Rating: 
Summary: "THE CHURCH" & "DEMONS 3(the ogre)" are 2 different movies
Review: "THE CHURCH" was co-written & produced by Dario Argento & directed by Michele Soavi NOT! Lamberto Bava! when they say that this movie was originally known as "DEMONS 3" they are NOT! talking about Lamberto Bava's "DEMONS 3 (THE OGRE)" they are 2 completely different flicks! its logical to think that maybe thats why Dario Argento & Michele Soavi changed the name from "DEMONS 3" to "THE CHURCH". Lamberto Bava is the director of "DEMONS 1,2 & DEMONS 3(the ogre)he doesn't have anything to do with this movie ("THE CHURCH") except for the fact that his mentor Argento & his friend Soavi are the maestro's who made this great horror movie! so please fellow reviewers don't leave a review for the !wrong movie! id be ticked off if i didn't know better & baught the wrong movie!!!!!!!!!anyway now about the movie at hand "THE CHURCH" this is a great horror flick! if you don't like this beautiful gothic piece of artwork then you missed the whole point & your to conditioned to deal with not haveing all the answers in the end & these are just more reasons why i love all my italian maestro's! HORROR MOVIES DON'T HAVE TO MAKE PERFECT SENSE TO BE SCARY AS HELL!!!!!!SO GET OVER IT & GET OUT OF THE STRAIGHT LINE YOU HAVE BEEN STANDING IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE! anyway if you want to know more about the movie read the editorial review above, atleast the editorial review is about the right movie! enjoy fellow horror fanz!
Rating: 
Summary: I lost my Argento Virginity to this one...
Review: "The Church" was my 1st Argento film... now I'm addicted. Its the creepiest thing I've ever seen, and it gets better each time I watch it. There isn't as much gore as I usually like, but the incredible storyline and great acting do much more than ritual disembowlements could ever hope to. Really a disturbing movie... If you've been to any of the Cathedrals in Europe, its an added scare. Just another reason to hate the Catholic Church...
Rating:
Summary: Making Church Fun
Review: Being a fan of Argento's works, I will say upfront that my views are slightly skewed in his favor. Still, this work, teaming Argento with Michele Soavi, is something of a favorite of mine. As viewers, we find ourselves introduced to a church that was, in times past, erected to contain the pesky menace of its vengeful, longtime occupants. To illustrate this, we get a lovely sequence showing the seeming slaughter and subsequent burial of all an entire village. It looks like brutality at its finest at first, but then, as hands grasp at those who try to trap the damned here, the crusaders seem to have found more than they can handle. So, how do you handle this? Why, seal it up and build a church on it, of course! Fastforwarding to the future, the church and its guarded secret is threatened and, of course, unleashed upon those unlucky enough to be trapped inside. Of course, this leads to an ending most befitting.
This film brims with an eerie atmosphere that, most deservedly, helped gain Soavi a reputation as an excellent filmmaker, plus it has some nice Darioesque qualities as well. Asia Argento is here, just begging to become victimized by yet another manifestation of evil, and Goblin gives us another work of art. Combining these qualities with the fact that even the subway, a normally defunct "roadblock" at best, finds itself an unlikely killing machine, I'd have to recommend it as something to use to tuck the children in.
Strengthening the family ties with the fear of demonic possession, that's the trait of a loving parent. Buy it today!
Rating:
Summary: Trust me on this one...
Review: Discriminating Horror Fan: Do not be afraid to drop your dollars on this disc. Semi-Lovecraftian creepiness goes down in a midieval cathedral. Michele Soavi directs this very stylish flick from a script that allows the plot to meander through the set-pieces the way only Europeans can. THE CHURCH does have that already nostalgic mid-80's feel to it, but somehow Argento and crew achieved production value impressive even by today's standards. Acting that ranges from competent to very good, lush photography, gorgeous interiors, plenty of well executed gore and creature effects that never become gratuitous, even some gunuine suspense; it all moves at a pace that feels just right towards a wicked climax and a spooky final sequence. I don't want to over do it, but this is a real gem. Beautifully transferred from pristine source material, it looks and sounds great. Anamorphic, trailer, director bio, in an attractive keepcase. If you are a hardened gore-hound, a Universal/Golden-Age snob, or a EuroTrash ...[fan], you might want to try before you buy. But if you're like me, a bit of all three, this is money well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Trust me on this one...
