The Church (1989) User Reviews (113)

The Cathedral of Demons

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 11 February 2012]

In the Middle Ages, the Knights Templar invade a supposed coven of witches and they slaughter the community. The dig an unholy collective grave, bury the bodies and build a church on the top of the corpses.

On the present days, the ambitious librarian Evan (Tomas Arana) is hired to organize the books of the church. He meets the archaeologist Lisa (Barbara Cupisti) that is researching the catacombs of the church and he accidentally unleashes and is possessed by an ancient demon. Sooner several visitors are trapped inside the church and possessed by demons. Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie) and the teenager Lotte (Asia Argento) are the only persons that are not possessed, and Father Gus discovers a secret in the construction of the church that might be the last chance to save mankind.

"La Chiesa" is a great Gothic horror film with story of Dario Argento and his daughter Asia Argento in an important role. The plot is a prequel to Demons 1 and 2, and I saw this film for the first time on 17 February 2012 and today I have decided to watch it again. Unfortunately this film has not been released on DVD or Blu-Ray in Brazil and the image of the VHS awfully dubbed in English is poor and does not highlight the magnificent cinematography or the creepy special effects. The soundtrack has the music of Keith Emerson, Goblin and Philip Glass and completes this great film of demons. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Catedral" ("The Cathedral")

Note: On 22 Jn 2017, I saw this film again on DVD, unfortunately dubbed in English.

Remarkable atmospheric horror...

[jluis1984 · 7/10 · 15 May 2006]

Director Michele Soavi gained worldwide recognition with his 1994 masterpiece "Dellamorte Dellamore"; however, he had been mastering his craft under the guidance of horror master Dario Argento for years before that hit. "La Chiesa" was his second feature length effort as director and he displays his craft with a visually stunning Gothic movie about possessions on the vein of Lamberto Bava's "Demoni" (In fact, it was conceived as the series third chapter), but with Soavi's visual style all over it.

"La Chiesa" or "The Church", is a tale of an unholy supernatural evil contained under a Gothic Cathedral. Centuries ago, a group of Templar Knights brutally killed a town accused of being devil-worshipers; in order to keep the evil down they built a cathedral and sealed it. Now, in the present, a greedy librarian named Evan (Tomas Arana) breaks the seal and frees the forces of evil. The Church starts a self-protection devise that serves to trap the evil, but it also traps a lot of innocent people who become the target of the demons who begin to posses them.

The movie is a visual Tour-De-Force where Soavi experiments with his outstanding camera-work creating haunting atmospheres of supernatural beauty. Complete with a terrific score with music not only by horror veterans Goblin but also by Prog rock virtuoso Keith Emerson and the remarkable composer Philip Glass. Their music works perfectly with the movie and completes the wonderful composition that Soavi creates.

The Gothic Church is a character itself and Soavi gives it life and uses the location with great skill. The lighting and special effects are used with great care in order to increase the Gothic atmosphere of the film. Despite this, the story is a bit weak and the surrealist scenes Soavi intends to use to increase the atmosphere actually decrease the coherence of his plot, making it to drag a bit with scenes that seem to serve no purpose. This sadly becomes a major flaw in an otherwise flawless film.

The acting is very good, although the English dubbing is kind of average. Tom Arana and Hugh Quarshie are very good in the lead roles, and Barbara Cupisti makes a great romantic interest. However, two members of the cast remarkably steal the show. Feodor Chaliapin Jr. gives a great interpretation as the head Bishop of the Church, giving a haunting performance as an old man with many secrets. The true star is young Asia Argento as Lotte, the teenage daughter of the sacristan who prefers to be at discos than working at the church. Her character may be small, but she shows her great talent and certainly shows why is she now the great actress she is today.

As written above, the strangely constructed plot is a major turn off, as the last third of the film becomes very strange and a bit disappointing considering that the previous two thirds are a terrific haunting film. Still, Michele Soavi's technique is always perfect and his visual perfection is never disappointing. It is no wonder why with a better script he crafted a masterpiece with "Dellamorte Dellamore".

"La Chiesa" may not be a perfect film, but it is a very good experience and a good introduction to modern Euro-horror. It is a shame that Soavi has decided to stay on TV films because his stylish art seems to have no limits when correctly developed. Fans of Italian horror will be pleased with "The Church". 7/10

Impressive Gothic horror

[Hayden-86055 · 6/10 · 23 December 2020]

Taking many aspects from other films the church builds a solid film with a decent plot and cinematography and it didn't disappoint overall. However, whilst the plot is good on paper halfway through it loses tension and steam and I found the ending to be a bit of a let-down, although not awful.

Acting wise I'm sure it was good but I watched the dubbed version in English, and the dubbing was quite frankly terrible. I think the girl (Lottie) was dubbed by an older woman which was a bit weird I found.

Scares wise I found it impressive, it included great practical effects and lots of hammy gore. Surprisingly it was meant to be a completely serious film but I still feel like a lot of it is played off as tongue in cheek.

6/10: Good overall and definitely worth a watch for horror fans but there are a lot of issues that I feel drag it down such as the loss of tension in the second half and poor dub work

Richly directed, poorly acted

[WarpedRecord · 15 October 2007]

As far as writer Dario Argento's films go, "The Church," directed by Michele Soavi, is squarely in the middle.

The plot involves a Gothic cathedral built on the mass graves of medieval villagers massacred after being accused of devil worship. As you might expect, the dead don't stay buried forever, and they come back to wreak vengeance on the living.

The visuals are remarkable. The scenes of modern-day worshipers battling the risen demons are well directed, and the makeup and gore are remarkable — though certainly not for the squeamish.

Unfortunately, bad dialogue and worse acting weigh heavily on the film, and are likely to generate some unintentional laughs.

