User reviews

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Being a big fan of Michele Soavi's brilliantly grotesque "Dellamorte Dellamore" (1994), I was looking forward to seeing this Gothic entry to his oeuvre quite a bit. I must say that, while "La Chiesa" aka. "The Church" of 1989 is definitely not a bad film, I was overall slightly disappointed in regard that this is a Soavi film produced by none other than Italian Horror deity Dario Argento. I did not expect anything like "Dellamorte Dellamore", and generally think of the celebrated "Deliria" (aka. "Stagefright", 1987) as slightly overrated by most of my fellow fans of Italian Horror.

Visually, "La Chiesa" is absolutely striking, and while the premise is very promising, continuity is not the film's strongest point. In the 12th century, an entire village of accused heretics are brutally massacred by an order of Teutonic knights, and buried in the woods. In order to ban evil spirits from coming back for eternity, a cathedral is built at the burial site. Centuries later, an employee at the church finds a mysterious document, and subsequently releases sanguinary demons... The idea of a haunted church is one that most of my fellow Horror fans would applaud. The film's strong points are the phenomenal visual style, wonderful setting and creepy Gothic atmosphere, as well as another great score by Progressive Rock Band / Film Composers Goblin. The cast includes a very young Asia Argento and Giovanni Lombardo Radice as an arrogant priest. Russian actor Feodor Chaliapin Jr. is very good and creepy-looking as the elderly Bishop responsible for the church, and Ghanese actor Hugh Quarshie makes a refreshingly unusual hero (an African Roman Catholic priest). The negative aspects are the lack of continuity and logic, and the fact that the characters are not well-drawn. Actually, one does not terribly care about the characters (except maybe for the girl played by Asia Argento), which makes it hard to be scared for them. Overall, this is an enjoyable film for my fellow Italo-Horror buffs, but it certainly isn't spectacular. Definitely recommended to Soavi-fans, but those unfamiliar with his work should watch "Dellamorte Dellamore" first.

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.

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 ****

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!"

"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!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Michele Soavi in the director's chair, Dario Argento as co-scripter, Goblin composing. Sounds like a recipe for success, doesn't it? Having seen a few of Michele Soavi's genre films, I think I raised my expectations too high for this one. I liked Stagefright, and I loved Cemetery Man, but I can't praise The Church. There are some stunning visuals in this thing; many you aren't likely to forget soon, especially in the climax. However, the lack of coherency keeps me from enjoying anything I see on screen. It's frustrating. I want to dig it so bad, but the storyline is just lacking. A great prologue allows us to witness a massacre in the middle ages and shows us the building of the titular church. It's not hard to figure out why the place is cursed. Fast forward to the late 80's where the church is being renovated. It's not long before the curse is unleashed and very strange things start to happen. Many of the odd occurrences are never explained. For instance: Why are the kids so weird? Some of them are infected, but some seem to be just wandering around. Why do they never really attack the uninfected? I find it hard to believe that this movie was going to be Demons 3. It just doesn't have the same unrelenting flavor. And what was up with the ending? I plan to watch Bava's Demons 3 in the near future and see how he faired. The cast includes Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Barbara Cupisti, a young Asia Argento, and Giavanni Lombardo Radice (that's John Morghen to you and I).

"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".

"I turned what was conceived as schlock pizza cinema into a strong essay on karma and the ambiguous inner conflicts we all face at some time in our lives." --Michele Soavi, from Alan Jones's "Profundo Argento"

'"My brief to Michele was for him to explore the feelings I had about life in contemporary Germany being the beginning of a new Middle Ages. Michele made the Hitler references and evil allusions work."' --Dario Argento, from "Profundo Argento"

Director Michele Soavi's "The Church" is unlike any horror film you will ever watch. To say it is merely horror, however, is a mistake. This is an incisive-critique of the crimes of the Vatican over centuries, the sins-of-intolerance, and the demons they give-rise to. Coupled with newer theories on magical geometry (in 1988,anyway), as well as the studies of European Cathedrals and their connections to occult-lore and symbology, Soavi, Dardano Sachetti and Argento weave an allegory of how evil the roots of organized faith are. One could say that this is a truly "Medieval" story within a Medieval-universe that is similar to the one held by the Manichean-heresy (Cathars). As in Cemetery Man, our Earth is portrayed as a dominion-of-evil, where mankind is unable to transcend an architecture that prohibits redemption at every-turn. A trap, not made by God, but by a lower-entity. In this universe, the world is a prison, created by greater-powers and forces. Like the prison-world of Gnosticism, Soavi hints that we are prone to Lords of this World ("Archons"), and that human-wisdom has been withheld--particularly feminine-wisdom, which is absent in most orthodox-faiths.

