La Chiesa “The Church” (1989)
La Chiesa is not your standard Italian horror flick. For one it doesn’t involve zombies and secondly it’s not a Giallo. La Chiesa is more in line with Lamberto Bava’s Demons movies. This correlation with the Demons movies is really not surprising considering Dario Argento and Michele Soavi were both involved in the Demons films. The film was originally going to be the third installment in the Demons series of films before Argento figured it was different enough to be its own demon movie. The basic premise of the movie is as follows, during medieval times a group of holy knights kill off an entire village suspected of being evil possessed witches. Their bodies are thrown into a death pit and covered with a large cross. Fast forward to present day and a Catholic church has been built over this very same spot. A new librarian to the church unknowingly unlocks the tomb of the demons which unleashes an evil upon those inside the church. Much of the cinematography is well put together with shots of the aging church. One image that will leave a lasting impression on you consists of a reimaging of a Boris Vallejo painting. This image of a winged demon will catch you off guard and will leave you wanting to see more. The music is beautifully done by both Goblin and Keith Emerson. The Church is definitely a film to check out for those looking for some good Halloween films to watch this year.
--Steven M. Duarte