Still, "The Church" is worthwhile for Soavi's stunning direction, as well as a propulsive synth score by Keith Emerson. Fans of Gothic horror should consider "The Church" a reluctant obligation.

Horror movie set in medieval and modern times with a great number of gory and bloody scenes

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 28 December 2019]

At the beginning it is set at the Middle Age when Templar Knigths carry out an extreme and macabre massacre against villagers . Nowadays , a librarían , Tomas Arana , arrives in a gargoyle-glutted Gothic cathedral, there he meets an archaelogist , Barbara Cupisti , and the adolescent Lotte , Asia Argento . And the senior priest , Feodor Chaliapin Jr who has dark knowledges about the sinister past of the church . Then , horrible happenings take place at the crypt with fateful consequences. It happens to stand on the site of the gruesome mass murder is renovated, and the kirk-cleaning turns into special effects loaded demonic epiphany, including stabbing , possession, crushing to death, behading and others , until a surprising ending .You have not for a player. It will make you squirm . In this unholy sanctuary you have not got a prayer...

Creepy and scary film with a lot of amazing and horrifying scenes including lots of blood and gore . The film is acceptable but regularly paced with several images with no much sense. The picture mingles Teutonic knights , Ghotic Cathedral , self-sacrifices, supernatural events, Witchcraft, necromancy, ghastly transformations , and terrible monsters .The film displays dozens of gory scenes including slashing , heart ripped out , slitting, punched in the face , stabbing in the chest, decapitation and many others . The picture is also known as Demons 3 , similar to The Sect titled Demons 4 , though its script have nothing to do with Demons saga by Lamberto Bava who is son of the Italian thrill-meister Mario Bava.

It displays a colorful an evocative cinematography by Renato Tafuri. As well as sinister and punching musical score from Philip Glass , Keith Emerson and Goblin . This ecclesiastical gore-feast picture was professionally directed by Michael Soavi , though it has a great number of flaws and gaps. Soavi is a good craftsman who began as a director assistant to important filmmakers as Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento . As he collaborated as first director assistant in A Blade in the Dark , Demons , Tenebre , Phenomena , among others . With new skills Soavi returned to Argento as a supervisor for special effects in Opera , where Argento offered him to direct another film , the horror film La Chiesa , or The Church. With his first big film project, a budget 3 or 4 times the budget of Statefright or Aquarius , with Argento as the producer and shot in Hungary . In the Eighties he made various decent terror movies as Aquarius , The Sect , and the classical Dellamore Dellamore or Zombie Graveyard with Rupert Everett and Anna Falchi.

Needs a script

[ODDBear · 6/10 · 3 June 2005]

I am such a huge fan of Michele Soavi. I absolutely adore Stagefright, the best slasher ever. Dellamorte Dellamore is quite simply a Gothic masterpiece, a near perfect zombie film with a philosophical overtone to it. I also thought The Sect was a quite effective nerve-jolter filled with incredible surreal images and solid scares. So I was disappointed after viewing The Church, I had such high hopes.

It starts of well enough. Medieval knights massacre a village they fear is possessed by demonic spirits and the priest orders that a church should be built on their buriel ground. Fastforward to the present, something weird is going on in that church; some evil seems to be lurking about and possessing people. A showdown between good and evil is unavoidable.

The film has style to burn. Michele Soavi is a master at creating surreal imagery and his camera knows no limits. This is the film's high point along with some terrific set pieces, one in particular involving a subway and a teenage girl. Another thing I must mention in the film's favour; the music score. It's always wonderful to hear Goblin and Keith Emerson also provides some good music. But good music is simply something you can always count on in these Italian productions.

The thing that doesn't work here, and it's a big thing, is the plot. It's practically nonexistent. The film doesn't make any sense, jumps from one setpiece to another (though some are brilliantly executed), with only so little to tie them together. It's got wooden characters, none you really care about (Tomas Arana in particular). The final showdown in the Church, although well done in terms of effects, is a real letdown, nothing much happens and in the end, well...I felt cheated in a big way.

As it was originally conceived of as the second sequel in the Demons saga, I expected this to be full of violence. It's not, apart from the rather gory opening. I guess Soavi wanted to do a more serious film, with some philosophical input or something. He should have had a better script to work with.

Although it's disappointing, it's certainly not without interest.

Demons 3...

[paulclaassen · 6/10 · 26 January 2022]

Trust a Dario Argento presentation to bring us a weird movie. I must admit I'm not a big Argento fan, but I did enjoy 'The Church', directed by Michele Soavi.

The film reminded me of 'Demons' and 'Demons 2', especially. On investigation - as it turns out - 'The Church' was meant to be 'Demons 3', but they decided to make it more "sophisticated" and remove the connection to the previous two films. Regardless, it still felt like a 'Demons' movie.

Centuries ago an entire village was massacred because a girl was accused of being a witch. (Well done to the Church; that's so Godly!). The villagers were buried in a large grave, over which a church was erected "to imprison the demon forever".

We then move to recent times and the magnificent church, which now attracts tourists. A Librarian, Evan, starts working at the church where he meets and falls in love with Lotte (Asia Argento). Their romance moves along quickly, and together they start to unravel the secret of the church.

Strange things start happening in true Argento style, and a group of people gets trapped inside the church. (In 'Demons' people were trapped in a movie theatre; in 'Demons 2' people were trapped in an apartment building). The make-up, props and creature designs are fantastic. There are some gory and disturbing scenes. I actually enjoyed the film more towards the end, as complete chaos ensued, with great practical effects. Parts of the movie also reminded me of 'The Beyond' from 1981.

Would I watch it again? Maybe.

