‘In this unholy sanctuary you haven’t got a prayer…’
The Church is a 1989 Italian horror film in which an old Gothic cathedral built over a mass grave develops strange powers that trap a number of people inside with ghosts from a 12th Century massacre seeking to resurrect an ancient demon from the bowels of the Earth.
Directed by Michele Soavi (Dellamorte, Dellamore; The Sect; StageFright) from a screenplay co-written with Dario Argento and Franco with uncredited contributions by Lamberto Bava, Fabrizio Bava and Dardano Sacchetti. Inspired [uncredited] by the M.R. James story ‘The Treasure of Abbot Thomas’. Produced by Dario Argento with Mario Cecchi Gori and Vittorio Cecchi Gori.
The soundtrack score comprises tracks composed by Keith Emerson, Philip Glass, Goblin and Fabio Pignatelli.
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The movie stars Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Barbara Cupisti, Asia Argento, Feodor Chaliapin, Jr and Giovanni Lombardo Radice.
The Church was originally conceived as the third film in the Demons series; however, director Michele Soavi insisted that the film stand alone and not connected with the first two entries. In an interview, Soavi derisively referred to those films as “pizza schlock”, and expressed that he wanted The Church to be more sophisticated.
Plot:
In medieval Germany, the Teutonic Knights massacre a village of supposed witches and build the titular structure over their dead bodies.
Present-day: an assorted group of tourists are visiting the church. When the seal of the crypt is inadvertently broken, the malevolent spirits of the villagers attack the tourists.
Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie) and Lotte (Asia Argento), the Sacristan’s daughter, must try to combat this evil force before it is unleashed upon the outside world…
Reviews:
“The Church is bursting with style and it just looks good, plain and simple. The score by Argento regulars Goblin, and progressive rock legend Keith Emerson (Inferno) is incredible, ’nuff said. There is plenty of the red stuff to satisfy the gorehound, and a couple of effectively creepy scares.” Monsters at Play
“The gore is great; the cheesy dubbed voices are lovely; the bad ’80s outfits… divine. But there are far too many slow patches in this film. You promise me gore? Give it to me. Demons and monsters? Let ’em loose.” DVD Verdict
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“Soavi’s talents as a director are such that he is able to make the film enjoyable purely by virtue of its look and atmosphere, managing to transcend its rather unimpressive origins as an instalment of the Demons saga.” The Digital Fix
“Not much happens for a substantial part of the film and when it does it is never particularly clear why it does. The first half sets Tomas Arana and Barbara Cupisiti up as a standard if rudimentary, romantic hero/heroine but when the church doors are locked, both characters almost completely vanish off-stage.” Moria
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