The Church

Warning: SPOILERS!!! This is one of the last truly great Italian horror films of the 1980's, known better for its dream-like visuals than its plot. After this film was made, demand for Italian-made genre films dipped to an all-time low and it never recovered (except for films made by Dario Argento [he produced and co-wrote this film, as well as contributing to its music score] and, especially, Bruno Mattei, who refused to admit defeat, churning-out sleazy genre films until his death in 2007, bless his heart!). Even though this film makes very little sense, I'll try to explain it: During the Medieval Ages, a military religious order called the Teutonic Knights invade a village and kill everyone in it, all because one young girl was accused of being a witch (she has a wound on the sole of her foot shaped like an upside-down cross). All the villagers are buried in a mass grave; a huge stone cross is put on top of the mass grave to ensure their demon souls will never rise in the land of the living. To make especially sure this will never happen, a church is to be built on top of the grave. Cut to the present day, where Evan (Tomas Arana; BODY PUZZLE - 1992) is starting his first day as a librarian at a church (guess which one). His job is to catalog all the ancient manuscripts and books in the church's library. He meets Lisa (Barbara Cupisti; THE NEW YORK RIPPER - 1982), who is restoring the church's many grotesque frescoes. Evan also meets teenager Lotte (Asia Argento; MOTHER OF TEARS - 2007), who looks exactly like a young girl that was killed by one of the Knights in the film's opening minutes. But what does that mean? While doing some restoration in the church basement, Lisa discovers an ancient parchment that was hidden in a hole in the wall. She brings the parchment to Evan, who tells her that this is a "once in a lifetime" find and to tell no one that it exists. Evan is not able to decipher the parchment, but he recognizes a symbol on it that represents the Teutonic Knights (Evan tells Lisa that Hitler created the SS based on the Knights' practices). Lisa and Evan start a romantic relationship, which they must keep secret from the Bishop (Feodor Chaliapin; INFERNO - 1980) and the Reverend (Giovanni Lombardo Radice; CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD - 1980), otherwise they will be fired from their jobs. Evan is determined to translate the parchment (He also wonders why this church doesn't have a king or bishop buried within its walls, like all the other big Catholic churches. The only people buried there are the church's builders.), when he discovers that the parchment was written in a long-forgotten language that has been mirrored, so he uses a mirror to translate it. It tells him that he must find the "stone with the seven eyes". But why? Evan begins searching through the church's library for a mention of the stone and it is at this time when nearly everyone in the church, including Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie; NIGHTBREED - 1990), begin seeing and hearing things (like the sound of horses running down the pews) that can't possibly be there. Evan finds the stone on the giant crucifix that guards the mass grave and he removes it. Big Mistake. A hole opens up in the shape of a giant cross, a hole which may travel down to the abyss of Hell. Adam pulls a shroud out of the hole which contains the remains of a Knight who fell in the mass grave and it suddenly comes to life, its decomposing hand squeezing Evan's neck, when it suddenly stops. It is obvious Evan is now possessed by some demon entity (he rips open his chest and pulls out his own heart, yet he doesn't die!). He then kills Lotte's father, Hermann, the Sacristan (Roberto Corbiletto; a Sacristan is a person in charge of the church's sacred vessels, vestments, etc.), who has come to the church basement looking for Lotte (earlier in the film, he calls Lotte a slut and accuses her of drinking). It is at this time that the film loses its linear narrative, as it turns into sequences of WTF?!? horror. Lisa sees a goatman monster (an image usually associated with the Devil) in her bedroom window (which then shatters) and calls the police. When they arrive, all they see is a scared woman. Lotte witnesses a possessed Evan trying to rape Lisa and she acts like nothing is wrong (as a matter of fact, she paints her nails in front of Evan!). Evan goes all SHINING-like by typing the number "6" over and over on his typewriter and then tries to kill Lotte, but she escapes and runs into her father, who is now possessed. He washes her mouth out with soap (!) for daring to speak ill of Evan. After trying to kill Father Gus in a confessional, Hermann commits