Stylishly Blithering Incoherent Mess

[moonmonday · 3/10 · 23 December 2009]

I was initially interested in this film after reading a synopsis and seeing a few striking screenshots, and the promise was there for a gripping horror film of the Dario Argento style. Admittedly I must say that Argento's films have occasionally been rather incoherent, and some feel like a handful of visually impacting set pieces loosely strung together with a vague connecting plot.

Since Argento is credited as writer for this, I have to say, I'm not really surprised. Even his masterpiece Suspiria, when examined, exhibits the same tendency to string along sometimes unrelated scenes purely for the aesthetic impact. However, Suspiria also had the benefit of a singular main character and clear antagonists, as well as scenes that contributed ultimately to the eventual resolution.

The Church, on the other hand, has none of these things. It has no main character, no protagonist whatsoever; it furthermore has no real plot to speak of, and no crescendo, no climax, no denouement, and no resolution. It is a completely hollow, incoherent work that views as if Argento sat down and thought 'hey, that would make an interesting scene visually...let's do it!' The film is a series of these scenes.

Initially it might be interesting, and Soavi's direction is excellent, I must say. Soavi cannot be faulted for the material, as it is made as compelling as possible. However, such good direction calls attention to the horrible failings of the script, and there is absolutely no sense in it. The attempt at a central unifying plot is nothing more than plagiarism of Carpenter's film Prince of Darkness. Events happen solely because the script wishes them to, and reactions to those events are completely implausible. The narrative flow is irreparably damaged after a point, simply because there is no ability to suspend disbelief; it's too ludicrous. Added to this are numerous factual errors that are so glaringly showcased that it becomes embarrassing.

If it had been more overtly artistic and edited down into a different work, it might have been chilling or tense. If it had been fleshed-out into an actual cohesive narrative, it might have been gripping. But it was none of these. The best it managed was confusing and, at times, infuriating. Plots are introduced but never followed. Characters are forgotten about and altered arbitrarily. No logic is ever applied to any situation. It might have been scary or interesting, but to elicit that sort of feeling takes more effort on the part of a screenwriter...much more.

All in all, The Church is not worth viewing for anyone but total enthusiasts of Italian horror that is more style than substance. This is Argento's style at its worst, and it is a strong justification for the usual criticism.

Hypnotic

[Dellamorte_Dellamore07 · 10/10 · 18 May 2005]

Visually stunning, haunting soundtrack, awesome kills, there's so much to love about this movie. Once I popped this DVD into the player and heard the awesome music on the menu I was hooked. The film has Michele Soavi's style all over, actually I'd say this is his most impressive looking film he's made.

As I saw one users comments on Mullholland Drive "What am I seeing before my eyes", is exactly how I felt when watching this movie. I have now watched it at least 30 times and still can't get sick of it.

The plot mainly consists of crusading nights killing a village of people they believe to be devil worshipers. A couple hundred years later a huge church is built over the dead bodies and after some nosy, greedy dude opens up the tomb...well that's where I'll stop.

The visuals in this film are beyond astounding, examples would be The scene of a car driving through the streets at night in fast motion, I couldn't get over it, I'd compare it to the cab scene with NAomi Watts and Lara Herring before they get to Club Silencio. Impressive and gorgeous. The goat-demon-gargoyle was also very freaky and the scene with it and Baraba Cuputsi was terrifying. Actually I'd compare this movie to Mullholland drive, as I quote Roger Ebert on his review of Mullholland Drive "the less it makes sense, the more we can't stop watching" After watching this movie at least thirty times (as Mullholland drive) You begin to see that EVERYTHING in this movie actually does make sense, regardless of many people saying the plot MAKES no sense at anytime. Michele Soavi even says in an ARGENTO book that everything in the Church had a purpose. I even think The horrible "Stock" characters were great, they brought lots of comic relief with their bad dialog and acting.Buy this movie on DVD and fall in love with it as I have.

***1/2 out of ****

Visually impressive, but ...

[arminio · 7/10 · 7 June 2002]

This work o Michele Soavi looks like stilistic exercise - plot is pretty weak but camera work is simply AMAZING! Movie contains one of the best steadycam and crane shots I've ever seen! But poor story definitely does not improve entire impression...

Anyway, mood, atmosphere and stunning camera work are really remarkable and worth seeing and that keeps movie from falling down.

Still, Dellamorte Dellamore is the best Soavi's movie I've seen although camera work here is much better.

7/10

Onward Christian Soldier

[Kaliyugaforkix · 5/10 · 6 June 2011]

Visually stunning but maddening, The Church is a definite curio in the later entries of Italian horror. This is a case of the parts being stronger than the whole. But what parts they are....

The fantastic opening with Teutonic Knights slaughtering men women and children is beautiful and horrific, the barbarity of the Christian crusaders particularly emphasized by a focus on a child's decapitated head, lingered on while being kicked around by mighty devil steeds as they go about their holy handiwork. The carcasses are then lugged into a pit and buried, a priest proclaiming the need of God's house to be built upon the spoiled earth to contain some vague connotations of ultimate evil that aren't elaborated on until said evil is let loose by a librarian centuries on to run amok, claiming more annoying 80's characters in standard messy methods. (The crotchety old Monsignor's answer to this anarchy? Why, let the virus run free and cleanse our corrupt planet of ALL sinners- PRAISE HIM!). All of this in wild, wacky camera movements & menacing angles galore.

Originally conceived as the 3rd installment of Bava's brainless but exhilarating Demons series, Michael Soavi brings his nuanced eye to The Church. It s got more style, more atmosphere & more high mindedness than Bava's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink saga. Soavi's background as the son of painter and protégé to master Argento (who also contributed to the screenplay) is obvious in the elaborate compositions and arty flourishes which unfortunately still can't elevate the weak script & lack of focus, other than as a big dig at Catholicism's overflowing closet of skeletons (which is also nice). In this way the film succeeds, hoisting an original clothesline for some neat set-pieces that don't always rely on gore but instead evocative atmosphere; the church's past deeds literally back to haunt future generations. Also, Soavi's more subtle treatment of evil contagion works better than Bava's rampaging, puss spewing plague. Perhaps a *little* more emphasis towards the ick factor would've have been nice though, Soavi could've had his cake and eaten it to (also check out the primo prog band of Italian horror themselves, Goblin, who supply the tunes.)

