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The Unholy

1988, Movie, R, 100 mins

The Unholy: Review

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A poor excuse for a horror film, THE UNHOLY again pits a Catholic priest against the forces of darkness, this time in a poor New Orleans parish. It seems that several years ago two priests were murdered while praying before the altar on Easter weekend. Although the crime was kept quiet by the church, an archbishop (Hal Holbrook) and a old blind priest (Trevor Howard) are convinced that young Father Michael (Ben Cross) is the one to fight whatever demons lurk in the killer parish. He follows the clues to a local nightclub that specializes in titillating simulations of Satanic rituals. Based on an old treatment by veteran screenwriter Phillip Yordan (JOHNNY GUITAR; KING OF KINGS; DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS), THE UNHOLY is a dreadfully boring effort that wastes the considerable talents of its better-than-average (for a horror movie) cast. Cuban-born director Camilo Vila makes his Hollywood debut here, and it is less than impressive. Lots of fog, blue and red gels, and shadowy lighting pass for "mood" here. When that doesn't work, some jolting, bloody gore effects--a priest with his throat ripped out, an actor vomiting about 30 gallons of blood, a disemboweled man hanging upside down from a crucifix--are thrown in to wake up viewers. And yes, this film contains far more blasphemous imagery than Martin Scorsese's THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, but zealous Christians didn't even notice, which is why it didn't make any money. leave a comment
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Moral Orel, Vol. 1, The Unholy Edition
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Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set, Vol. 2 (Terror Street / Wings of Danger / The Glass Tomb / Paid to Kill / The Black Glove / The Deadly Game / The...
Buy Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set, Vol. 2 (Terror Street / Wings of Danger / The Glass Tomb / Paid to Kill / The Black Glove / The Deadly Game / The... from Amazon.com
From Vci Video (DVD)
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