit of the film as far as I am concerned as unexplained mysteries often work best when it comes to strange supernatural stories. After all, the unknown is often the lair of the scariest things of all. When the horror moments occur in this movie, they are often very effective and chilling, with the vampire itself a memorably scary creature, who indulges in witchy behaviour such as riding its victim. It's nice to see that this old television movie from the former Yugoslavia has been developing an appreciative audience over the years. It's a very interesting alternative indeed to the more traditional Gothic fare from Western Europe.

I saw this serbian film twice in my early childhood. Remember it still in the mist and it is one of the few horror movies that spooked the hell out of me. Highly recommended vintage treasure, straight 10/10, one of the TOP5 horror movies of all times. Brilliant camera, weird rural atmosphere, a true representative of Balkans' scary legends on the big screen.

One of the things I regret the most in my life is the fact that I didn't see this TV-drama film when everybody else in my generation saw it. I saw it later when I was 16 and it was funny. Still, it had some really chilling moments. I call it a true folk-horror. Kadijevic is famous for his work in the area of Serbian historic and ethnic stories. His greatest work would be "Life of Karadjordje" but Leptirica remains his most famous work. Cult status in all Balkan countries. Did you know that werewolf and vampire means the same in the folklore of Serbian people and that vampire is the only Serbian word used worldwide. Not available on DVD but can be found in DivX format.

Leptirica is the part of three movie projects. Project intended to introduce fantasy and horror to Yugoslavian film production. With very small budget and the cream of exYu movie makers, it shacked whole movie scene. Serbian folklore and literature is full of fantasy stories (even science fiction). Authors used the Milovan Glisic's novel:"Ninety years after" for scenario.

Actors and camera is excellent, and the pace is very good. There is some inconsistencies that can be filled by novel. I think Kadijevic was forced to cut some scenes. Movie have lack of thrilling atmosphere, but all scary scenes are even scarier. They are surprising. Yugoslav movie makers didn't have experience in horrors, but Leptirica is rare gem within yu movies. It is milestone. All later horror movies fixed mistakes of Leptirica.

Beside that, it takes me twenty years to get courage to watch it again! It took a hell out of me!

Twenty years after it is not scary at all to me. I know what and when to expect from the movie, so it is some bit silly to me. But, if you never seen Leptirica before, watch it!

Leptirica aka She Butterfly is an interesting little made for TV folk horror film, from the former Yugoslavia (now Serbia), based on the story After Ninety Years (1880) written by Milovan Glisic (who was konwn as the "Serbian Gogol", for it's six degrees of seperation to Mad Love).

The Balkans are home to polymath Johann Weikhard von Valvasor, who documented the world's first written account on vampires- about the legend of Jure Grando from Istria (now Slovenia)- in his encyclopedia: The Glory Of The Duchy Of Carniola.

His book was published 17 years before Stoker wrote Dracula; basing the story on folk tales he heard from the mountain dwelling villagers living along the Drina River Valley.

And so we have the tale of the Leptirica...the She-Butterly...a vampiric apparition of a beautiful young maiden, who shapeshifts into a werewolf, whenever she needs to feed.

She's already gone through 4 millers in the past year...and the villagers are starting to get suspicious.

The elders hold a town hall meeting and decide that they must take action.

Meanwhile, a poor, jobless young man has been wooing her in her maiden form. But her dad keeps intervening to stifle their love.

So he joins the older men, who suggest he take up the job of the miller, considering the position has recently been vacated by the death of the previous miller.

He agrees, hoping it will win things over with her dad, but it doesn't take long before he, himself, is attacked.

Luckily he survives...but it's the last straw.

The villagers fear a vampire is at work here. So they go to the town's old witch, hoping she'll have some advice.

She points the finger at an old grave. So the men set off to dig it up, so that they can stake the corpse and (hopefully) end the curse.

But they must use Parzivalian tactics find it.

However, when they do...a small butterfly is released...and they are unable to catch it.

It escapes.

But, now endowed with a newfound confidence (after having survived the attack)- alongside a little encouragement from his friends- the young man sets off to elope with his beloved (regardless of her father's wishes).

Everything seems to be going fine until he goes to consummate the marriage; at which point he discovers a gaping hole in her stomach...right about where they had staked that unburied coffin they were directed to uncover.

He tries to remove the stake, in hope it might save her soul, and return her to her former self.

But it's too late...she has now taken on her monstrous form permanently...ultimately leading to the film's conclusion.