Masterfully devilish chiesa

[Bogey Man · 8/10 · 7 April 2003]

Michele Soavi (born in 1957 in Italy) began as an assistant director for Dario Argento and the late exploitation king Aristide Massacessi before finally having the opportunity, by Aristide, to direct his first feature film, Deliria aka Stage Fright in 1987. That film was a great example of his talents and it remains as one of the most suspenseful and inventive of the later day giallo related horror mysteries to come out from Italy. He also directed the atmospheric La Setta aka The Sect in 1991 and Dellamorte Dellamore in 1994, neither of these being as wonderful as his second film, La Chiesa aka The Church from 1989, co-written by him with Dario Argento and Franco Ferrini.

The film opens with a slaughter of some sixteenth century village and its people as they're suspected of devil worshipping and other unacceptable anti-religious things and so they get brutally killed and left dying, buried alive. A huge cross was left on them to make it impossible for the demons to rise again and also a church was built on the corpses. In present day, the huge cathedral is still there and serves very fine and safely until someone goes a little too far and plays with things that should have been left alone, resting in peace. Soon the spirits rise and devilish goings-on begin for the unhappy people who get trapped inside the huge church. But what really matters in this film is the talent of Soavi and his wonderful visual style and details to tell the story.

The cinematography is always interesting in Soavi's films and La Chiesa, too, is full of wild camera drives and smooth movements as well as menacing angles to tell about the forthcoming terror. The details I mentioned are, for example, those black statues that inhabit the church, some of which can also be very alive! Stage Fright has a very creepy usage of equally "dead alive" dolls that are captured on film with great power proving how Soavi can nail his audience to the seat with such simple images and things. Especially in La Chiesa in which we never even get to see the statues' dark faces..All the more ominous and wonderful.

The various monsters and devils that rise from the beyond are also convincing and maybe because of they're not shown too much or for too long. They won't look unintentionally funny and laughable but pretty effective especially at the very end. The effects and bursts of infernal gore are pretty graphic but in a very aesthetic way, never becoming too gross or revolting in this fairy tale they're present. The effects are by Sergio Stivaletti who has done effects for many Italian films like Lamberto Bava's Demoni (1985) and Dario Argento's La Sindrome di Stendhal (1996). The film gets also a little surreal at times which is of course great, and among the most memorable parts are the scenes depicting the abyss under the church..as nothing like it is supposed to be there and it all is just too living, again visualised with great usage of camera.

The incredible Italian rock band Goblin has made many immortal soundtracks for Argento and their (Keith Emerson) music in La Chiesa is equally hypnotic variation of the conventional church organs with the usual Goblin elements like repeated lines that are very effective and make the viewing experience again very intense. This must be among the greatest things Italy has given to the world of (movie) composers, alongside such other masters like Riz Ortolani (Cannibal Holocaust), Ennio Morricone (Leone, Il Grance Silenzio plus so many others), Fabio Frizzi (the Fulci composer) and so on. But for the horror genre alone, Goblins are probably the most powerful masters.

Few flaws in the film can be found in the last third that is more tired than the wonderful first hour that preceded it. They just try to explain too much something that wouldn't need or wouldn't even be too possible to be explained and that is very frustrating as it doesn't give anything to the suspense and terror atmosphere that has been created, only effectively tries to weaken it as the viewer starts to feel uncomfortable and also bored. Surreal and supernatural goings-on don't always have to be explained in cinema, let the images explain alone. Also some of the dialogue is a little exaggerated but that may be only in the English dubbing as the film has been widely distributed with the dubbing. There's also some bad and confusing editing especially near the end when things start turn more dramatic but other than these, La Chiesa is another horror masterpiece by Soavi, who has so far made only few horror films (plus a very interesting Argento documentary Dario Argento's World of Horror, in 1985) but who has also proved great talents and ideas to make the already wonderful Italian horror cinema genre even more masterful.

La Chiesa is 8/10 and a very noteworthy example of Italian gothic horror cinema with beautiful settings and locations and equally stunning usage of camera, fantasy and sonic elements.

Illogical fun and a guilty pleasure

[Tender-Flesh · 6/10 · 18 February 2009]

This film had something like 6 different people working on the script and the end result of short on logic, mild on scares, and yet, intriguing. I enjoyed Michele Soavi's other two big films, Deliria and Cemetery Man, and I wish he'd come back to making horror movies. There's a lot going on in this flick and more often than not, things don't make sense.

The basic premise of the plot is that hundreds of years ago, Teutonic Knights with helmets that look like slapdash buckets are led to a supposed village inhabited by lots of witches. This particular scene is one of my favorites in the movie, with armored assailants running amok in the town, cutting off heads and using their horses to trample the hapless villagers. In my opinion, the villagers are innocent of their crimes of witchcraft as the only evidence against them is a 666 carved in a rock, which anyone could have done, and a girl has a cross-shaped mark on the sole of her foot, misinterpreted as the stigmata.

