During the intensive development of information technologies, the search for new opportunities for the use of classical samples of Russian literature, their representations in the media space is being updated. In particular, a fresh reading of the work of art novella “Notes from Underground” by F.M. Dostoevsky. The study of ways of interpreting a literary source in the context of an intermedial resource and film works, the basis of which is the novella, is reflected. Descriptive (study of the novella “Notes from Underground”), comparative (study of film products) methods are used. The author of the article seeks to answer the questions: what will restrain a person in his striving for evil; does the novella “Notes from Underground” have the right to be a determinant of the criteria of morality; whether the correct introduction of a work of art into the media sphere is acceptable. An attempt has been made to discover the conditions for creating a favorable life for an underground person within the framework of a literary work, and more broadly - in the media and the real world.