I really liked pretty much everything about this film...but there is one thing I just didn't get.

What did her father do with the Butterfly when he caught it? (I guess I'll have to read the story...)

Otherwise it's a really enjoyable film.

I particularly enjoyed how they messed with the mad drunken priest.

If you are into folk horror, this will definitely be up your alley.

7 out of 10.

Forget about Scream or Night mare in Elm Street. This is scary. You feel like 5 years old child after that film. You are afraid to go to toilet on your own. You can't sleep. This is what horror movies should be. Really scary not funny.

It is never a good idea to read-up on films on the internet before seeing them. The twist at the end of 'Leptirica' is revealed in all its glory on just about every online article you'll find - not that it's the most surprising development.

The plot is wafer thin in this Yugoslav Made-for-TV rural horror film, but that doesn't mean the brisk 63 minutes running time is not enjoyable. There are some genuinely amusing moments amidst the growing horror and the developments around it. Some of the facial mugging of the supporting cast might be a little overdone, but the acting is strong throughout.

A definite oddity, then, 'Leptirica' manages to stay in the mind long after the credits roll, which is strange for such a slight story. My score is 7 out of 10.

For a while now, I've been hearing how this movie is supposedly a hidden gem of vampire horror and Yugoslavia's best horror film(whatever that's worth.) I absolutely LOVE low-budget/high-concept horror films since many of the classics were made on the cheap and are better for it. But THIS??? I'm sorry, but have I missed something? Is there some hidden brilliance beneath the poor cinematography, the unintentionally hilarious sound effects, and the god-awful slapstick comedy that only serves to pad out the meagre plot? Why is this movie so highly rated? Did a cabal of internet trolls get together to up-vote this movie and play a cruel joke on naive cinephiles? This movie is BAD. It's only redeeming quality is the acting which is actually quite impressive. Aside from that, after seeing this movie, all of the praise I've heard for it now sounds like the jokey sarcasm of someone who wants to trick you into wasting your time and effort tracking down this crap!

Wonderful, I've seen this movie ONCE when I was a kid and since then it's burned in my mind as of the most scary films I've ever seen. And I've seen A LOT of horror. Hm, I think I will try to find this film again, I'm pretty curious about how I would feel now while watching it. It certainly did contribute to my love for the horror-genre, and vampire figures in films, in general. This particular vampire , leptirica, is very old in Slavic folklore. The female vampire shapeshifter, upir, can even be considered as a metaphor for many things. Feminine mystery or sexuality is one of them.Interesting !

Beauty and the beast

The film based on Milovan Glisic's short story is considered the first and perhaps the best Serbian horror film. "Leptirica" brings us a rural atmosphere, beautiful nature, a satirical attitude towards folklore and superstitions, and a rather humorous story tone. There is not a trace of creepiness and tension, perhaps because there is no background music or sound effects in the film to help build an eerie atmosphere. The film has nostalgic and folklore value and some nicely designed details (blood mixed with flour, partial portrayal of the vampire), but overall it gives the impression of an amateur comedy attempt, like an exam work of a film student. Until the very end that left me speechless, even though the twist was obvious from the start. From the moment Strahinja jumps over the old woman at the door, until the closing credits, this film is a masterpiece, filled with scenes that will haunt you for the rest of your life.

7/10.

One of the movies that everyone knows, but no one have. Master piece for its time, because of atmosphere that all can feel- like something raw inside themselves. Movie seems to relieve something that all of us have inside, but in a dark corner. It's something that excites us, but still something that we sometimes want just out of us. And if you want something similar, than you are looking for nothing. Or, you're looking for something similar to a bad dream. I guess that that kind of feeling (one that this movie produces), can maybe be found, and only sometimes in some places... Like when you're alone in a creepy and dark place, with a long way to home, that you know you have to cross- where staying or turning back is even greater fear... It's a phenomenon that is hard to explain. It's more than you can talk about. Though movie is not long- it's effects are. And maybe it's better not to watch it alone- or it actually is?

I saw this as a child and I remember that I was so scared that I couldn´t sleep for days. So, like twenty years later, here I am, watching it for the second time. The feeling, of course is not the same, ´cause through the years I became very big fan and some kind of an expert for horror cinema. But still... This is probably the first real horror made in Yugoslavia and it´s still the best. Dark atmosphere accomplished here is very unique and it really gives you the creeps. When I think of the comparison, the only movie that comes to my mind is BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (same atmosphere, dark woods, witches, etc.) and trust me when I say that Myrick & Sanchez flick is not at all superior. The only thing that annoyed me are the "comic elements". I really felt that they are not necessary (it is similar problem with all Yugoslavian suspense movies, such as: Variola Vera, The Strangler vs Strangler, Deja-Vu and more recently T.T.Syndhrome). But the last half an hour of the movie is so brilliant that we can forgive the director Kadijevic for that mistake.