Review: Discriminating Horror Fan: Do not be afraid to drop your dollars on this disc. Semi-Lovecraftian creepiness goes down in midieval cathedral. Michele Soavi directs this very stylish flick from a script that allows the plot to meander through set-pieces the way only Europeans can. THE CHURCH does have that already nostalgic mid-80's feel to it, but somehow Argento and crew achieved production value impressive even by today's standards. Acting that ranges from competent to very good, lush photography, gorgeous interiors, plenty of well executed gore and creature effects that never become gratuitous, even some genuine suspense; it all moves at a pace that feels just right towards a wicked climax and spooky final sequence. I don't want to over do it, but this is a real gem. Beautifully transferred from pristine source material, it looks and sounds great. Anamorphic, trailer, director bio, in an attractive keepcase. If you are a hardened gore-hound, a Universal/Golden-Age snob, or a EuroTrash pervert, you might want to try before you buy. But if you're like me, a bit of all three, this is money well spent.
Rating: 
Summary: hard ending
Review: First of all i got to say this movie had the best devil ive ever seen in a movie before and it did have some scary scenes espiclly the awsome biggining but i didint get the endning i dont know maybe i just have to see it more i liked it but ive seen better but never a better devil oh and very very hot girls
Rating:
Summary: THE UNSUNG BAVA
Review: For all the hype he has gotten in recent years (some of it, admittedly, well deserved and long overdue), I must say that I find Mario Bava to be an uneven filmmaker at best. The movies of his that I love ("Lisa and the Devil", "Hatchet for the Honeymoon", "Black Sabbath") I REALLY love. The majority of his work, however, leaves me wanting. I understand the historical significance and stylistic influences to be found in flicks like "Twitch of the Death Nerve" and "Black Sunday", I just don't find them particularly engaging. I think Mario's biggest weakness as a filmmaker lay in his almost total lack of storytelling ability. I'm not saying every film has to have a linear narrative. Indeed, "Lisa and the Devil" has anything but traditional narrative structure. I do think, however, that eskewing traditional narrative in favor of a more experimental approach is, by definition, a gamble. And you know how it is with gambling: Sometimes you win. Most times you lose. Which brings us to the works of Mario's son Lamberto and the movie "The Ogre" in particular. While often lambasted by fans and critics alike for his stylistic debts to dear old dad and mentor Dario Argento, I find Lamberto's opus (while not always as risk-taking) far more consistently entertaining than either of these. This is not to say that the younger Bava does not stretch himself. One look at his resume reveals films running the gamet from psychological horror that would do Roman Polanski proud ("Macabre") to gross-out over-the-top horror/action/comedy hybrids that, twenty years later, should still please fans of the post-Raimi horror scene ("Demons" and "Demons 2") to works of dark fantasy that play like fairy tales come to life. It is in this latter category that I would place "The Ogre". Those looking for the kind of wacky-splatter on display in the two Demons films are strongly advised to look elsewhere. Indeed, I think the linking of this film with those earlier works does all involved a disservice. If you absolutely must see this film as a sequel to something, I advise you to see it under one of it's many other monikers: "Ghosthouse 2". Fans of Umberto Lenzi's original "Ghosthouse" would probably find much more to like here than those who go into this surprisingly gentle yarn expecting severed heads and wall-to-wall viscera. In a way, both films operate on a very similar level. They are both exercises in some well-worn genre trappings. Any fan of horror will almost immediately guess where both films are headed. Nonetheless, both manage to bring a sense of wonder and joy to the proceedings as well as a few new artistic flourishes that you may not see elsewhere. I would say "The Ogre" fares much better than "Ghosthouse" in terms of cinematography and production design. It is a beautiful looking film and, if given the chance, a very good old-style monster movie. Give it a shot.
