| The Church | |
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Italian film poster |
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| Directed by | Michele Soavi |
| Produced by | Dario Argento |
| Written by | Dario Argento Franco Ferrini Michele Soavi (writer) Dardano Sacchetti (uncredited) Lamberto Bava (uncredited) Fabrizio Bava (prologue) M.R. James (story "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas") |
| Starring | Hugh Quarshie Tomas Arana Asia Argento Giovanni Lombardo Radice |
| Music by | Keith Emerson Phillip Glass Goblin Fabio Pignatelli |
| Cinematography | Renato Tafuri |
| Editing by | Franco Fraticelli |
| Studio | ADC Films Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica Reteitalia |
| Distributed by | Vivivideo |
| Release date(s) | 10 March 1989 |
| Running time | 110 min. |
| Language | English/Italian |
| Budget | $3,500,00 est. |
The Church (Italian title: La chiesa) is a 1989 Italian horror film written and produced by Dario Argento and directed by Michele Soavi.[1] The film stars Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Barbara Cupisti, Asia Argento, Feodor Chaliapin, Jr., and Giovanni Lombardo Radice. [2]
Contents |
In medieval Germany, the Teutonic Knights massacre a village of supposed "witches" and build the titular structure over their dead bodies. Flash forward to the present day where an assorted group of tourists are visiting the church. When the seal of the crypt is inadvertently broken, the malevolent spirits of the villagers attack the tourists. Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie) and Lotte (Asia Argento), the Sacristan's daughter, must try to combat this evil force before it is unleashed upon the outside world.
The score was composed by the British-American duo Keith Emerson and Phillip Glass. The Soundtrack featured tracks from Goblin and Fabio Pignatelli.[3]
The film premiered in Roma on 10 March 1989 and was released in the Italian cinemas on the same day.[4]
The Church was originally conceived as the third film in the Dèmoni series, which Soavi, in an interview with Cinefantastique, referred to as "Pizza Schlock" that he wanted to move beyond.[5]. It is known in Japan as Demons 3.[6]
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