Classy and moody suspense/gothic horror flick with heavy religious overtones. A Catholic church is built over a mass grave of witches and plague victims during the Crusades, and many years later it becomes a conduit for demons to enter our world. While the narrative and acting are somewhat uneven, Soavi serves up some incredibly striking and grotesque images and fosters a wonderful sense of dread throughout. The horned goat-demon looks awesome.

It tells me a lot that despite the film's many, many, many shortcomings, I had a blast and would totally watch this again. Fun and genuinely foreboding in equal measure, and at least one moment of creepy underage sexual voyeurism that spoke volumes.

"There is no denying the dreaminess of Soavi's stream-of-consciousness horror show." - Ed Gonzalez

One of several movies which lays claim to the alternate title Demons III, but way better than even the two official Demons movies. Not a great movie by any means, but it's at least fun.

Some great hallucinatory imagery and music. It's no Demoni, but it's pretty fun.

At least the church looked cool.

I find the end a bit hasty and an anti-climax to a pretty good cinematography. All in all, worth a watch or two.

The plot, such as it is, just sort of dissolves entirely halfway through

Stylishly gruesome horror with a confused narrative, much influenced by the work of its producer and co-writer Dario Argento

Produced and coscripted by Argento, this emerges as a well-mounted but mostly routine gothic frightfest. The simple premise serves as a broad canvas, which Soavi and Argento fill with bizarre Catholic/satanic imagery, visual flourishes, and gore galore. Deliberately paced, slight on characterizations, and light on (dubbed) dialogue, this partially compensates with impalings, face rippings, horse hooves trampling severed heads, and other, similarly bracing sights

"I think The Church is supposed to be so bad it's good. And it really is "so bad.""

Nice set design and cinematography