The 1973 production by Belgrad Television, despite its historical value to Yugoslav and Serbian cinema, can hardly be seen as a horror film; the construction (technical quality aside) is plotwise based loosely on Milovan Glisic's novel After Ninety Years (1880). Unfortunately, as you can (I recommend after the screening) read on Wikipedia, the film at times deviates significantly from the content of the short story, allowing itself wide artistic liberties. Often with a change for the worse, blurring the readability of the reception - because after the screening, as a viewer we have more questions than answers.

The tone of the film is often too light and comedic to try to frighten us again later on; of course, I am aware of the ahistoricism of my note, somehow knowing that the default viewers, statistically simple people from the southern Slavic region of half a century ago, following Wikipedia, thought differently: "(...) while the other part criticized the director's and TV Belgrade's intention to scare the audience, a large part of which was still traumatized by events of World War II."

The whole thing has the construction of a fairy tale, a folk tale; shot in less than a month and with carelessness, which, however, between the lines allows the viewer to see the costumes and tattered folk customs of that region. Interestingly enough, however, I might add as a salve that as such (a humorous folk tale) the screening watches much better - the collective protagonist in the form of the village men interact with each other in wonderful slapstick and amusing interactions, often engaging in rubbishy verbal melee. A screening only for connoisseurs of B-grade cinema and good fun.

I couldn't agree more. It is one of the horror that scared me the most when I was a child. Spooky vampire story from the Balkans - a short description of the movie. B&W technique makes it even more scary. "Leptirica" is based upon a short story an I've read it - "Posle devedeset godina" (Milovan Glisic the author). I can only say it is almost as scary as the movie. Recently I had three opportunity to see "Leptirica" again. And it is still scary (and I'm not seven years old any more). There are only three chiller scenes, but even those three are too much. The atmosphere itself is scary enough. I give it 10 because it's the only horror that scared me twice.

This Serbian, made for TV movie, tells the folkloric tale of a 19th century rural village, seeped in superstitious paranoia. There are tales of Sava Savanovic who died at least a century ago; his myth embroiled with vampiric tendencies. In the opening scene the village miller, Vule (Toma Kuruzovic), sleeps in the isolated mill. through a montage of close-ups we see staring eyes, surrounded by dirty skin; an ash- blackened hand, adorned with long, sharp finger nails, dip in the flour; sharp teeth are exposed, not in the traditional fang image of western vampire lore, but a full front row of stalactite-like gnasher's. Vule has his throat ripped out. With the discovery of the body, we are informed that this is the fourth miller to die within a year, and the speculation of a vampire murderer is brought forward.

Strahinja (Petar Bozovic) is a very poor local, who is in love with the very beautiful Radojka (Mirjana Nikolic), daughter of the ill-tempered farmer, Zivan (Slobodan Perovic). Strahinja has asked permission of the farmer for her hand in marriage, which he bitterly denies. After this severe knock-back, Straninja decides his only option is to leave the village for good. On his way out, he is stopped by the locals, who convince him to take the miller job. He stays the night there, and is visited by the vampire, only he is not killed. The villagers gather to try to hunt down the monster.

Vampire films are so incredibly prevalent at this moment in time, but most do not hold any form of atmosphere. Leptirica has it in spades. The rural setting offers an eerie sense of doom, with sound created with the sounds of screeching owls. The eccentricities of the villagers reminded me of some of the comedy characters in a Kurosawa film. The sense of isolation in the remote village is palpable also, lending the film an aura of horror. As the film was made for TV, it only runs for a little over an hour, and I felt that it would have benefited from a slightly longer running time. But this aside, I was surprised with the entire narrative, and its simplicity makes it an enjoyable experience. The films title translates into English as Butterfly, which has its meaning exposed in the last moments. Whilst it is clear who the vampire is early on in the film, it does not diminish the climax, which is gaudy, but strangely haunting.

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"The She-Butterfly" is a genuinely frightening Serbian fairy tale revolving around a cursed mill and the young man willing to spend a night there to win the hand of a village maiden.

