Seriously squeeze: “Swamp” and other scary Russian mystical series.

Dmitry Glukhovsky wrote the first version of the screenplay at the end of 2011, but the series has just been released. This is the story of five young Muscovites who fled to a monastery near the abandoned village of Topi. For them, this trip is an adventure, a way to forget, to have fun, to change and, in a sense, even to run away from problems. But you can’t escape, so a series of strange events bring the guys face to face with what they’ve been running from. In spirit, it looks like Twin Peaks, but Ivan Yankovsky is very good here.

Where to watch: KinoPoisk

If “Topi” is compared with “Twin Peaks”, then “Whirlpool” can be called the Russian “True Detective”. No, in terms of range, of course, it does not reach, and many viewers criticize it for its unreliability, but it is addictive – what is true is true. In the city’s sewers, a group of investigators discover murdered teenagers who have never been sought. During the investigation, the police are confronted with the maelstrom of the big city, sucking in and destroying the weak, those whom nobody loves and does not wait at home. Here, fantasies and mysticism not only color the plot, but make the narrative more realistic (odd as it may sound) and more social. Evil, as usual, is within us, and you can only slay the dragon by recognizing your dark side.

Where to watch: KinoPoisk

The thriller, which was written and filmed by the creators of “Intimate Places” and “The Man Who Surprised Everyone” – Natalia Merkulova and Alexei Chupov. Call center workers at an adult store find themselves locked in an office with a bomb, and the terrorists promise to detonate it at any moment. At the same time, they do not demand anything specific from the hostages, but mock them, forcing them to perform ridiculous and humiliating tasks. Despite some secondary form – we’ve seen thrillers about people locked in the same room several times before – you watch what happens in horror, because it’s all very realistic and dramatic. No wonder producer Alexander Rodnyansky included “Whirlpool” in the list of the best series of the past year.

Where to watch: FIRST

Here the stars of Russian cinema – Alexandra Bortich, Alexei Chadov, Igor Vernik – play themselves, the stars of Russian cinema, who decided to take part in a reality show and compete for a prize of one million euros. The rules are extremely simple and at the same time difficult for a modern person: you are in the wild taiga, there is no food, personal belongings, electricity, communications, and whoever gets to the end wins . It is only at some point that everything spirals out of control and the participants really have to survive in the wild. It turned out to be a cool thriller, of course, with references to all the famous survival movies and TV shows.

Where to watch: FIRST

One of the most popular Russian detective series, not without elements of mysticism. The main role – an investigator of the highest level, whose deduction and insight Sherlock Holmes himself would envy, is played by Konstantin Khabensky. And in the role of a charming and intelligent intern, a graduate of the Yesenya Law School, Paulina Andreeva. Yesenya tries to find her mother’s killer, which is why she becomes Meglin’s assistant, with whom she sucks hard in each episode, delving into the not-so-wonderful world of crime, violence and mental disorder. Also, she begins to suspect that her boss understands maniacs so well, because he himself is one of them.

Where to watch: 1tv.ru

Rising star of Russian cinema Gleb Kalyuzhny got the role of Yegor Chudinov, whose parents disappeared during an ethnographic expedition to the Perm region. The young man goes in search of them, penetrating step by step into the depths of the territory, which lives according to its own laws and traditions. Here nature is gloomy, hermits live in forest dugouts, illnesses are cured by sorcerers, and the cause of trouble is said to be damage caused by witches, and somewhere among the dense forests a bear shaman roams. Egor’s skepticism dissipates and more and more questions arise, including the usual structure of a city dweller’s world. I would like to separately praise the series for skillfully used Russian folklore in the plot and for the atmosphere of wild nature.

Where to watch: FIRST

If you like Scandinavian mystical mystery novels (who doesn’t), then Lapsi is a must. In a Karelian village, a strain of an atypical disease for the region, West Nile fever, was discovered. The head of the Research Institute of Virology sends epidemiologists-virologists Vera Boyko and Nikolai Romanov on reconnaissance. Of course, the heroes discover the symptoms of a deadly disease, but they disappear on the island of Sariola! It’s just that the god Lapsi runs everything here, time has stood still and people don’t die: there are still 46 people on the island. No more no less.

Where to watch: START

To get into a taxi for Andrei (Kirill Kyaro), who is driving around Moscow in an old Mercedes, you must first die. Its passengers are people who have not had time to admit to themselves or others something that weighs on the soul like a heavy burden, not letting go of this world. Until passengers open their souls to the driver and realize what keeps them grounded, the taxi will continue on its way. Sometimes it’s not so easy, and to break through the “emotional shell” behind which newcomers hide, the driver has to turn to unhumane methods. But all for the good!

Where to watch: START

The same famous story about the death of a group of nine people in the Ural Mountains. Piotr Fedorov, who has imperceptibly matured into the role of a KGBist, comes to investigate a mysterious case. Throughout the series, we are shown either his investigation or a group heading confidently towards his death. The creators collected all the most popular and more or less realistic versions, well, they lured the audience by promising them a hint. It seems that they had access to unpublished documents. And it seems that after so many years you can’t tell anything new – all versions have already been chewed a hundred times, but it’s still scary to watch.

Where to watch: 1tv.ru

Series by Roman Prygunov with Evgeny Tsyganov as detective Maxim Pokrovsky. It is commissioned in Moscow by the owner of the uranium mines, Yuri Kobrin, king and god of his native Changadan. His business is booming and it seems like nothing can stop him. But one day, an oligarch’s daughter is found dead – someone used her for a ritual sacrifice. However, the metropolitan investigator could not even imagine that he should seek the truth not only in our world, but also in the parallel world, that there are people who are guides to other dimensions. Such a mystical trip to the arctic, a black russian with a bunch of star actors.

Where to watch: FIRST

Photo: Kinopoisk