The first time I had ever heard of it was back in a lackluster issue of FANGORIA last year. The issue had yet another crappy section for Buffy the Vampire Slayer..as well as an article on the shitty Crow: Salvation. The only 2 saving graces for the issue were it's articles on American Psycho and this new flick The Convent directed Mike Mendez. In the article, the pictures of the demonic nuns as well as a biker-clad Adrienne Barbeau made it a must-see. Since then, the movie has been shown at some Festivals and has been released in other countries. But unfortunately us U.S. fans have had yet to see it released here in the U.S. and when it DOES get released here it will almost definitely be direct-to-video as most U.S. distributers will be too chicken shit to release it in theaters. Thinking i was going to have to wait a long time to see it, fortunately the situation came where i was able to purchase a copy from overseas so I gladly slapped down the money and a week later i recieved this film. Is it worth all the hype and anticipation that the horror community and Fangoria magazine has given it? Well honestly.....YES! We finally have a film that brings us back to the glorious horror days of the 80's. It's tagline describes the tone of the movie perfectly..."Nuns, Guns, and Gasoline!". Now it's a great movie...but don't expect a classic scary movie such as Blair Witch or Exorcist and movies like those. This is purely a movie for gore and camp fans who simply want to have fun while watching a movie and yelling at the screen.
The movie is directed by Mike Mendez and the plot is pretty much Night of the Demons. It begins 40 years ago when a young girl walks into the Convent and blows away all the priests and nuns and sets fire to them all. Flash forward to present day when a group of sorority friends (the prep, jock, "pimp", cheerleader, horny boyfriend, nerd) along with a curious Goth girl go to the supposedly haunted Convent to paint their sorority letters on the belltower before the other sororities get there. Well of course they end up awakening the demonic forces in the Convent and they are turned one by one into demons. To help them escape, on their side they have the girl who originally killed all the nuns (played by Adrienne Barbeau).
The direction is great and fresh by Mendez who uses Blacklights in a unique way to show the appearance of the demons throughout the movies. The scenes in which people are transforming into demons, he uses the same "fast shaking" technique as seen in movie like HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL or JACOB'S LADDER. I believe Mendez has a bright future ahead in the horror genre.
Whenever this fun film is finally released, I urge all horror fans to see it....especially with a big group of people which is the ideal way to watch this movie...i GUARANTEE a fun time.
****1/2 outta ***** |