suicide in the church basement by impaling himself with a jackhammer (!), his flowing blood triggering an ancient booby-trap that puts the entire church in lockdown, trapping everyone inside. This includes a bridal model (Antonella Vitale) on a professional photo shoot; a biker named Freddie (Roberto Caruso) and his girlfriend Mira (Olivia Cupisti); a school full of young children on a tour of the church; and an old couple, Heinrich (John Karlsen) and his wife (Katherine Bell Marjorie). It's not long before some of the trapped inhabitants become demons (This film was originally going to be titled DEMONS 3, a second sequel to Lamberto Bava's DEMONS [1985], but the director did not want this film to be associated with that film because his film was not "pizza schlock"!). The bridal model is bloodily impaled by the spikes of an iron gate wielded by a reanimated Hermann. Freddie sees a naked Mira in the grip of a religious statue of a winged angel come to life (an image taken from a famous Boris Vallejo painting, but this image has been used in many religious horror films, including CURSE IV: THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE [a.k.a. CATACOMBS - 1988], also featuring Feodor Chaliapin). The Bishop is aware of what is going on, telling Father Gus that this wasn't the first time this has happened, but when Father Gus is not satisfied with his explanation, especially when the Bishop says, "I am the church!", they get into a scuffle, which results in the Bishop falling to his death, impaled on a sharp grave marker. Mira falls through a hole in the church floor, hanging on to Freddie's grip, but she has her face and brains splattered against the window of a traveling subway car! Much more weird stuff happens, including Lisa tearing the skin off her face when she sees herself as an old hag in a mirror. There is also an appearance of a gooey lizard/demon/gargoyle creature., but you'll be saying the same thing as Father Gus, when he yells out, "I don't understand!", but I guarantee you'll never be bored. Directed by Michele Soavi of STAGEFRIGHT (1987) and CEMETERY MAN (1994; one of the few Italian horror films to obtain a U.S. theatrical release in the '90s) fame, with a script by Soavi, Dario Argento (FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET - 1971; DRACULA 3D - 2012), Franco Ferrini ([TERROR AT THE] OPERA - 1987) & five other uncredited writers, this film may not make much sense but, man, is it beautiful to look at! It is very bloody in spots (including a beheading and various impalements) and eerily atmospheric, but I love it because it is a feast for the eyes. Originally released uncut and Unrated on fullscreen VHS by Southgate Entertainment in 1991, with a widescreen, uncut DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2002 and again by Blue Underground in 2007. But the Blu-Ray, from Scorpion Releasing (released early in 2018), is the preferred way of viewing this film. The print is flawless and the colors pop, making it look better than it ever has before. It's also a hoot to see Asia Argento at such a young age (she was 15 when this film was made, but she looks much younger). The extras on the Blu-Ray include new 2017 interviews with Michele Soavi and Asia Argento, both informative. We discover that Soavi painted the church's grotesque frescoes and he tried to copy the style of Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch (he succeeded) and that it was filmed at a real church in Budapest (Soavi tried to film it at a church in Nuremberg, Germany, but the town didn't want a horror film to be made there. There are still some scenes in the film that were shot there). Soavi also explains that the late Keith Emerson did the music soundtrack, but, even though his music was beautiful, it didn't fit within in the confines or the "feel" of the film, so the soundtrack was composed and recorded by The Goblins, who also did the music for Dario Argento's DEEP RED (1975), SUSPIRIA (1977) and many other Italian genre films. Asia Argento remembers that the church had to be deconsecrated every morning so they could film the "most heinous things". She also says that when she was a kid, she was not easily shocked. With a father like Dario, I can understand why. She also remembers that Antonella Vitale, the Bridal Model, was her father's girlfriend at the time. Asia looks at her horror film career with reverence and humor, which is refreshing. If you want to see one of the last truly great Italian horror films, search out this Blu-Ray, which can be found on Amazon. Also starring Alina De Simone, Claire Hardwick, Lars Jorgenson, John Richardson and a blink and you'll miss it cameo by Michele Soavi as a cop. Not Rated.