I think the writers are saying something about all churches in general when they infer that this church is built on top of brutal, evil event perpetuated by the early religious order and that if you dig deep enough in just about any religion you will find some things that the elders want to remain hidden, either out of shame or concern that it will destroy the foundation of the religion, etc. This isn't a "serious" attack on religion, especially seeing as how this was initially intended to be Demons 3 and got several reworkings to end up where it is. The scenes within the cathedral are the spookiest, with the camera racing around the different rooms and the dank lower recesses in unusual angles. Another aspect of the movie that sort of has a Hitchcock/Psycho feel is that you expect the two characters introduced in the beginning to be the heroes, which certainly isn't the case, and while the actual hero has a few scant scenes near the start of the movie, he doesn't really become the protagonist until about the last 20 minutes or so. And, since Dario Argento is producing the film, Asia Argento has to show up(natch). She's sort of a lolita, running about at all hours, sneaking out of the cathedral through secret passages, dancing it up at the local club with older boys, etc. There are also a few good gore scenes, like a heart removal. The ending is ambiguous and the film closes after the destruction of the church with the possessive blue light shining up from a broken seal onto Asia's face. Seems she is the re-incarnation of one of the villagers. She smiles slightly as she sees the light, which has some viewers thinking maybe she was being possessed and would carry the evil into the world, as the Bishop expected(The Bishop, by the way, seems to be reliving a recent role he played in the excellent Name of the Rose). I, however, don't think she was possessed. I think the murdered souls were released and sought revenge against all those present in the church at the time of their release and at the end, Asia was merely seeing the souls of those she had known in a past life. Since she was allowed to escape from the church and live, it's doubtful she was possessed. But, as I said, there is not much logic to the film.

I don't blame Soavi for that, considering the source material. Recommended for fans of Soavi, not so much for fans of Argento or the unrelated Demons 1 and 2.

Subtle, it ain't!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 20 March 2016]

"The Church" is a film that could have been much better. However, too often it took the cheap gore route instead of genuine terror. Additionally, some of the dialog is pretty stupid.

When the film begins, the Knights Templar are beating up poor folks in the name of God when they discover one of their victims is a Devil worshiper. So, they do what anyone would do...kill everyone in the town and bury them all...including a few who might just still be alive. Then, they built a church over it.

Centuries pass and now the demons are apparently ready to party. So, they come out and begin destroying and taking possession of folks in the church. Some of the deaths are interesting and fitting (such as the lady who is vain and needs to see herself in the mirror) but most are just cheap gore or nudity meant to titillate. And unlike earlier Dario Argento-produced films, the mood seems far less important than cheap thrills. Some of these problems might stem from the film having 8 writers...a sure sign that a production is in trouble. Regardless, it wasn't my cup of tea and lacked the subtlety of better horror films, such as "Suspiria".

Brooding, lured Italian horror

[ebeckstr-1 · 7/10 · 5 October 2021]

As every other positive review has noted, The Church is atmospheric in the way that is unique to Italian horror flicks from the '70s and '80s. Numerous horror set pieces, gruesome shots and death sequences, and moments of inventive use of sound and camera movement, highlight a plot which somehow makes less sense than the overall story (itself another hallmark of classic Italian horror). Also contributing to the overall disorienting, unsettling effect of the latter characteristics is another common component of this kind of Italian horror movie: people wandering off by themselves to meet gruesome ends, and others wandering around in clear distress, while everyone else wanders or sits around passively, oblivious to the lured fates and suffering of the others.

It's also interesting to note the very specific lifting of a demon rape scene right from Rosemary's Baby. In addition, one of the characters drops a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark, and indeed this movie makes ample use of the kind of gear- and tension-driven traps and mechanical apparatus which characterize the Indiana Jones movies. Also noteworthy, it is an African who ultimately holds the role of hero/protagonist. One wonders whether the director and Dario Argento, who produced, we're thinking of Romero's Night of the Living Dead, given how rare a non-white protagonist was and still is in horror movies.

If you like gruesome, highly stylized horror, with inventive set pieces, and in particular if you like Argento's work from the 70s and '80s (the director of this movie was an Argento protege), The Church is a must-see.

Not quite the sum of its parts. Excellent pedigree but disappoints.

[DVD_Connoisseur · 6/10 · 8 October 2006]

On paper, "The Church" appears to have a winning formula. Its pedigree consists of direction by Argento protégé Michael ("Dellamorte Dellamore") Soavi, input from the master, Dario Argento, in both writer and producer roles, a soundtrack by the likes of Goblin and Keith Emerson, and a capable cast.

Despite this, the film is a hesitant recommendation. For me, it doesn't quite gel. It's a little like "Demons" but without the cheesy charm and outrageous pace (it comes as little surprise that this film was almost named "Demons 3"). I didn't expect a brilliant plot but the film is genuinely clunky and makes the unforgivable error of actually losing tension and descending into boredom territory. I found myself clock watching at more than one interval during the proceedings. There are some excellent set-pieces, though, the best of which uses a simple windscreen to glorious effect. Also, fans of rubbery demons (of which I count myself as one) will not be disappointed.

Despite the talent involved, the soundtrack manages to be a little overpowering and repetitive.

Turning to the cast, Asia Argento fans will be able to see her in one of her earliest roles, before she became one of cinemas true "bad girls". The excellent Hugh Quarshie (genre fans will know him as the immortal Kastagir from "Highlander" and Panaka from the dreadful "Phantom Menace" but UK television viewers will know him as Ric Griffin from "Holby City") is a solid lead.

The film's worth watching if you're a fan of Italian supernatural horror. It's not for everybody, though. Aside from "Suspiria", "Demons" is probably a stronger bet for the newcomer than this offering. As a little Jedi would say, "Strong visuals alone do not good films make!"

Say a little prayer.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 16 August 2007]

In the middle ages a group of Knights slaughter a village full of suspected devil worshippers and a large cathedral is built on their burial pit. The church is now being reworked on, and when the seal from the crypt is broken by the new librarian Evan, slowly the occupants become possessed. An ancient mechanism is triggered off and a group of visitors find themselves locked inside with this relentless terror of madness and lust.

