Catacombs (1988)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

hyped garbage

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

"Catacombs" stands out in the catalogue of Charles Bands' Empire Pictures; it's actually pretty good, with a refreshing lack of cheese and camp. Yes, it's possible that it may bore viewers hoping for more action and a high body count, but it has a serious, somber quality and atmosphere that makes it quite effective. Filmed at Empires' Italian studios, it's earnestly acted by a sound cast, deliberately paced, hauntingly scored (by the ever reliable Pino Donaggio), and uses the classic theme of good vs. evil to good effect. Granted, the finale is somewhat underwhelming, but until then the movie works well.Directed by David Schmoeller, who co-wrote under a pseudonym, it stars "Class of 1984" villain Timothy Van Patten as Father John Durham, who lives in a monastery but isn't part of the brotherhood of monks residing there. The place is visited by a schoolteacher named Elizabeth Magrino (Laura Schaefer, "Ghost Town"), and this seems to serve as a catalyst for supernatural phenomena to occur. John, Elizabeth, and the others realize then that there is an evil presence on hand."Catacombs" is bolstered by its engaging performances; Van Patten is low key but likable, as is the lovely Schaefer. Ian Abercrombie ("Army of Darkness") and Vernon Dobtcheff ("Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade") each have a warm presence as the monks who give Elizabeth a nice welcome, while Jeremy West is very good as Brother Marinus, a humourless stiff who distrusts her presence. Feodor Chaliapin Jr. is touching as the terminally ill Brother Terrel. And viewers are certain to remember cast member Brett Porter as the creepy possessed albino.Production design (by Giovanni Natalucci) and cinematography (by Sergio Salvati) are first rate, and special effects are good but kept to a minimum.Fans of 1980s horror who love discovering the more obscure offerings may find this to be very respectable and interesting.Eight out of 10.

Before I watched this horror I watched another one coming from the same year. It's easy to see, again, that horror wasn't very popular around that era. Of course there were some highlights as Hellraiser (1987) but here again, it surely isn't a slasher or a gory piece. But there is a bit of suspense here although that you easily can see who will be possessed by the demon. There is almost no blood in it and the effects used are very cheap. What I mean is, the bodies are doing the tricks and now and then a cross or other things just fall of the wall. The acting is reasonable well and it is strange that this flick never had a proper release. Still up to now it isn't available on VHS or DVD. If you want to see it you will have to find it on rental VHS. It wasn't that bad but it's easy to see that it was a low budget. A perfect example that the latex and slime effects were over, which mostly look gory, and that a new era was on his way, the computer era or better known as CGI. But if you can find it than I would recommend it to watch it.

Catacombs (Curse IV on video) is a boring religious drama that is trying to pass itself off as a horror movie , it pretty much isn't. It involves an albino demon who is the only interesting thing this film offers , oh and Jesus murders a priest for eating a candy bar..that was dandy. This movie pretty much has the look and feel of those cheesy cheap movies that church's and evangelist produce warning people they are sinners. Only 84 minutes it feels like it's 3 hrs , and it also feels like hours are going by without any action at all. I'd avoid this one2/10

Picking this title up for a couple of quid, I had hoped for a standard lame monster flick in which those dam monks get there just deserves. Surprisingly, the characters throughout are well rounded, often humorous and quite believable. The demon that stalks the catacombs has some cool moves that unfortunately are not really exploited in the films conclusion. If you like watching these kind of bargain basement titles then Catacombs will serve you well as it is a little more intelligent and atmospheric than usual. Although not particularly scary or gory this movie offers more than enough laughs and thrills to recommend a rental. 5 outa 10