The Church (1989) aka La Chiesa

3.5 / 5
Tagline: It Will Make You Squirm
Directed By: Michele Soavi
Written By: Nick Alexander, Dario Argento, Michele Soavi, Lamberto Bava, Franco Ferrini, M.R. James, Dardano Sacchetti, Fabrizio Bava
Actors Include: Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Feodor Chliapin Jr.
Genre: Horror, Drama
Length: 102 minutes
Banned: nope
Country: Italy

Review:
Having seen Soavi's "Cemetery Man" I was pretty much up for anything he was involved with, so why not The Church? Well it's got the atmosphere part down, and it was quite lovingly shot which is a nice treat. Especially since it's sort of a gothic tale, and the actual Church was quite impressive. What wasn't a treat is the fact that it's kind of confusing, but it can definitely be made sense of. What happens is that a church was built on top of a possessed body pile and all is well until a librarian moves a rock which opens the gates of hell. During this a family just happens to be in the church taking wedding pictures when they are trapped there and tormented by the demons. It's actually a pretty serviceable idea, and it was well executed but it could have used a bit of trimming and a slight bit more gore and action. I know that films don't necessarily need a high body count to be effective, but this did drag a little especially considering the length of the film. Still a pretty good job was done and I can understand why this is considered one of the more classic Italian films. Definitely worth a watch, but it's really hard to see Soavi's style, definitely more of an Argento film through and through.