If you could ever say style very much over substance, director Michele Sovai's lavish Gothic horror piece "The Church" falls comfortably into that category. Originally it was going to be the third entry of the "Demons" films, But Sovai shaped it into what he wanted. Obviously the familiar groundwork of those films is still presented here, as this time the action takes place in a church where the trapped characters are eventually possessed. However it does take its time before the demented mayhem eventually erupts. Even then the splatter isn't particularly grisly, with more concern on the brooding atmosphere, striking art direction and gorgeously shot set pieces. The pacing might be terribly bumpy, but Renato Tafuri's dramatic flashes with the camera provide the film's main energy. Even the musical score by Keith Emerson and The Goblins stays fairly sombre, but poignantly effective nonetheless. What really lets this one down is the messy and inconsistent writing. Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini and Michele Soavi contributed to the material. Too much of it seems rushed and undeveloped, where the base of it was an inventive reworking that well thought-out, but there's too many loose ends. The script is pretty simple-minded, even with its religious structure, but it's not as compelling as it should be. At least your eyes have something to glaze over as Sovai's slow-grinding and densely detailed approach infuses some visually poetic images with a slowly surreal and claustrophobic feel making its way in. He makes great use of the shadows and lighting within well-etched infrastructure of the ominously sedate, but remarkably succulent looking cathedral. The demon make-up effects are well-exercised and look disturbingly menacing. Performances are hard to judge, because characters do seem to come and go. Tom Arana, Hugh Quarshie and Barbara Cupisti are solid. Also there's a fine turn by Feodor Chaliapin Jr. as the tormented Bishop and a young Asia Argento really does impress with her talented performance.

Accomplished direction, professionally catered production and a polished look help out on the problems facing its flat, confused material. Worth-a-look.

Not just one of Soavi's best... one of the best Italian horrors of the 80's

[barugon · 19 June 1999]

I don't see why so many people prefer Michele Soavi's first film, "Stage Fright", to his others, especially this one. This is one of my favorite Dark Fantasy films. Of course, it's got producer Dario Argento's fingerprints all over it -- the incredible camera-track from the depths of the crypt all the way up through the building into the cathedral itself, for example... And there's one moment which reminded me of Mario Bava: when two characters are opening a door, and the camera ignores them, fixing instead on a curious dangling keychain.

This movie isn't so much a crib from the "Demons" series -- seeing as it started out as the third part of the story, from what I've heard -- as it is a blatant riff on an M.R. James ghost story called "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas". The church, the Thing in the bag, the stone with seven eyes, and the inscription: DEPOSITUM CUSTODI are all from James... but this is just the framework. The rest is pure Dario Argento/Franco Ferrini-style improvisation.

The movie begins with a slaughter of witches. The witches are shown as peaceful, innocent people, who just happen to stand for everything the Church abhors. So the Church comes down on them like a load of bricks -- literally: a cathedral is built over the witches' mass-grave. Centuries later, an odd assortment of characters are trapped in the cathedral as What Has Been Repressed comes back, in a much less benign form...

As in the "Demons" series, the contaminating evil is seen as something from outside, a point of view that's completely opposite to that of Argento's own movies. Corruption enters the body through contact with fluids or blood, and then takes advantage of our inner weaknesses. Sounds like an AIDS metaphor to me, but hey -- I'm already reading way too much into this...

The other thing I love about this movie is that some of it was filmed near the place I used to live in Budapest, and it was filmed while I was living there. The lunatic car ride over the bridge and through the tunnel, after the heart-pulling scene, ended right on my old doorstep. I saw the lights and equipment set up around St. Stephen's Cathedral, but I never knew what the film was until I saw it on video years after. :)

As boring as the real thing

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 4/10 · 22 March 2020]

I saw segments of The Church on Bravo when I was 13 and thought it looked super scary. Flash forward far too many years later to the burned-out, cynical, grump that I am now and I realize that whatever dread this movie might have made me feel isn't going to work on my overly analytical adult mind.

Opening in the dark ages, a bunch of knights massacre a village accused of devil worship (turns out they really were, I think). A church is built on the spot, which many centuries later becomes a cathedral in Hungary, or Germany, or something. They're not too specific about the location. Now we're introduced to a large cast of characters, including a young, pre-tattoo Asia Argento, all of whom, apparently, have their own storylines which go nowhere. It's crazy to think that a total of eight writers teamed together to create this nothingburger. None of the main components of the story build to a climax or even fit together. It's like we're watching vignettes of different movies edited together.

As expected, the "big evil" underneath the church is unleashed and crazy stuff happens, I think, to the poor people stuck inside. But even with this thin concept it cannot stay consistent. Some guy goes mental and literally jackhammers himself to death through the chest. The dude from Holby City (no joke) finds him and flips out. No one is surviving a chest jackhammering any time soon. Ten minutes later, said jackhammered dude is alive again, chest intact, and stabs a pretty schoolteacher though the neck with a section of broken spiked fencing. He disappears again, and a few minutes later the kids are happy and joyful.

Wh...what???

No one involved knew where any of this was going or what do to with the concept. Everything is squandered under their "let's just go with it and see what happens" logic. I can imagine the editor looking at the dailies and having an aneurysm. It's not his fault none of this makes sense.

Although directed by Michel Soavi, this has Dario Argento's dirty fingerprints all over it. I'm just not a fan of the man's work at all. I know that Giallo is very special to a lot of film fans, but there's much better examples of the genre out there and The Church came in at the tail end of its life and is such a lazy, careless effort to go out on.

