THE CHURCH. A stylish horror from Dario Argento’s stable

The Church – an ancient Gothic cathedral harbors dark forces that the people trapped inside must face.
The film’s action begins in the Middle Ages in what is now Germany. A group of Teutonic Knights suspects the residents of a nearby village of practicing witchcraft and consorting with the devil. They arrive, massacre the entire community, and bury the bodies in a mass grave, over which they construct a Gothic cathedral to seal away the buried evil. Centuries later, in the same cathedral, a librarian named Evan takes a job as the caretaker of its book collection, where he meets Lisa, who is overseeing the restoration of the cathedral’s frescoes. She discovers an old parchment filled with mysterious drawings and inscriptions, leading Evan to a hidden crypt in the church’s catacombs. Upon opening it, an ancient evil is unleashed, and the cathedral is sealed shut by a security mechanism. The building becomes a deadly trap for everyone inside.
Milan-born Michele Soavi began his career in the film industry as an actor, appearing in City of the Living Dead (1980) by Lucio Fulci, Absurd (1981) by Joe D’Amato, and Alien 2: On Earth (1982) by Ciro Ippolito. A turning point in his career came when he met Dario Argento, who hired him as an assistant director on Tenebrae (1982), Phenomena (1985), and Opera (1987), encouraging him to pursue directing. This led to his documentary Il mondo dell’orrore di Dario Argento (1985) and his first horror feature, Stage Fright (1987). The Church was initially planned as the third installment in Lamberto Bava’s Demons series (1985–1986), but Soavi insisted on making it a standalone film. With the help of Argento and Franco Ferrini, he developed a new screenplay, though it still mirrored Bava’s formula of characters being trapped—in this case, in a cathedral rather than a movie theater or an apartment building.
Soavi and Argento (who also served as co-producer) originally intended to shoot the film in St. Lawrence Church in Nuremberg, but the city authorities categorically refused to allow a horror movie to be filmed there. Similar resistance was met in Italy, France, and Switzerland, leading the filmmakers to venture behind the Iron Curtain. They scouted locations in Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, where they finally secured permission to film at the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Budapest (also known as Matthias Church). Principal photography took place from September to November 1988, with a budget of $3.5 million. The cast featured Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Barbara Cupisti, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, and a 14-year-old Asia Argento. The soundtrack included compositions by Philip Glass, Keith Emerson (ELP), and Fabio Pignatelli (Goblin).
Visually, The Church is one of the most stunning horror films of the 1980s. Cinematographer Renato Tafuri’s work is almost baroque in its grandeur, masterfully utilizing the cathedral’s architecture and meticulously crafted sets—seamlessly blending real church interiors with elaborate production designs. The practical special effects are equally impressive, never crossing into camp, with standout moments including a Boris Vallejo-inspired winged gargoyle embracing a nude woman and a mud-covered, writhing mass of the damned emerging from underground.
The film’s biggest weaknesses are its thin screenplay and fragmented plot. Midway through, the two main characters disappear without explanation, replaced by a supporting figure. However, despite these narrative shortcomings, The Church remains a stylish and thoroughly enjoyable horror film.