--- product_id: 4216440 title: "The Church" price: "€ 29.00" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.fi/products/4216440-the-church store_origin: FI region: Finland --- # The Church **Price:** € 29.00 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Church - **How much does it cost?** € 29.00 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fi](https://www.desertcart.fi/products/4216440-the-church) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Product Description With a financial crisis looming, the members of a local Church are faced with the very real possibility of having to put their Church up for sale. With chaos surrounding the Church's future, its members are plunged into spiritual doubt as well. It is up to the congregation to band together and through music and God's guidance, save the Church and themselves. Join a musical journey of praise, forgiveness & redemption. Review "VISUALLY STRIKING... A Stylish Chiller With A Superb Look!" --Eccentric Cinema"An Atmospheric And Enjoyable Piece Of Gothic Terror!" --DVD Times Review: The last truly good Italian horror film! - Warning: SPOILERS!!! This is one of the last truly great Italian horror films of the 1980's, known better for its dream-like visuals than its plot. After this film was made, demand for Italian-made genre films dipped to an all-time low and it never recovered (except for films made by Dario Argento [he produced and co-wrote this film, as well as contributing to its music score] and, especially, Bruno Mattei, who refused to admit defeat, churning-out sleazy genre films until his death in 2007, bless his heart!). Even though this film makes very little sense, I'll try to explain it: During the Medieval Ages, a military religious order called the Teutonic Knights invade a village and kill everyone in it, all because one young girl was accused of being a witch (she has a wound on the sole of her foot shaped like an upside-down cross). All the villagers are buried in a mass grave; a huge stone cross is put on top of the mass grave to ensure their demon souls will never rise in the land of the living. To make especially sure this will never happen, a church is to be built on top of the grave. Cut to the present day, where Evan (Tomas Arana; BODY PUZZLE - 1992) is starting his first day as a librarian at a church (guess which one). His job is to catalog all the ancient manuscripts and books in the church's library. He meets Lisa (Barbara Cupisti; THE NEW YORK RIPPER - 1982), who is restoring the church's many grotesque frescoes. Evan also meets teenager Lotte (Asia Argento; MOTHER OF TEARS - 2007), who looks exactly like a young girl that was killed by one of the Knights in the film's opening minutes. But what does that mean? While doing some restoration in the church basement, Lisa discovers an ancient parchment that was hidden in a hole in the wall. She brings the parchment to Evan, who tells her that this is a "once in a lifetime" find and to tell no one that it exists. Evan is not able to decipher the parchment, but he recognizes a symbol on it that represents the Teutonic Knights (Evan tells Lisa that Hitler created the SS based on the Knights' practices). Lisa and Evan start a romantic relationship, which they must keep secret from the Bishop (Feodor Chaliapin; INFERNO - 1980) and the Reverend (Giovanni Lombardo Radice; CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD - 1980), otherwise they will be fired from their jobs. Evan is determined to translate the parchment (He also wonders why this church doesn't have a king or bishop buried within its walls, like all the other big Catholic churches. The only people buried there are the church's builders.), when he discovers that the parchment was written in a long-forgotten language that has been mirrored, so he uses a mirror to translate it. It tells him that he must find the "stone with the seven eyes". But why? Evan begins searching through the church's library for a mention of the stone and it is at this time when nearly everyone in the church, including Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie; NIGHTBREED - 1990), begin seeing and hearing things (like the sound of horses running down the pews) that can't possibly be there. Evan finds the stone on the giant crucifix that guards the mass grave and he removes it. Big Mistake. A hole opens up in the shape of a giant cross, a hole which may travel down to the abyss of Hell. Adam pulls a shroud out of the hole which contains the remains of a Knight who fell in the mass grave and it suddenly comes to life, its decomposing hand squeezing Evan's neck, when it suddenly stops. It is obvious Evan is now possessed by some demon entity (he rips