Very impressive horror film.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 20 March 2004]

"La Chiesa"/"The Church" is a great Gothic horror film made by Michele Soavi with wild usage of camera,very hypnotic Goblin soundtrack and overall creepy atmosphere.The film was written and produced by Dario Argento,so fans of Italian horror won't be disappointed.It starts out with incredible scene of massacre,where a crusading army kills all inhabitants of a small village.There is plenty of violence and the photography is absolutely stunning.Soavi uses the camera tricks only hinted at in his wonderful "Deliria"(1987).There are several amazing camera shots and the lighting is excellent.The film is visually striking and the gore effects are quite good.The sequences involving secret machinery built into the structure of the cathedral are especially well executed.A must-see for fans of Italian horror!

Fun Film around the Duality and Corruption of Religion

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 7/10 · 22 January 2019]

This was a film that I first heard about as it is considered to be the third part of the Demons films by some people. It was marketed that way for a stretch and Italian cinema did this quite a bit. Now the official synopsis for this film is an old Gothic cathedral, built over a mass grave, develops strange powers which trap a number of people inside with ghosts from a 12th century massacre seeking to resurrect an ancient demon from the bowls of the Earth.

Now this film starts back in the day. We have a group of the Teutonic Knights, or also known as the Knights Templar, as they come to a stone. It has the mark of the beast on it and they go into a cave. Inside we see a young woman as she is washing her feet. She is accused of being a witch and we see the reverend for the knights. He tells them that they need to kill everyone as they are cursed and that's what happens. They slaughter the village and put them in a mass grave. As they are doing this, there is someone wearing a mask watching. It turns out to be a young Asia Argento. She is also killed. Everyone in the grave is sealed, which includes a knight that got too close, and a cross is placed over top of it. A church is then built on the site to keep the evil in.

It then shifts to present day. Evan (Tomas Arana) arrives at the church. He is to catalogue all the books in the library. He first meets a woman who is restoring the frescos, Lisa (Barbara Cupisti). He then meets Lotte (Argento) in the library. The bishop in charge (Feodor Chaliapin Jr.) scolds him for being late and he is quite ornery.

As they are restoring the church, Lisa finds something in the catacombs below. She gives it to Evan who has ambitions of finding something important down there so he doesn't have to work any more. He ends up finding more as he unleashes the evil that is below the church. There is actually a mechanism that seals the church, along with all those that were inside at the time. Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie) will do what he can to save all those that are trapped while stopping the evil that's been unleashed.

Now this was a film that I was quite intrigued about. I'm fascinated by the Knights Templar and the things that they did. I'm not very religious, because I feel that it is used more for the gain of things and that is exactly what they did. They might have even actually been worshiping Satan. Question I have from this film, were the villagers they killed actually evil or did they create it for the things that they did to them. It is really something to ponder and I enjoyed that aspect of the film.

Something else I enjoy about this film is that there's a lot of seeing things that aren't really there. It is driving them mad with what they are seeing as it takes them over for its own gain. We even have the bishop in charge, who actually avoids possession, but he is a mean individual. He does want to do the right thing and will sacrifice anyone in his way to ensure the evil never gets out.

I do find the way they defeat the evil though to be problematic. I don't really think what they do would work and it wouldn't take that much for it be uncovered again. I do like that the church becomes sealed, so no one can get out though. That aspect really drives up the tension of the film that they are isolated. I also am a really big fan of the corruption of a holy place for this to all happen.

Now I do have some issues though with the story itself. It takes entirely too long to really get into anything. I think the build-up should have been trimmed down a bit and could have tightened up the story. If this film came in around 90 minutes, I think it would have benefited. I also found it weird that it presents Evan as our main character and then he vanishes from the film completely. I also feel like the film loses its way and we just kind of get a bunch of scenes that are thrown together with scares, blood and effects. I do somewhat come to expect this from Italian cinema though.

Acting for the film I thought was pretty solid. Quarshie is pretty good as the hero of the film. It is interesting as he is first presented as weak and not very good as a priest. We don't really get to see much arch from him, but he does become stronger at least. Arana is interesting as he comes in and he is kind of arrogant. His drive is his downfall. Cupisti I thought was good, but much like Evan, her character kind of fades away when she is established as a star at first. I do have to give a shout out to Argento. She is young in this film, but she was solid in her performance. It is odd that she was dubbed with someone else's voice though. The rest of the cast I thought was fine for what was needed.

Something that I thought was good was the effects of the film as well. It does seem that they went practical which I'm a big fan of. The blood looks good and I thought the gore that we got was as well. There are some interesting creatures that we see in the film. They did take me back at times, but when we see the truth of them, I'm on board. I especially liked the representation of Satan in the film. I thought the few times we see him, he is good. I did think the film was shot well.

The score of the film I enjoyed. It was done partially by Goblin, who I love. This isn't one of their better scores though. I did think some of the selections might have been a bit out of place, but it does fit with the films they did earlier in the decade. I thought it was good enough for what was needed.

Now with that said, this film actually ticked a lot of my boxes to be something that I really liked. I do think there were a few missteps that hurt the film for me. I like the use of the Knights Templar and the corruption of the church. The film might have tried to do a little too much and it caused the film to lose its way. That could be why the pacing is off as well. I did think the acting was solid as were the effects. The score of the film isn't great, but I do think that it fit for what they needed. I did find this film to be quite enjoyable though and would be one I'd be willing to revisit. Overall I'd say this one is above average and I'd recommend if you are into this genre or like films from Italy.

Mediocre in many ways.

[filipemanuelneto · 1/10 · 10 May 2020]

This film is entirely shot around a grand Gothic cathedral, taking full advantage of the grandeur and beauty of the monument and medieval art. The script, by Dario Argento, is full of flaws and options that could have been better thought out.

