Michele Soavi's follow-up to his superb slasher STAGE FRIGHT is this visually stimulating but ultimately confusing thriller about demons materialising in a church. Originally conceived as a sequel to the two DEMONS flicks, this one also has a group of people trapped in an isolated location and gradually getting turned into evil beings.
Coming from the World of Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava and other Italian Filmmakers, Director Michele Soavi has a Minor Following and after Seeing this, one can See Why. Visual Flares are Forever Impressing the Viewer to keep the Confusing and Plodding Plot from becoming a Deadening Distraction.
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.
This isn't my favourite Soavi picture but that bar is set pretty high. This is an engaging and intensely atmospheric film with a cool little period piece at the start.
"The Church" is a film that could have been much better. However, too often it took the cheap gore route instead of genuine terror.
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.
Italian film director Michele Soavi certainly showed plenty of potential in his debut "Stage Fright", and went on to do other fine work in the horror genre - "The Sect", "Dellamorte Dellamore", and this entertaining shocker. One might argue that it's kind of slim on story, but the style on display more than makes up for that.
A church built on the site of a medieval massacre is being restored. The Teutonic Knights had killed all the villagers for mere suggestions of demonic spirits.
This gets one star, because it has a general premise, unlike most Dario Argento-produced movies. The music doesn't fit with the action, there are WAY too many dreamlike soft-focus scenes (even those involving medieval slaughter), and the voice dubbing is shocking.
