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The Unholy [1988]
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80'S CHEESEFEST
Review date: 2007-10-26 Rating: 8 out of 10
Years of dealing with tragedy, Archbishop Mosely, (Hal Holbrook) and Father Silva, (Trevor Howard) are forced to deal with the strange coincidence of Father Michael, (Ben Cross) who has managed to survive a miraculous encounter. Granted his own church as compensation, he begins to hear about the mystery that has plagued the community for several years from Lt. Stern, (Ned Beatty) a local policeman. Upset at both that the case is unresolved and that the church has been reopening, he keeps an eye out as the services at the church continue. Thinking a possible lead from a local story about a Satanic nightclub is worth looking into, he manages to find the disaffected Millie, (Jill Carroll) there who had connections with the past crimes, and offers to protect her, despite the intentions of everyone else. When the real intention of the killer is unveiled, they stop at nothing to protect the innocent from the forces of darkness.
The Good News: This here wasn't really all that bad. The beginning of this is quite spectacular, with the two demon encounters being especially noteworthy. The church is quite eerie, with the demon appearing quite unexpectedly and out-of-nowhere. The fact that this is cleverly hinted at but never explicitly that there's anything wrong even though there is. The second one in the hotel room is mostly for it's spectacular shock at the end, which is a great visual and a nice way to end it. The film also manages to get some great demon moments later on, where a fascinating sequence taking place in a Satanic nightclub holding big honors. The lighting, the performance, the air surrounding it makes this a great highlight sequence. This also has a pretty good start to it's grand finale, as things start to pick up after a small spell in the pace. From a wonderful demonic phone call that is pretty chilling to an eerie encounter at a fortune teller and the beginning stages in the church, this here is an all-out spectacle that has high hopes entering the finale. The key crux of this is the film's best point of it's high-quality gore. There's some really brutal moments in here, and the deaths dished out are quite bloody. One is found tied up on a crucifix with their chest torn completely open and exposed, another begins bleeding viciously from the eyes, another is impaled through the hands with sharp tacks, a fall out of a tall window and there's an especially brutal and graphic throat ripping that has to rank as one of the bloodiest examples of that in the genre. This even manages to mix in a little bit of sleaze in it, with a pretty healthy sporting of full-on nudity and a really sleazy dance in the nightclub. Overall, this was a pretty entertaining film.
The Bad News: There wasn't a whole lot that didn't really work. One of the main ones is the really weak and badly-done finale. While there's some great moments to be had from it, there's some big problems from it. Up until then, it had been a strong supernatural horror, and even starts off with some great moments, but then it has to switch over to the personification of the Devil, and it quickly sinks the film. The sight of this obviously special effects driven sequence where the model that the creature is becomes patently obvious. There's no attempt to disguise it any more than it already is, as there's no real way that this is anything but a plastic model. It gets a cool smoke-and-fog entrance, but the sight and design hinder it considerably. The middle section of the film is another problem, as after a whirlwind intro, this slows down the pace and we get some really slow pacing for a while. There's a lot of investigation going on that really just takes a while to get going, and the fact that most of it is blown off at first, then reintroduced without change and then accepted by all involved. That just doesn't really fit and makes it seem like it's dragging things out considerably. These though are it's big flaws.
The Final Verdict: There's not a whole lot against this one and a lot more going for it, making this an overall satisfying entry. Fans of the style or interested in this kind of cheesy flicks are encouraged to check it out, while those who aren't are advised to seek caution.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Ben Cross
Hal Holbrook
Nicole Fortier
Peter Frechette
Ruben Rabasa
Creators:
Ben Cross (Primary Contributor)
Hal Holbrook (Primary Contributor)
Dan Ireland (Producer)
Duke Siotkas (Producer)
Frank D. Tolin (Producer)
Mathew Hayden (Producer)
Michael Economou (Producer)
Fernando Fonseca (Writer)
Philip Yordan (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Uca
Manufacturer: Uca
EAN: 5035822102453
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-10-13
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 97 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1988
Language: English (Original Language)