Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

spencergrande6 Michele Soavi doesn't disappoint again. Stage Fright was a great closed- set slasher flick and Cemetery Man a great oddball zombie flick. The Church hews closer to a slasher, but owing to its demons and sorcery its much more surreal than I was expecting.There are some great, weird, trippy, gorgeously realized shots in this film. Crosses bottoming out of floors into slowly rising blue mist, beating hearts dripping in dark ephemera raised to the sky in dark tribunal, the echoing thuds of a galloping horse always close behind. Characters see their darkest fears, are driven crazy by it. Philip Glass plays on the soundtrack, an electronic score at disharmony with the proceedings, hinting at the gleeful perversion at the heart of this church.The Church requires a full mind-meld with it; not questioning of plot purity or scene to scene accuracy, just acceptance of the hallucinations of terrible dread playing out on your TV (really wish I could see this on film on the big screen, the purest form of mass hypnosis).

Scott LeBrun 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. "The Church" is unceasingly grim, loaded with atmosphere, heightened by many striking visuals, and packed with some deliciously grisly violence and makeup effects. It's one of those horror films that lives up to the word "horror". It can appeal to a variety of fans within the genre, for it takes its time and gives us the kind of "slow burn" approach that some people wish they'd see more often.In Medieval times in Europe, some crusading knights slaughter the residents of a village - including the animals. They had believed these people to be in league with the Devil. Subsequently, they build a church over top of the dead bodies. Centuries later, a librarian named Evan (Tomas Arana, "Gladiator") is hired by the church, and his fascination with the local history proves unwise. His snooping around allows the forces of evil to arise, take possession of the living, and commit murder. The church seals itself up, and a variety of victims are trapped inside by these demonic forces.The international cast also includes Hugh Quarshie ("Highlander"), Feodor Chaliapin Jr. ("The Name of the Rose"), Soavi regular Barbara Cupisti, Giovanni Lombardo Radice ("Cannibal Ferox"), and the young Asia Argento (daughter of co-writer / co-producer Dario Argento), who plays a spunky child who regularly sneaks out of the church in defiance of her father Hermann (Roberto Corbiletto, "Dangerous Beauty"). The acting is generally solid, with Quarshie an appealing hero.The finale is the absolute best part (at least, it was for this viewer), and worth waiting for. It features one of the most hideous goat like characters to be seen in religion themed horror. And the music by progressive rock specialists Keith Emerson and the prolific "Goblin" is extremely effective throughout.A must for fans of Spaghetti horror.Seven out of 10.

LeonLouisRicci 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.The Camera work is as Stunning as the Sets and its Gothic, Demon Possessed Template is Haunting and Captivates. The Film is Stretched somewhat and Feels a little Long, but the Atmosphere and Odd Feel of the Film Continues right up to the Final Shot.Muddled as the Story may be, there is Enough here to Interest Horror Movie Fans, Especially ones Drawn to the Italian Horror Renaissance of the 1960-1990 Period from Mario Bava, Argento, Lamberto Bava and Others. The European Flavor and Baroque, Beautiful Style that these Movies are well Known is Evident as the Film is Rich and Lush with Grotesque Architecture and Bloody Brutality.The Characterizations may be Thin and the Story Hard to Follow at times, the Movie is Never Visually Boring or Lacking in Stylized Hauntings and Killings. A Young and Lolita Like Asia Argento has a Strong Leading Role and the Score is Fiddled About by Goblin, Keith Emerson, and Philip Glass. Some of the Make-Up and Creatures are Hypnotic and Horrific.Overall, Could be Considered Slow to Start after the Ancient Flashback, but not really, a Must Watch for Fangoria Types and Anyone Interested in Foreign Horror. This Odd and at times Fascinating Film is Superbly Stylistic and Deep in Religious (especially Catholic) Symbolism and Lore.

lonchaney20 Though originally conceived as another entry in Dario Argento's Demons series (the first two having been directed by Lamberto Bava), this instead plays like an unofficial sequel to Argento's Inferno. The story concerns a librarian searching for...something in a Gothic cathedral, convinced that the architect's secrets will grant him power. This cathedral was built over the mass grave of suspected witches killed by Teutonic Knights, however, so instead he unleashes some demonic spirits! The baroque architecture, fascination with alchemy, and weird symbolism all recall Inferno, but the second half of the film still bears traces of its Demons lineage. It's at this point that a large group of wacky characters are trapped in the church, and soon find themselves battling their own inner demons. While the threat here is largely psychological rather than physical (the characters are threatened by disturbing hallucinations and violent impulses rather than drooling monsters), many of the stock characters feel like holdovers from the Demons films. An old woman who insists on using words like "groovy" and "fab," a comically crotchety old man, and a bickering biker couple, for instance, often feel too goofy to really gel with Soavi's more sophisticated take on the material. It's hardly enough to sink the film, though, which is certainly one of the more dignified productions to emerge during the last gasp of Italian horror. Here we can still see a strong Argento influence in Soavi's style - not surprising considering Argento's hands-on approach to producing - but he avoids the saturated color palette of Argento's full-on horror films. If not for that, this could easily be seen as an unofficial entry in the Three Mothers trilogy, and sadly a far superior one to La Terza Madre. Highly recommended!