The story begins in the Middle Ages, when a group of Teutonic knights killed an entire German village of devil worshipers. The massacre is quite brutal, and neither children nor animals have been spared. The bodies were then grouped in a mass grave, covered with lime and earth and forgotten... or not! A large cathedral was built on the site. Six or seven centuries later, in our time, the building is undergoing important works of restoration. During these works, a parchment is found and reveals the existence of a secret compartment, behind a stone with seven engraved eyes. Knowing that the cathedral is the only one of its kind without a single tomb - with the exception of the church architect - the diocesan librarian begins to suspect that the building may have kept some secret or treasure chamber and decides to look for it. But the cathedral's secret is darker and more dangerous than he thinks.

As I said, the film has a very amateur script, taking into account the reputation of Argento and the director, Michele Soavi. I think the massacre is revealed too soon, it would have been more interesting if it had appeared in the middle of the film, as an explanation for events that had happened before. It also seems inconceivable that the whole church has only one entrance. Anyone who knows a minimum of religious architecture knows that a cathedral always has at least three doors: the main door, the service door for the use of priests and access to the sacristy, and also the so-called "Holy Door", which is usually solemnly opened in jubilee years, for the pilgrims who want to receive some indulgences by passing through it. A good consultant was lacking here.

The cast did a mediocre job, but couldn't do much better with the material they received. Barbara Cupisti and Tomas Arana were not bad at first, but they lose their shine and prominence from the middle and end up underutilized. Hugh Quarshie and Feodor Chaliapin (who gave life to Jorge in "The Name of the Rose") did a good job and stand out. Asia Argento starts off badly, with her character resembling just another Lolita, with her sexuality repressed by her father, but ends up blooming and proving to be a good addition to the cast. All the rest are there to die: we have a vain woman who dies when she looks ugly in a mirror, an elderly wife who kills her husband after getting tired of hearing him grumble and a sacristan who commits suicide. Deaths are almost always grotesque.

Amateurism persists in technical aspects. The only totally positive technical aspect is the soundtrack, by Keith Emerson, Goblin and Philip Glass, which helped a lot to create and amplify the dramatic tension, when it was possible. Cinematography is quite dated and common, but at least it takes advantage of the Gothic beauty of the famous Matias Church in Budapest. The Danube bridge in this city was also well used for a very brief, but well-done, fast-forward scene. In spite of this, the film does not mention a specific city as the stage of the events. The choice of Budapest for filming was, perhaps, due to lighter financial and fiscal policies for film productions. The special, visual and sound effects are very bad and it is clear that they are fake. The blood looks like raspberry juice, the creature is clearly a man in a suit or a group of men... the disaster is complete. I could also talk about the costumes of the Teutonic knights, the strange aspect of the helmets and weapons or how they look like the KKK, but I prefer not to develop this subject. Mediocre.

It's a visual stunner!

[Nightman85 · 9/10 · 20 October 2005]

After making the excellent slasher Deliria (1987), director Michele Soavi collaborated with genre master Dario Argento to produce this above-average tale of demonic evils.

Church constructed upon the mass grave of some medieval witches begins to unleash demons upon its subjects.

Soavi gives La Chiesa such great visual style and inventive direction that it becomes one of the most beautifully atmospheric Italian horror films out there. The storyline falls short at times with some thin plotting, but there isn't a dull moment in this surreal journey. It's a solidly well made film, with some nice special effects, slick cinematography, and colorful imagery. There's a number of dream like scenes in the film and a few unforgettably shocking ones, like the subway escape scene.

Goblin and Keith Emerson provides a unique and beautiful music score that's downright powerful.

The cast also helps to carry the film. Attractive Tomas Arana and Barbara Cupisti make for good leads. Argento's daughter Asia Argento appears as a youngster in the film. The supporting cast is also in good form, despite the English dubbing.

All around, La Chiesa is a great European horror film, especially seen in a technical light or just for style. But horror genre fans will find plenty to enjoy as well.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Not for everyone

[sauravjoshi85 · 6/10 · 19 January 2020]

The Church a.k.a as La Chiesa is an Italian horror movie directed by Michele Soavi and stars Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Barbara Cupisti, Feodor Chaliapin Jr and Asia Argento in the leads.

The movie is for different set of genre and will not be liked by everyone. The best part of the movie is it's sound track and the screenplay. The movie is very slow and lacks a good script.

The climax of the movie is good although Very slow. Overall a good movie without script.

Disappointingly ho-hum misuse of good ideas

[I_Ailurophile · 3/10 · 7 October 2021]

Musical contributions from Keith Emerson, Philip Glass, and Goblin mainstay Fabio Pignatelli. Writing credits from multiple horror aficionados including Dario Argento. These details are nothing to sneeze at, but still just two noteworthy aspects of a supernatural horror flick of the sort that Italian filmmakers were consistently churning out in the 70s and 80s. A violent, vivid prologue filled with fetching costume design sets the stage for the plot to come, wherein beautiful filming locations, set design and decoration, and great effects complement fine art direction and production design.

Regrettably, digging under the surface, 'The church' isn't as blessed as one would pray. Scene writing, dialogue, and acting are all quite ham-handed. Characters are direly thin, little more than set pieces themselves. While the concept and the screenplay itself are pretty fun with great potential, the execution is plainly dubious and lackluster. Even as violent deaths and effects including blood and gore punctuate the runtime, before we know it half an hour has passed - then an hour, then 90 minutes - and still the movie feels like it is at best stuck in the "rising action" part of the typical narrative arc, if not merely the exposition. There is no meaningful climax, and the film maintains a flat, even tone from start to finish. It's an approach that can work well for many features, but not an Italian horror flick where visceral reaction is paramount.

There's little more to be said. Honestly, I'm disappointed. There were so many swell ideas here, and the technical aspects point to what could and should have been a cheekily thrilling, entertaining exemplar of horror. What we get instead is a dull, uninspiring slog that simply looks nice with no substance. I suppose if you're dead-set on indulging in Italian horror this is an okay watch, but otherwise I can't particularly imagine recommending 'The church.'

Two dissatisfied thumbs down.