The Church (1989 film)
A cathedral built on evil unleashes demonic forces.
The Church (La Chiesa) is a 1989 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Michele Soavi, from a screenplay co-written with Dario Argento and Franco Ferrini, and produced by Argento with Mario and Vittorio Cecchi Gori. The film involves a church built upon a mass grave of slain peasants, whose architect designed a device to seal off all entrances if the spirits sought revenge. Originally conceived as the third installment in the Dèmoni series, Soavi insisted the film be distant from the series and re-wrote the screenplay to remove any connection.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Michele Soavi
- Screenplay
- Dario Argento
- Franco Ferrini
- Michele Soavi
- Story
- Dario Argento
- Franco Ferrini
- Dardano Sacchetti
- Producer
- Dario Argento
- Mario Cecchi Gori
- Vittorio Cecchi Gori
- Starring
- Tomas Arana
- Feodor Chaliapin
- Hugh Quarshie
- Barbara Cupisti
- Antonella Vitale
- Asia Argento
- Cinematography
- Renato Tafuri
- Editing
- Franco Fraticelli
- Music
- Keith Emerson
- Philip Glass
- Goblin
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In medieval Germany, a band of Teutonic Knights massacre a village of devil worshippers and bury their bodies underground, building a Gothic cathedral over the mass grave to contain the demonic evil. In the present day, the cathedral's new librarian Evan arrives for his first day. He meets Lisa, an artist supervising a restoration of the church's frescoes, who introduces him to the Bishop and Father Gus. The Bishop warns Evan not to enter the catacombs. Lisa discovers a mysterious parchment with architectural schematics; she and Evan sneak it to her home. As they bond over medieval art and have sex, Evan finds hidden Latin text on the parchment referring to a 'stone with seven eyes'. Evan later explores the catacombs and uncovers the stone in a hidden crypt, revealing a vast black void. A blue light radiates from the hole and reveals a sack; when Evan opens it, hands grab him before he blacks out. He regains consciousness, his wrists bleeding, and flees. He loses control of his hands, tears out his still-beating heart, and bites into it. Lisa experiences dreams of the unsealed hole and is attacked by a goat-headed demon. The sacristan begins experiencing the same symptoms as Evan.
Production
In an interview on January 22, 1988, directors Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento discussed a follow-up to Demons 2, with Argento stating it would not be called Demons 3 but potentially Ritorno alla casa dei demoni. The third Demons film, whose story was developed by Franco Ferrini and Dardano Sacchetti, involved a group of passengers on a volcanic island after an emergency landing. Sacchetti compared the situation to Alien but with an airplane instead of a spaceship. After several drafts, the writers abandoned the story due to trouble creating a story set in an isolated airplane. They developed a new screenplay set in a church that acted as a passage into hell. Argento later stated that The Church 'was never Demons 3, nobody but Lamberto ever wanted to make Demons 3'. The decision to restart the screenplay led to Bava leaving the project in October 1988 to work on television films. Michele Soavi entered production as director after completing Stage Fright. Soavi was surprised at Bava leaving, stating he could not believe Bava had worked on it so long and did not want to complete it. Soavi made changes to the script, including a new opening scene influenced by John Milius' Conan the Barbarian. Soavi declared he loved the first part but found the middle silly, so he worked with Franco Ferrini to strengthen it. Shooting took place from September to November 1988 with a budget of three and a half million dollars. Soavi derisively referred to the Demons films as 'Pizza Schlock' and wanted The Church to be more sophisticated. He explained he wished to move beyond his creations and parted ways with Argento, ending their long-time creative partnership.
Release
Released in Italian theaters on March 10, 1989, by Cecchi Gori, The Church earned 1,926,277,000 lire at the domestic box office, ranking 36th for the year. Italy’s film rating board initially gave it an F.M.18 certificate, citing “the many, particularly violent and shocking scenes which are considered unsuitable for the sensitivity of the spectators in developmental age.” A year later, the commission reversed this decision, noting that the violent and shocking scenes were “not particularly and intensely underlined within the general context of the film,” and downgraded the rating to V.M.14. For context, the top-grossing Italian film that year, Roberto Benigni’s Il piccolo diavolo, made 17 billion lire. The movie reached the United States on August 22, 1990, via TriStar Pictures. A contemporary Variety review called it a “technically proficient but empty horror exercise,” while praising Goblin’s score. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 64% approval rating from 11 critics. Jason Buchanan of AllMovie gave it three out of five stars, describing it as a “gothic-drenched apocalyptic nightmare” that builds “a suffocating sense of quiet dread.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in The Church (1989 film)?
The Church stars Tomas Arana, Feodor Chaliapin, Hugh Quarshie, Barbara Cupisti, Antonella Vitale and Asia Argento.
Who composed the music for The Church (1989 film)?
The music for The Church was composed by Keith Emerson, Philip Glass and Goblin.
How long is The Church (1989 film)?
The Church has a running time of 100 minutes.
What was the budget of The Church (1989 film)?
The Church had a budget of $3.5 million.
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