Doppelgänger and Scorpion Releasing continue their Giallo series with Michele Soavi’s collaboration with Dario Argento
The horror love that Doppelgänger and Scorpion Releasing started with The Sect and Opera continues with their third Giallo release. Co-produced and co-written by Italian horror legend Dario Argento and directed by his protégé Michele Soavi, this release marks the US Blu-ray debut for The Church.
Synopsis:
In the middle of a modern city, an ancient evil is about to awaken! An elaborate cathedral that was once the site of a medieval massacre by crusading knights becomes a deadly trap for a group of visitors and staff when a sealed crypt is accidentally reopened. The laws of reality soon collapse as a nightmare takes hold and claims the lives of those within one by one, threatening to unleash a supernatural pestilence upon the world! Legendary horror maestro Dario Argento (Suspiria, Opera, Deep Red) presents this stylish shocker from director Michele Soavi (The Sect, Dellamorte Dellamore, Stagefright), featuring an avalanche of nightmarish visual effects and a powerful score by Goblin and Keith Emerson. Don’t miss this baroque descent into the occult starring Tomas Arana (Gladiator, The Bodyguard, The Sect), Barbara Cupisti (Stagefright, New York Ripper), and Asia Argento (xXx, Land of the Dead), now in eye-popping, glorious HD!
Soavini’s second turn in the director’s chair comes with The Church, a film that was originally intended to be the third installment in Mario Bava’s Demons series. While some of his other works feel like they were taken out of Argento’s playbook, The Church feels a little more like he was given license to roam, something that comes with both rewards and costs.
Visually the film is a treat. An ethereal, dream-like quality is imbued into the film, punctuated by vivid colors, imagery, and moments. Visual tricks and set-pieces add tremendous flourish to proceedings, a woman’s encounter with a mirror being perhaps the most memorable. It shows a director flexing his creativity for sure. Adding to this atmosphere is a mind blowing score, fusing the talents of Keith Emerson, Philip Glass, and Giallo regulars Goblin.
The tale itself is plenty interesting and offers much scope for horror. A massacre and mass grave hundreds of years ago, now covered by a church, at which an excavation ends up releasing evil. Simple, but Giallos tend to emphasize mood over deep storytelling. What is problematic is how unfocused this threadbare plot is. There are underdeveloped characters, tonal shifts, plot holes, pacing issues (more than normal from Italians), and it just feels like a mishmash overall. Despite these flaws, it’s very much worth your time; the film is an immersive experience that shows a mastery of filmmaking and crafting atmosphere, along with a final act that pulls everything together for a barnstorming finale. It’s not one of the Giallo greats, but it shows moments of greatness.
The Package
The disc shows off a new 2K restoration of the film and the results are impressive. Good levels of detail and contrast, minimal artifacts, and the colors pop with a vibrancy you’d want from Italian horror. Special features are:
- New interview with actor Asia Argento: Around 10 minutes, some interesting details on filming as the actress looks back on her role.
- Interview with Director Michele Soavi: Around 20 minutes in length, some tidbits on inspirations, approaches, and production.
- Original theatrical trailers: The Church, The Sect, Sleepless, Terror at the Opera, Etoile, and The Card Player.
The Bottom Line
While lacking the potency of some other Argento and indeed Soavini efforts, The Church is still an alluring watch. A film that feels experimental at times, testing the boundaries of the genre with technical and aesthetic qualities that unnerve and excite. They go a long way to compensate for the meandering nature of the narrative and lack of depth, in a release that is sure to be welcomed by Giallo fans.
The Church is available on Blu-ray from March 20th, 2018.