One of the best Horror movies from Europe.

Being a fan of Argento's works, I will say upfront that my views are slightly skewed in his favor. Still, this work, teaming Argento with Michele Soavi, is something of a favorite of mine. As viewers, we find ourselves introduced to a church that was, in times past, erected to contain the pesky menace of its vengeful, longtime occupants. To illustrate this, we get a lovely sequence showing the seeming slaughter and subsequent burial of all an entire village. It looks like brutality at its finest at first, but then, as hands grasp at those who try to trap the damned here, the crusaders seem to have found more than they can handle. So, how do you handle this? Why, seal it up and build a church on it, of course! Fastforwarding to the future, the church and its guarded secret is threatened and, of course, unleashed upon those unlucky enough to be trapped inside. Of course, this leads to an ending most befitting. This film brims with an eerie atmosphere that, most deservedly, helped gain Soavi a reputation as an excellent filmmaker, plus it has some nice Darioesque qualities as well. Asia Argento is here, just begging to become victimized by yet another manifestation of evil, and Goblin gives us another work of art. Combining these qualities with the fact that even the subway, a normally defunct "roadblock" at best, finds itself an unlikely killing machine, I'd have to recommend it as something to use to tuck the children in. Strengthening the family ties with the fear of demonic possession, that's the trait of a loving parent. Buy it today!

The 80s blessed horror fans with numerous bonkers Italian movies with randomly fragmented stories—especially when considering Fulci’s (Conquest, Aenigma, Manhattan Baby) contributions. These films are seldom “good” but often enjoyed at the very least, if not celebrated. Today’s surreal film is such a movie… We begin with a group of knights following some weird dude into a cave to meet an accused witch with a cross-shaped stigmata on her foot. Upon visual (and laughably momentary) confirmation of her damnation, they naturally kill her and everyone in her obviously Satanic village. Seems practical that a single purported witch results in citywide extermination, right? Among the montaged savagery we find scores of bloody corpses, some of them naked, piled in a mass grave. The site is blessed, they drop a giant cross on the pile of bodies and they build a church atop the macabre mass to “trap the demon” forever. This sets the tone for a brutal Italian gorefest—and there are several somewhat gory efforts—but that’s not exactly what we’re in for…this is more eerie than gory. Skip to present day and we find our gigantic gothic cathedral led by an inordinately venerable (and weird) priest. Not sure if this is normal, but the church recently hired a new librarian, a young woman (Barbara Cupisti; Opera, Cemetery Man) to restore its art, and contractors jackhammering away in the catacombs below. Pretty active for a European church, isn’t it? Anyway, there seem to be some hidden cavities and caverns below the church and an old parchment scroll discovered in its walls begins to unravel mystery and subsequent mayhem. Our intrigued librarian Evan (Tomas Arana; Gladiator, Frankenfish) believes that artefacts and secrets are hidden away buried beneath cathedrals, and this ignites his sense of adventure and discovery. Do they grant supernatural power or other-worldly knowledge? Who knows…let’s find out! He solves the encrypted scroll, searches for “a stone with seven eyes” found atop the mass grave’s cross and resembling a mixture of Lovecraftian tentacles and the demon Baphomet. It seals an abyss below and, as in The Gate (1987), some accidently drawn blood opens this infernal doorway. Perhaps now partially possessed, Evan starts acting super weird…in fact, the whole movie starts getting super weird. He pulls out his own beating heart for no reason at all, there is a demon goat home invasion, Evan turns into a sex-hungry creeper and he aims some of his unwanted affections toward a very young Asia Argento (Mother of Tears, Demons 2), Asia’s dad kills someone with a spiked fence and then suicidally jackhammers himself through the stomach to “finish” opening the infernal gate, an elaborate Indiana Jones mechanism is triggered to lock down the church and trap its occupants, more people get briefly possessed, a monstrous amphibian leaps out of the holy water and attacks someone, trapped people get feverish and delusional, an old lady uses her husband’s severed head to ring the church bells, a demon cops a feel of a girls bare butt, the old priest goes mad and gets impaled, there’s a mirror who’s reflection shouldn’t be trusted, and a sex scene with a goat demon and a woman on an altar. Some of these things seem to be hallucinations whereas others are really happening but, as the movie viewer, I’m questioning my own sanity while watching this hilariously eerie nonsense transpire. No clue why any of it is happening…but it’s happening! So many bonkers things happen in this movie and it culminates in a giant mass of conjoined bodies emerging from the depths. It reminded me of Society (1989) for just a moment, but not nearly as perverted. The acting is completely stale and it feels like every scene was shot in a single, unrehearsed take. And while the pace of this film could certainly be quicker, I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere. The first act played out much more like an eerie mystery than a horror story and this set a solidly uneasy tone—one of the best aspects of this movie, by the way. I may have wanted a more blatant gorefest, but the healthy diversity of moderate effects complemented the tone well. Although not directed by Dario Argento (Phenomena), this film (originally released as La Chiesa) certainly wears his mark. Rather Italian director Michele Soavi (Cemetery Man) is responsible for this zany Italian horror film. I wouldn’t call this film a conquest for the genre, but instead just a stop on the tour of ludicrous 80s horror films to be enjoyed. Aside from the impotent acting and incontinent story synthesis, a lot was left to be desired in terms of special effects, make-up and gore…none of which offered what I’d expect for a lower budget 80s flick. Although the effort was readily apparent especially when the woman’s face is smashed (like a birthday cake; no really, it looked like a birthday cake!) onto a subway car and the mirror’s reflection scenes. The macabre mass of bodies at the end was satisfactorily messy, yet should have been more harrowing. But it just shows up briefly, then is dispatched; it doesn’t “do” anything but appear and shake a few limbs. Similar can be said for the entertaining goat demon, which doesn’t really do anything other than look pretty neat…and have sex with someone. LOL. The movie ends typically, implying that the cycle of evil will continue but presenting it in a way that will draw no grins of satisfaction. This was surely entertaining to this campy horror fan, but also surely not so great.