Soavi doesn't seem to hold-out much hope for redemption here, but I find that is a theme in his early films. This connects him thematically with directors like Fritz Lang, who posit a fateful universe, and a terminal human-condition (determinist). This is a very modern viewpoint, ironically, since he places it in a Medieval-cosmology, a nice-trick! If you are a student of occult-lore, and symbology, this film is a real treat. It is peppered with imagery that surely has a subconscious effect on viewers. Because of this, I found it created a GREATER sense-of-dread when I watched it, and many scenarios and images are intentionally archetypal. Real Cathedral-friezes are flashed throughout the film, and there is a genuine meaning for their placements-- thematic meanings. If you find the storyline a little meandering, this is why. Most of this film is about themes and symbolic-meaning, rather than a linear-plot, though it does have that. A number of shots in the film demonstrate that some of this film was shot in Germany, but there are definitely images taken from many-other Cathedrals in-Europe. The main interiors were done in a Cathedral that needed restoration-funds in Hungary.

"The Church" also seems to be saying that the Catholic-hierarchy has something to hide in her origins, literally "covering-it-up" by building a Cathedral over the site of a massacre by Teutonic Knights (directed-by the Medieval Church) of a group of peaceful-heretics. Clearly, the sect represents the Albigensians/Cathars, but it can be generalized to the many faiths that were crushed by Christian orthodoxy, including esoteric Christian and pagan ones. Because of this suppression, a valuable-chunk of human-thought, culture and experience has been hidden (the definition of "occult") from the average person. The results have been unfortunate, with an anemic modern existence of meaninglessness, made-worse when orthodox Christianity's dogma has fallen-away, particularly in Europe. What has Judeo-Christianity had to offer women that the cult of Isis did not? A lot less, as it is patriarchal, offering only the unnatural Mary as a mother-archetype, rather than an image of real motherhood and empathy. Primitive-Christian beliefs surrounding reincarnations are also present in the plot line, most-particularly in Asia Argento's character, Lotte. In-fact, nearly-all the principle-characters are reincarnations from the Medieval-prologue! Once-crushed faiths sometimes re-emerge to overtake orthodox-ones.

Having little-to-offer, we see why the Church (and Islam and Judaism) had to borrow-from pagan religions--a barbaric patriarchy didn't have much to offer people psychologically. The ancients knew that the mind needs symbols that are healing, comforting and empathetic. Between heaven-and-hell, there is man, their source. As above, so below. Hermetic-wisdom teaches us that the universe is contained in-microcosm in mankind, and Soavi express this well. Wisdom cults of the Hellenistic age were well-aware that religion is symbology, and little-else. Religion is psychology, and Soavi's film is very expressionist.

Early-psychoanalysts like Jung and Freud used mythological metaphors and terms for a good-reason: they resonate with meaning over-the-ages. Isis is ALL women, Zeus is an aspect of ALL men, and Apollo's androgynous wisdom represents aspects of both-sexes. Ignoring these aspects of humanity is what breeds demons. The Church stands-accused. Some would say this film (and review) are "anti-Catholic", but they would be wrong. The authors of "The Church" have stated many-times they are still Catholic, and this author was baptized as one. We just love what is good about faith and spirituality, and shun what is hateful about it. An incredible film, directed by a genius. Try the Anchor Bay edition, it's widescreen with an excellent transfer for image and sound. One reviewer noted wrongly that Goblin did the score--it was Claudio Simonetti of-Goblin, Phillip Glass, and others.

PS: "The Church" was originally slated to be the official "Demons 3" as part of the Argento franchise, but didn't end-up being that film. "The Ogre" has been arbitrarily given the "Demons 3" title by the owners of that film. It has no-relation to the other "Demons" films, and easily surpasses-them.

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.

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.

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 ****

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. New librarian Evan and Lisa uncover a piece of parchment. As Evan digs, he gets possessed by something buried underneath. Lotte is a young girl interested in their work with the catacombs. Her father Hermann also gets possessed. An ancient alarm is activated and the doors to the church are locked trapping a tour group of children and a wedding photo shoot.

There are lots of interesting visual concepts. The plot is a mess. It meanders without tension. There is nothing scary about this horror but it is compelling visually. Someone should work out simple expositions to explain the story. I am willing to excuse some of it as translation problems.

It didn't help that I was watching a badly dubbed version, but sweet Hera that was a meandering cacophony of craziness. Or else drugs, or both. Made me think a little of the Keep, another 80's era gore fest that I'm sorry to say I wasted my time on.