Two crafty swindlers, Berta and Vitouš, settle in a remote Brdy tavern once inhabited by devils and, when a hellish inspection arrives, impersonate true demons by enlisting the hopelessly inept devil apprentice Záprtek. Meanwhile, a rich mistress’s obsession with golden eyes sends wrongly accused servant Anička to hell’s gates, where she and Záprtek team up to tackle the impossible tasks and find unexpected affection in each other.
Acting
Jiří Mádl's Záprtek: the most relatable incompetent demon ever committed to film.
Production
Brdy tavern location feels genuinely cursed in the best way.
Writing
Hell as petty government office with inspections and paperwork.
Director
Hynek Bočan
Jiří Mádl
čert Záprtek
Tatiana Pauhofová
služebná Anička
Jiřina Bohdalová
čertovská babička Elvíra
Miroslav Táborský
inspektor
Naďa Konvalinková
bohatá milostpaní
Hana Vagnerová
služebná Markéta
Pavel Zedníček
vandrák Berta
Matěj Hádek
vandrák Vitouš
Oldřich Navrátil
forman
Oldřich Vlach
Alfons
František Řehák
učitel
Vojtěch Dyk
Singer (voice)
Berenika Kohoutová
Singer (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Čerti (devils) are beloved Czech Christmas figures—Mikuláš brings gifts, čerti threaten naughty kids, and this film plays with that family-friendly menace.
Director Hynek Bočan specialized in Czech fairy tale adaptations; this was his late-career return to the genre after decades of 'serious' television.
CZ