open his chest and pulls out his own heart, yet he doesn't die!). He then kills Lotte's father, Hermann, the Sacristan (Roberto Corbiletto; a Sacristan is a person in charge of the church's sacred vessels, vestments, etc.), who has come to the church basement looking for Lotte (earlier in the film, he calls Lotte a slut and accuses her of drinking). It is at this time that the film loses its linear narrative, as it turns into sequences of WTF?!? horror. Lisa sees a goatman monster (an image usually associated with the Devil) in her bedroom window (which then shatters) and calls the police. When they arrive, all they see is a scared woman. Lotte witnesses a possessed Evan trying to rape Lisa and she acts like nothing is wrong (as a matter of fact, she paints her nails in front of Evan!). Evan goes all SHINING-like by typing the number "6" over and over on his typewriter and then tries to kill Lotte, but she escapes and runs into her father, who is now possessed. He washes her mouth out with soap (!) for daring to speak ill of Evan. After trying to kill Father Gus in a confessional, Hermann commits suicide in the church basement by impaling himself with a jackhammer (!), his flowing blood triggering an ancient booby-trap that puts the entire church in lockdown, trapping everyone inside. This includes a bridal model (Antonella Vitale) on a professional photo shoot; a biker named Freddie (Roberto Caruso) and his girlfriend Mira (Olivia Cupisti); a school full of young children on a tour of the church; and an old couple, Heinrich (John Karlsen) and his wife (Katherine Bell Marjorie). It's not long before some of the trapped inhabitants become demons (This film was originally going to be titled DEMONS 3, a second sequel to Lamberto Bava's DEMONS [1985], but the director did not want this film to be associated with that film because his film was not "pizza schlock"!). The bridal model is bloodily impaled by the spikes of an iron gate wielded by a reanimated Hermann. Freddie sees a naked Mira in the grip of a religious statue of a winged angel come to life (an image taken from a famous Boris Vallejo painting, but this image has been used in many religious horror films, including CURSE IV: THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE [a.k.a. CATACOMBS - 1988], also featuring Feodor Chaliapin). The Bishop is aware of what is going on, telling Father Gus that this wasn't the first time this has happened, but when Father Gus is not satisfied with his explanation, especially when the Bishop says, "I am the church!", they get into a scuffle, which results in the Bishop falling to his death, impaled on a sharp grave marker. Mira falls through a hole in the church floor, hanging on to Freddie's grip, but she has her face and brains splattered against the window of a traveling subway car! Much more weird stuff happens, including Lisa tearing the skin off her face when she sees herself as an old hag in a mirror. There is also an appearance of a gooey lizard/demon/gargoyle creature., but you'll be saying the same thing as Father Gus, when he yells out, "I don't understand!", but I guarantee you'll never be bored. Directed by Michele Soavi of STAGEFRIGHT (1987) and CEMETERY MAN (1994; one of the few Italian horror films to obtain a U.S. theatrical release in the '90s) fame, with a script by Soavi, Dario Argento (FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET - 1971; DRACULA 3D - 2012), Franco Ferrini ([TERROR AT THE] OPERA - 1987) & five other uncredited writers, this film may not make much sense but, man, is it beautiful to look at! It is very bloody in spots (including a beheading and various impalements) and eerily atmospheric, but I love it because it is a feast for the eyes. Originally released uncut and Unrated on fullscreen VHS by Southgate Entertainment in 1991, with a widescreen, uncut DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2002 and again by Blue Underground in 2007. But the Blu-Ray, from Scorpion Releasing (released early in 2018), is the preferred way of viewing this film. The print is flawless and the colors pop, making it look better than it ever has before. It's also a hoot to see Asia Argento at such a young age (she was 15 when this film was made, but she looks much younger). The extras on the Blu-Ray include new 2017 interviews with Michele Soavi and Asia Argento, both informative. We discover that Soavi painted the church's grotesque frescoes and he tried to copy the style of Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch (he succeeded) and that it was filmed at a real church in Budapest (Soavi tried to film it at a church in Nuremberg, Germany, but the town didn't want a horror film to be made there. There