The Church (film)

Infobox_Film
name = The Church


caption = Italian film poster
amg_id = 1:120480
imdb_id = 0094860
director = Michele Soavi
producer = Dario Argento
writer = Dario Argento
Dardano Sacchetti (uncredited)
Lamberto Bava (uncredited)
starring = Hugh Quarshie
Tomas Arana
Asia Argento
Giovanni Lombardo Radice
music = Keith Emerson
Phillip Glass
Goblin
cinematography = Renato Tafuri
editing = Franco Fraticelli
distributor = Cecchi Gori Distribuzione (Italy)
Anchor Bay Entertainment (US)
released = 1989
runtime = 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. The film stars Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Barbara Cupisti, Asia Argento, Feodor Chaliapin, Jr., and Giovanni Lombardo Radice.

Plot

In Medieval Italy, the Knights Templar 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.

Other

"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.