Movie “Butterfly” – The first trauma of many Yugoslavs

At the very mention of the movie “Leptirica” (Butterfly) terrifying moments still come to the minds of many, memories of dreadful nights and the nightmares that followed. A chill runs down our spines when recalling the famous opening scene: the dead of night, the owl’s hoot, dark eyes surrounded by redness… The watermill stops working as Sava Savanović enters it. A dark, elongated hand with long claws scoops up a bit of flour, a black hood, and long sharp teeth that kill the miller…

“Leptirica,” based on the short story “After 90 Years” by Milovan Glisic, gained fame during its first screenings back in 1973. During a screening in Macedonia, a viewer died of a heart attack at the moment of the main character’s transformation into a vampire. News of this incident spread, and viewers across Yugoslavia hurried to see the film that was so terrifying that someone died of fear while watching it.

However, there were also those who immediately criticized the authors and director, demanding a ban on the film and the destruction of all its copies.

Nevertheless, despite the condemnations and criticism, the movie “Leptirica,” directed by Djordje Kadijevic, became a cult classic that is still considered one of the best films of its genre in the former Yugoslavia.

The story takes place in a village where a young man named Strahinja is forced to marry a girl named Radojka, who turns out to be a vampire.

The main roles are played by Petar Bozovic, Mirjana Nikolic, Slobodan Perovic, Vasja Stankovic and Tanasije Uzunovic. The film was shot in the village of Zelinje near Zvornik, where the famous watermill still stands.