are still some scenes in the film that were shot there). Soavi also explains that the late Keith Emerson did the music soundtrack, but, even though his music was beautiful, it didn't fit within in the confines or the "feel" of the film, so the soundtrack was composed and recorded by The Goblins, who also did the music for Dario Argento's DEEP RED (1975), SUSPIRIA (1977) and many other Italian genre films. Asia Argento remembers that the church had to be deconsecrated every morning so they could film the "most heinous things". She also says that when she was a kid, she was not easily shocked. With a father like Dario, I can understand why. She also remembers that Antonella Vitale, the Bridal Model, was her father's girlfriend at the time. Asia looks at her horror film career with reverence and humor, which is refreshing. If you want to see one of the last truly great Italian horror films, search out this Blu-Ray, which can be found on desertcart. Also starring Alina De Simone, Claire Hardwick, Lars Jorgenson, John Richardson and a blink and you'll miss it cameo by Michele Soavi as a cop. Not Rated. Review: A very scary movie. - One of the best Horror movies from Europe. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B000TZJCMS | | Actors | Asia Argento, Barbara Cupisti, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana | | Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | | Best Sellers Rank | #116,189 in Movies & TV ( See Top 100 in Movies & TV ) #4,432 in Horror (Movies & TV) #17,975 in Drama DVDs | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (439) | | Director | Michele Soavi | | Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No | | Item model number | 827058107594 | | MPAA rating | NR (Not Rated) | | Media Format | Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen | | Number of discs | 1 | | Product Dimensions | 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces | | Release date | July 1, 2016 | | Run time | 1 hour and 42 minutes | | Studio | Blue Underground | ## Product Details - **Contributor:** Asia Argento, Barbara Cupisti, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., Hugh Quarshie, Michele Soavi, Tomas Arana - **Format:** Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen - **Genre:** Drama - **Language:** English - **Runtime:** 1 hour and 42 minutes ## Images ![The Church - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91IGUnVmskL.jpg) ![The Church - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61MwkQdS0XL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The last truly good Italian horror film! *by F***N on April 21, 2018* Warning: SPOILERS!!! This is one of the last truly great Italian horror films of the 1980's, known better for its dream-like visuals than its plot. After this film was made, demand for Italian-made genre films dipped to an all-time low and it never recovered (except for films made by Dario Argento [he produced and co-wrote this film, as well as contributing to its music score] and, especially, Bruno Mattei, who refused to admit defeat, churning-out sleazy genre films until his death in 2007, bless his heart!). Even though this film makes very little sense, I'll try to explain it: During the Medieval Ages, a military religious order called the Teutonic Knights invade a village and kill everyone in it, all because one young girl was accused of being a witch (she has a wound on the sole of her foot shaped like an upside-down cross). All the villagers are buried in a mass grave; a huge stone cross is put on top of the mass grave to ensure their demon souls will never rise in the land of the living. To make especially sure this will never happen, a church is to be built on top of the grave. Cut to the present day, where Evan (Tomas Arana; BODY PUZZLE - 1992) is starting his first day as a librarian at a church (guess which one). His job is to catalog all the ancient manuscripts and books in the church's library. He meets Lisa (Barbara Cupisti; THE NEW YORK RIPPER - 1982), who is restoring the church's many grotesque frescoes. Evan also meets teenager Lotte (Asia Argento; MOTHER OF TEARS - 2007), who looks exactly like a young girl that was killed by one of the Knights in the film's opening minutes. But what does that mean? While doing some restoration in the church basement, Lisa discovers an ancient parchment that was hidden in a hole in the wall. She brings the parchment to Evan, who tells her that this is a "once in a lifetime" find and to tell no one that it exists. Evan is not able to decipher the parchment, but he recognizes a symbol on it that represents the Teutonic Knights (Evan tells Lisa that Hitler created the SS based on the Knights' practices). Lisa