10 Russian Horror Movies You Need To See

Based on the short story The Gray Automobile by Alexander Grin, Gospodin Oformitel (better known in English as Mister Designer) was one of the most surreal horror films to be released during the Soviet era. It was a tale about a famous artist named Platon Andreevich who rivaled God with his hand-man mannequins. Along the way, he became obsessed with creating the perfect mannequin, one insusceptible to time, unlike and superior to humankind.

He soon met a model named Anna, who he used as inspiration for his best mannequin.

One fateful day, a wealthy businessperson hired him to decorate the interior of his house. There, he met a woman named Maria, who he swore was the mannequin based on Anna come to life.

After refusing his marriage proposal multiple times, Maria finally accepted, but Andreevich had already fallen deep into madness by then. His obsession with proving Maria to be one of his works, living and breathing, also became the source of the artist's demise.

The gripping tale of a warped artist was enough alone to draw in hoards of moviegoers, as it hooked viewers with its deep look into a conflicted man's gradual insanity. The icing on the cake was the design and costuming of the film, which also earned the horror flick a Nika Award for Best Costume Design.