[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Unholy (1988)

A religious horror about a young Father (Priest not actual father) who begins investigating earlier deaths of Priests in the same New Orleans church believed to be caused by a demonic force.

Although a little slow moving in the middle third i really like The Unholy. It treads the same path as The Exorcist and Stigmata in it's examination of the Catholic church and their methods both good and bad, even though it, plot wise, is very different.

One thing that stands out is the film's excellent cast. Ben Cross plays the investigating Priest alongside strong character actors such as Hal Holbrook, Ned Beatty and Trevor Howard, in his final film role. The script is classy and the production values equally good as are the icky special effects, even if the final demon is a bit eighties weird which i think is pretty cool, in fact the whole film has that cool eighties aesthetic entwined as it is with scenes of bloody gore, Occult practices, a sensuous succubus and of course burning crosses.

The Unholy is everything that 976-EVIL wasn't when it comes to 80's horror.

The Vestron UK Blu-ray looks and sounds very good and is loaded with extras.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

Not a patch on the fourth installment. How could it be when it loses one of that films star performers - Ellie Cornell - in the first half an hour leaving us with Donald Pleasence's Loomis who might be more deranged than Myers. More of a run of the mill slasher with a loony finale than the haunting menace originally created by John Carpenter.

The Unholy was a surprisingly decent made film, I agree a bit slow moving towards the end, Ben Cross was a great actor to watch.