Rating: 
Summary: Demons 3, The Church, whatever the title, it disappoints
Review: I am a huge Dario Argento fan. His style is just amazing. One day my eyes fell upon The Church because it had the Dario Argento name on it, and finally decided to fork over the money for it because the back stated "originally know as Demons 3", and I loved the first two Demons films and with Argento producing, how could this film goe wrong? It does. The film starts off very promisesing with a great beginning score by Goblin and then switching to knights galloping to a town full of witches. When the film changes to modern day, and then the film falls apart. It's not director Michele Soavi'd fault, he just has very little to work with in Argeno's script. The script just has huge plot holes. So big, that they insult my intellegence. Sometimes people are possessed by demons just because and some because they are scratched (like in the first two demons movies). The church was originally full of children when it was closed up, and suddenly the kids disappear. What was with Asia Argento's character also appearing in a past flashback. People who have seen this know what I mean and those of you about to see it will see what I mean. Sure Demons 2 had plot wholes, but at least it was fun to watch. The Church, sadly doesn't have near the entertainment value. The only thing that keeps the film moving is Michele Soavi's catchy camera work. Otherwise if fails miserably. I've seen the film two times and I can't get forgive some of these mistakes. Michele Soavi has directed some great horror films (Cemetery Man comes to mind), but The Church isn't one of them. Argento fans should buy this with caution. Only buy if you find it cheap or if your a Argento collector. The film just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Surprise
Review: I bought this one knowing that some of the Italian horror is pretty lame. This film is an exception. While Argentos participation was nominal, his influence is seen in this movie. Good camera work and the actors are quite capable. The dubbing is very well done, which is rare in these imports. About everything in horror that can be done has been done, but this movie caught my interest and kept it throughout. Not much for extras but the DVD has great picture and sound quality.
Rating:
Summary: Was I the only one who gave this a chance?
Review: I don't know why so many people chose to ignore this movie. While I love Fulci and Argento, many critics of Church consider mediocre efforts such as New York Ripper, Phenomena, and Demons to be "Italian Horror Classics". This movie makes those films look like boring puddles of puke.
Sure, there are things wrong with this movie, but I've made a list of reasons why this deserves to be a classic:
1. The church itself is amazing! While many "Catholic Metaphysics" horror films come off as un-researched and exaggerated, this movie seems truly authentic.
2. The style of this film, worked by director Michele Soavi, has the same level of atmospheric moodiness that made movies like "The Beyond" and "Suspiria" classics. Any time you can make the day seem creepy you've done something right.
3. ... horror movies ... because if they aren't plain cheesy, they lack anything distinct and memorable that you could recall ten minutes after watching. (example: New York Ripper)
This film is LOADED with all sorts of creative and twisted gags, I can't even remember all the things that stood out to me while I watched it.
4. It has a crazy score by Goblin (for those uninitiated, sorry)
5. The subject matter and subtle historical references are intriguing and mostly accurate. (I never knew anything about alchemy or Fulcanelli, but now i'm scouring the internet for it)
6. Most "we're trapped in the haunted house" movies reduce themselves to frantic pandemonium reminiscent of the end of "Project X". Soavi shows incredible restraint in using body counts, gore, or cheap predictable pops to maintain the action.
(Although there is gore, and creative gore at that, it doesn't become a crutch)
7. This movie has total party value. Classics work in the context of being home alone at night, and having a bunch of people hanging around drinking beers. Church had my friends saying "Oh ..., rewind that!"
8. The special effects are clever and impressive. I didn't see the climax coming simply because I didn't even think that any film made on a horror budget could afford something that dope.
9. You get to see Asia Argento act as a young kid (even back then, writer Dario Argento had his little girl being menaced by demons and abusive fathers)
10. The failure in the plot doesn't wholly distract you from what's going on. For the most part, the little cracks in the plot help the uneasy feel of the movie, especially when you're watching it at 1 o'clock in the morning.
With respect to the horror experts, I think that many of them have a bias against any Italian horror film that wasn't made during the classic era of Italian horror (Church was made in the 80's, and to be fair, horror movies ... big time in the 80's)
Horror critics have a inclination to like something more if it belongs to a genre, or has a cult name director.
Church is only [money], give it a whirl.
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