and Evan start a romantic relationship, which they must keep secret from the Bishop (Feodor Chaliapin; INFERNO - 1980) and the Reverend (Giovanni Lombardo Radice; CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD - 1980), otherwise they will be fired from their jobs. Evan is determined to translate the parchment (He also wonders why this church doesn't have a king or bishop buried within its walls, like all the other big Catholic churches. The only people buried there are the church's builders.), when he discovers that the parchment was written in a long-forgotten language that has been mirrored, so he uses a mirror to translate it. It tells him that he must find the "stone with the seven eyes". But why? Evan begins searching through the church's library for a mention of the stone and it is at this time when nearly everyone in the church, including Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie; NIGHTBREED - 1990), begin seeing and hearing things (like the sound of horses running down the pews) that can't possibly be there. Evan finds the stone on the giant crucifix that guards the mass grave and he removes it. Big Mistake. A hole opens up in the shape of a giant cross, a hole which may travel down to the abyss of Hell. Adam pulls a shroud out of the hole which contains the remains of a Knight who fell in the mass grave and it suddenly comes to life, its decomposing hand squeezing Evan's neck, when it suddenly stops. It is obvious Evan is now possessed by some demon entity (he rips open his chest and pulls out his own heart, yet he doesn't die!). He then kills Lotte's father, Hermann, the Sacristan (Roberto Corbiletto; a Sacristan is a person in charge of the church's sacred vessels, vestments, etc.), who has come to the church basement looking for Lotte (earlier in the film, he calls Lotte a slut and accuses her of drinking). It is at this time that the film loses its linear narrative, as it turns into sequences of WTF?!? horror. Lisa sees a goatman monster (an image usually associated with the Devil) in her bedroom window (which then shatters) and calls the police. When they arrive, all they see is a scared woman. Lotte witnesses a possessed Evan trying to rape Lisa and she acts like nothing is wrong (as a matter of fact, she paints her nails in front of Evan!). Evan goes all SHINING-like by typing the number "6" over and over on his typewriter and then tries to kill Lotte, but she escapes and runs into her father, who is now possessed. He washes her mouth out with soap (!) for daring to speak ill of Evan. After trying to kill Father Gus in a confessional, Hermann commits suicide in the church basement by impaling himself with a jackhammer (!), his flowing blood triggering an ancient booby-trap that puts the entire church in lockdown, trapping everyone inside. This includes a bridal model (Antonella Vitale) on a professional photo shoot; a biker named Freddie (Roberto Caruso) and his girlfriend Mira (Olivia Cupisti); a school full of young children on a tour of the church; and an old couple, Heinrich (John Karlsen) and his wife (Katherine Bell Marjorie). It's not long before some of the trapped inhabitants become demons (This film was originally going to be titled DEMONS 3, a second sequel to Lamberto Bava's DEMONS [1985], but the director did not want this film to be associated with that film because his film was not "pizza schlock"!). The bridal model is bloodily impaled by the spikes of an iron gate wielded by a reanimated Hermann. Freddie sees a naked Mira in the grip of a religious statue of a winged angel come to life (an image taken from a famous Boris Vallejo painting, but this image has been used in many religious horror films, including CURSE IV: THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE [a.k.a. CATACOMBS - 1988], also featuring Feodor Chaliapin). The Bishop is aware of what is going on, telling Father Gus that this wasn't the first time this has happened, but when Father Gus is not satisfied with his explanation, especially when the Bishop says, "I am the church!", they get into a scuffle, which results in the Bishop falling to his death, impaled on a sharp grave marker. Mira falls through a hole in the church floor, hanging on to Freddie's grip, but she has her face and brains splattered against the window of a traveling subway car! Much more weird stuff happens, including Lisa tearing the skin off her face when she sees herself as an old hag in a mirror. There is also an appearance of a gooey lizard/demon/gargoyle creature., but you'll be saying the same thing as Father Gus, when he yells out, "I don't understand!", but I guarantee you'll never be bored. Directed by Michele Soavi of STAGEFRIGHT (1987) and CEMETERY MAN (1994; one of the few Italian horror films to obtain a U.S. theatrical release in the '90s) fame, with a script by Soavi, Dario Argento (FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET - 1971; DRACULA 3D - 2012), Franco Ferrini ([TERROR AT THE] OPERA - 1987) & five other uncredited writers, this film may not make much sense but, man, is it beautiful to look at! It is very bloody in spots (including a beheading and various impalements) and eerily atmospheric, but I love it because it is a feast for the eyes. Originally released uncut and Unrated on fullscreen VHS by Southgate Entertainment in 1991, with a widescreen, uncut DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2002 and again by Blue Underground in 2007. But the Blu-Ray, from Scorpion Releasing (released early in 2018), is the preferred way of viewing this film. The print is flawless and the colors pop, making it look better than it ever has before. It's also a hoot to see Asia Argento at such a young age (she was 15 when this film was made, but she looks much younger). The extras on the Blu-Ray include new 2017 interviews with Michele Soavi and Asia Argento, both informative. We discover that Soavi painted the church's grotesque frescoes and he tried to copy the style of Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch (he succeeded) and that it was filmed at a real church in Budapest (Soavi tried to film it at a church in Nuremberg, Germany, but the town didn't want a horror film to be made there. There are still some scenes in the film that were shot there). Soavi also explains that the late Keith Emerson did the music soundtrack, but, even though his music was beautiful, it didn't fit within in the confines or the "feel" of the film, so the soundtrack was composed and recorded by The Goblins, who also did the music for Dario Argento's DEEP RED (1975), SUSPIRIA (1977) and many other Italian genre films. Asia Argento remembers that the church had to be deconsecrated every morning so they could film the "most heinous things". She also says that when she was a kid, she was not easily shocked. With a father like Dario, I can understand why. She also remembers that Antonella Vitale, the Bridal Model, was her father's girlfriend at the time. Asia looks at her horror film career with reverence and humor, which is refreshing. If you want to see one of the last truly great Italian horror films, search out this Blu-Ray, which can be found on Amazon. Also starring Alina De Simone, Claire Hardwick, Lars Jorgenson, John Richardson and a blink and you'll miss it cameo by Michele Soavi as a cop. Not Rated. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A very scary movie. *by B***Y on October 2, 2025* One of the best Horror movies from Europe. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Making Church Fun *by T***S on April 5, 2002* Being a fan of Argento's works, I will say upfront that my views are slightly skewed in his favor. Still, this work, teaming Argento with Michele Soavi, is something of a favorite of mine. As viewers, we find ourselves introduced to a church that was, in times past, erected to contain the pesky menace of its vengeful, longtime occupants. To illustrate this, we get a lovely sequence showing the seeming slaughter and subsequent burial of all an entire village. It looks like brutality at its finest at first, but then, as hands grasp at those who try to trap the damned here, the crusaders seem to have found more than they can handle. So, how do you handle this? Why, seal it up and build a church on it, of course! Fastforwarding to the future, the church and its guarded secret is threatened and, of course, unleashed upon those unlucky enough to be trapped inside. Of course, this leads to an ending most befitting. This film brims with an eerie atmosphere that, most deservedly, helped gain Soavi a reputation as an excellent filmmaker, plus it has some nice Darioesque qualities as well. Asia Argento is here, just begging to become victimized by yet another manifestation of evil, and Goblin gives us another work of art. Combining these qualities with the fact that even the subway, a normally defunct "roadblock" at best, finds itself an unlikely killing machine, I'd have to recommend it as something to use to tuck the children in. Strengthening the family ties with the fear of demonic possession, that's the trait of a loving parent. Buy it today! ## Frequently Bought Together - The Church - The Sect --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.fi/products/4216440-the-church](https://www.desertcart.fi/products/4216440-the-church) --- *Product available on Desertcart Finland* *Store origin: FI* *Last updated: 2026-05-04*