The IMDb reviews are pretty funny -it seems this Yugoslavian TV movie was inadvertently screened in a time slot reserved for kids and it scared the bejezus out of a whole generation of impressionable Slavs. I didn't quite get the connection between the vampire and the butterfly but felt better about it later on when I read no one else did, either. You have to know Serbian folklore, it seems, but it really doesn't matter since the film's got the look of a Grimm fairy tale and the toothsome demon doesn't disappoint. Recommended!

While I'm not specifically familiar with the source material, one recognizes a distinct kinship between this and other dark folk tales of Eastern Europe. I especially think of Nikolai Gogol's 'Viy': a small, rural community, troubled by some ill; one lone man who by one means or another is given a task that means confronting that ill. The plot and dialogue are simple and direct; Djorde Kadijevic's direction is concise but precise, reflecting the uncomplicated dictum of the story. Yet even with such unembellished discreteness there's room for light humor, modest complexity in the characters, minor artistry in the film-making, and even tinges of atmosphere. 'Leptirica' is hardly immediate and grabbing, and in its way joins the fine company of more recent folk horror titles like 'Hagazussa' or 'You won't be alone' that are quite subdued. For anyone who can appreciate the style, however, this is gratifyingly well made and worthwhile.

The rudimentary construction of the picture may understandably be off-putting to some. In my mind a more prevalent issue is that the straightforward tack of the feature means that the full potential richness of the tale is not met, nor some details fully elucidated. For example, a key plot point is the discovery of a grave, yet the underlying identity is not explicitly uncovered in the first place in the narrative as it presents. From the outside looking in, I don't know if this and other imperfections in the storytelling are explained with outside context of either Slavic vampire lore generally, or Milovan Glisic's story specifically, but that's just the point: without presumed outside context, there's are holes in the writing.

Approaching this strictly from the perspective of someone watching the movie, knowing nothing otherwise of that corner of culture from which the narrative arises, there's an unfortunate flaw that prevents 'Leptirica' from achieving the greatest possibilities, or having the same impact for audiences outside the former Yugoslavia and the surrounding region. Even with this in mind, however, I think it's so well done that the matter doesn't critically dampen the viewing experience; one takes certain conceits at face value in other titles, and we need only apply the same notion here in a different way. Otherwise: the production design is strong, and the costume design as well. The hair and makeup work is quite good, and the sound effects that are periodically of especial importance. Breaking through the relative lack of nuance that characterizes the project at large, I think the cast give capable performances. With Mirjana Nikolic and Petar Bozovic more or less being centered, as Radojka and Strahinja respectively, they particularly stand out and do much to help make 'Leptirica' the engaging title that it is.

The horror here is more "fun-scary" than "scary-scary," but the execution is sturdy and admirable all the same, and surely will appeal to genre fans who can get on board with the atypical tenor. Even if marginally incomplete as we see it, the story is compelling, and very much worth exploring, not least as it communicates a somewhat different take on vampires than what most viewers are accustomed to. All the contributions from behind the scenes are reliably steady; while the picture shows its age, from a technical standpoint it's rather well done. I repeat that the only major sticking point, for me, are those details of the plot that aren't wholly filled in - yet it says much that this remains so enjoyable even with that deficiency. For an abbreviated but excellent horror flick that's a bit off the beaten path, 'Leptirica' is an entertaining genre piece that's well worth checking out.

A short, simple & sincerely crafted horror feature that takes its inspiration from one of Serbia's most famous folklores and is drenched in myth, legends & superstitious paranoia. Leptirica (also called The She-Butterfly) is Serbia's first attempt at horror filmmaking and though not a first-rate effort, it still exhibits a lot of promise.

Written & directed by Dorde Kadijevic, the story is a tad too simple for its own good and what would've sufficed as a short film is stretched to a feature-length narrative here. Still, the plot treatment is lighthearted, characters are amusing, and whatever little frights do exist in the final print are carried out with both heart & honesty.

The one aspect where it truly impresses is in its foreboding atmosphere. There is a looming presence of a lurking threat that envelops its rural setting and it is palpable even in the most playful scenes. Use of camera & sound is neat. Performances are serviceable at best. And with only 63 mins to spare, sitting through it isn't much of a stretch.

Overall, Leptirica is a fun, enjoyable & well-paced Serbian (former Yugoslav) horror that utilises its resources quite well and makes up for some of its shortcomings with its eerie ambience. There is plenty of potential in here that possibly wasn't explored coz of TV restrictions of its time but this folksy take on vampire lore still manages to surprise in bits n pieces.