Seeking out the
5000 greatest films
in a century of cinema
The Church
La chiesa
Demons 3
Directed by
Michele Soavi
Produced by Mario Cecchi Gori, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, and Dario Argento
Screenplay by Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini, and Michele Soavi Story by Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini, and Dardano Sacchetti
Produced by Mario Cecchi Gori, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, and Dario Argento
Screenplay by Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini, and Michele Soavi Story by Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini, and Dardano Sacchetti
With:
Tomas Arana, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., Barbara Cupisti, Asia Argento, Hugh Quarshie, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, John Karlsen, John Richardson, and Michele Soavi
Cinematography:
Renato Tafuri
Editing: Franco Fraticelli
Music: Philip Glass, Goblin, Keith Emerson, and Fabio Pignatelli
Editing: Franco Fraticelli
Music: Philip Glass, Goblin, Keith Emerson, and Fabio Pignatelli
Runtime:
102 min
Release Date: 10 March 1989
Aspect Ratio: 1.66 : 1
Release Date: 10 March 1989
Aspect Ratio: 1.66 : 1
Michele Soavi’s Italian gothic horror film about a medieval cathedral built after the Crusades and forever cursed by the brutality of the Knights Templar delivers the dreamy dread one expects from a film with Dario Argento's name in the credits. The concept of a church haunted by religious crimes and a narrative hook that digs into your skin makes this more than an exercise in atmosphere. That the most startling images are only glanced at, makes them all the more memorable.