La shameless non tradisce, edizione integrale restaurata in 2k, ottimo audio, contenuti speciali un po' scarsi (una singola intervista a Soavi di 25 minuti) ma molto interessanti. Spedizione rapidissima e oggetto in condizioni perfette, molto soddisfatto sia per la qualità del film, che è una piccola gemma, e per il servizio offerto dal venditore.

Habe lange nach den Film gesucht und endlich gefunden. Sprache leider nur auf italienischen. Aber sonst super

Excellent film d'un excellent réalisateur dont la carrière fut malheureusement trop courte. Un très bon film d'horreur qui n'a techniquement rien à se reprocher face à des films dits "cultes" plus largement connus et célébrés.

The 12th Century. Following a massacre of suspected plague sufferers, one of whom has a stigmata on her foot, the church and the establishment decide to bury their secrets by building a church on the site of where the victims are buried, in order to keep the evil trapped for ever, under hallowed ground. The present day. The very same church has a new librarian, who unwittingly frees the toxic evil from its incarceration, awakening a centuries old power that begins to infect the church and its occupants one by one... Italian director Michele Soavi, who served his apprenticeship under two great horror directors from Italy, Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava, here shows his usual creative flourishes to direct this highly enjoyable horror film. Soavi may well have only directed a handful of films, but what a great handful they are. Whilst not quite attaining the heights of his brilliant arty slasher 'Stagefright' or the endearingly bizarre 'Dellamore Dellamorte', Soavi once again delivers the goods. Originally devised as the third in the Demoni series, 'The Church' could be accused of style over substance, but frankly who cares, as many Italian horrors favour a beautiful tapestry over total plot cohesion. The best part of the film is once a disparite group of people, including a school party, a wedding group and a pair of nagging pensioners, are trapped within the church's walls, once a mechanism is operated that seals the church and its putrid secrets from the modern world. This is where Soavi's visual flair really comes into its own, as the infected hallucinate of demonic apparitions and madness spreads. One darkly humourous scene finds a jolly old dear using part of her husbands anatomy as a bell ringing instrument. The cast reads like a who's who of Italian horror, with Giovanni Radice, Tomas Arana and Dario's daughter Asia all turning up, along with Hugh Quarshie, playing a progressive priest. The on screen style is nicely complemented by a terrific music score by Keith Emerson and The Goblins/Goblin. This Blue Underground release presents the film nicely with a nice picture and sound quality, although the extras are a bit barren. 5 out of 5 for the lovely main attraction anyway. Please note- This Blue Underground is region free and not Region 1 as stated in the product information.

Very good