I've always been a fan of Dario Argento's films, and of course, his protege Michele Soavi, and one of the most unforgettable works I've seen as of yet, has to be Soavi's La Chiesa, also known as "Demons 3" or "The Church." The image seen above is a good introduction to this in-depth review of my most favourite "spaghetti horror," in this case, a most Gothic Horror indeed, rather than a true slasher film. Strangely enough, Lotte was one of the villagers who was cruelly killed by a Knight (seen in flashbacks when she "hears a horse" in the church), and the priest was one of the Knights in his past life. The two worlds are brought together in these two characters and forced to make a decision for bad or good. Seeing the mistakes of the past clearly through their past life visions, they are well aware of the impact of what is happening around them, unlike the others who are blindly led into delirium, self-centredness, and murderous mayhem (i.e. possessed by demonic qualities of sorts, which serves as a great metaphor in this film). And now for a quick synopsis: After an entire group of villagers are destroyed, for the fact they are believed to be "heretics" and "witches," they are buried in a mass grave, whereafter, the infamous cathedral, or church, will be built. Flash forward to the present, when restoration of the ancient gothic cathedral is taking place. It’s an amazing building, filled with incredible clockwork devices that can seal the doors in the event of another outbreak of demonic possession (the architect of the church also based his blueprints on Fulcanelli's Idea of a Cosmic Design). Another theme which seems to be a focal point and serves as its end, is the idea of "exposing evil" and uncovering the truth. In the end, another metaphor arises, in the imagery of the massacred dead rising out of the church's pit. Of course, this is not to be taken literally, Soavi's style is distinctly surreal and that's why most mainstream horror fans often do not have the intellectual clout to understand his works. The entire theme of evil in the form of a gigantic gargoyle is not only an idea made implicitly clear, but, once again, another reference to Rosemary's Baby and the exposing of evil (here symbolised by the "coven members", who appeared to be rather average folks). A brilliant mixing of themes and ideas coming to a close.
The ending comes crashing down like the church. Having discovered the secrets of its structure (due to Lotte's reference of her past life and mention of the mechanisms within its architecture), the hero finds out how to bring the church down, so to speak.
Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. -Unknown
The past always comes back to haunt us. -C. Jung
There seems to be a natural law that guarantees an end to destructive behaviour:
The con man's tricks become obvious. The Hitler becomes paranoid and commits suicide. The Don Juan becomes impotent.
-J. Carter
It is most memorable for its introductory depiction of ruthless cruelty, as depicted when the extremely handsome, angelic-looking Teutonic Knight, offered water by a very innocent "witch" (a "Child of Nature"), coldly crushes her skull with his armoured hand. It seems to set the tone for the rest of the film and its theme of pervasive evil and the fact that a karmic evil seems to win out in the end, no matter what side one is one, bad or good. What makes it more chilling is that the Knight is almost angelic, or heavenly in his appearance (the devil masks as an angel of light, so to speak). This theme will also apply to the fact that the perpetrators of evil in the ending scene are those from whom one would not expect such actions.
Evil never changes its form and is senseless, brutal, and destructive. In fact, it is even remarked in the film that the Knights (also known as the Knights Templar) served as "inspiration for Hitler's SS."
Another theme which plays an important role in the denouement, is that each major (present day) character in the film seems to somehow be a main figure introduced to us in the very beginning (the massacre scene). The victims are doomed, once again, to become fodder for evil. Strangely enough, the evil ones seem to be hinted as being those associated with the church itself, except for the brave daughter of the Sacristan (Lotte) and a black priest. These two, the heroes, are the only ones who have clear visions of their past lives, and are responsible enough to take charge and try to make a difference in the karmic onslaught several centuries later.
That fact that the metaphorical demons from the mass grave come back to haunt seems to point to evil being a specific source; however, in this case, I see it more as a retribution as well. The reason why is because the spirits possess the priests (who were the malefic priests and Knights, presumably, in their past lives as well) and everyone who is trapped within the church after a door is jammed. This is not to be taken literally, as the "evil spirits," or demons, I believe, are an archetypal symbol for karma as well, or a metaphor for ignorance, as stated above.
The entire story is based on this ever-circular theme.
Some of the occupants of the mass grave seem to slowly come back to life (not all are completely dead), pulling a horseman in with them while the knights frantically shovel dirt over them. The church is built on the site in order to keep the "evil" from rising again.
Aside from the plot, this film is awash in gorgeous set pieces and lush, sensuous design. Some of the scenes are truly breathtaking and surreal (the cross falling out from under the church, as one example), or the detailed mise-en-scene of the architect being tortured (he cannot live because he knows the secret of the church's origins and design).
The architect undergoing torture, and finally, death, the secrets of the cathedral placed within his mouth
Before the end, however, those trapped in the church, now fully posssessed by the existential evil, become the coven of a satanic ritual, starring one of the reincarnated villagers and the devil himself. The scene has the same feeling and I believe is a reference to Polanski's Rosemary's Baby, (note the music as well). Also, it has been noted that there is an influence of M.R. James' classic story throughout the film (the same symbols, the stone with seven eyes, and so forth).
The possessed "coven" gathers round.
The archetypal victim is victimised once again, this time by evil incarnate.
Evil incarnate, unmasked, is the final culmination.
I believe this fable of sorts warns us that the ultimate price to pay for any evil is total destruction, and like the quotes at the very beginning, can be taken literally, symbolically, or even spiritually (for those who believe in past lives and Karma). Or maybe even a combination of all three.
Surprisingly, the only survivor of the wreckage is Lotte, but who again encounters evil at the very end of the film.
Reviewer: Wendy Koenigsmann.
The Church can now be found on DVD at Amazon.com: The Church
This review by Wendy Koenigsmann has been included in the Official Michele Soavi Website.
See below for a discussion of Suspiria and Inferno, among other films.
Dario Argento's Suspiria Dario Argento's Inferno
Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome
Werner Herzog's Nosferatu