master of italian horror dario argento be call a lot of bad thing by non fan . and be deserve of absolutely none of the backlash . in fact and every time i hear something bad about argento i think theyre really talk about michele soavi . he just doesn not get the same amount of attention because his film be never as successful in theater . in fact and his best film 1994 cemetery man be probably his least successful . or just do not get the attention he felt it deserve and because after that and he leave film and go into direct television . he never go back . so people really do not know how inferior his other film be because by the time they have see them and theyre already fan of the italian horror aesthetic . which mean you have to accept the fact that they make almost zero sense and be usually very unattractive film . this be where the church stand out from the pack . because visually and it so cheap and ancient look and you can smell the dust . but it have it charm too and though they be few . the camera work be truly arresting and the music score be hugely elaborate and grand . since argento be the reason people have see soavi work all and i do not know anyone who catch the church before argento suspiria and deep red . soavi be a bit of a hack . sort of like an italian mick garris the utmost example of a director prefer style over substance . the flaw of the church be constant and plenty . the film open with a somewhat interesting prologue show knight on white horse charge through a peasant village akin to those you see in any robin hood adaptation and in some long ago century . these scene be intense enough and energetic and and get quickly to the point . then and we cut to the present and where the film style take over . yeah and the movie be okay to look at . and for about 35 or so minute in the present and 1980 wherever italy and the movie be just interesting enough to get u to the slowly revealing horror element . so now we know the purpose of the film be the build up of it horror . and it a decent build up and for the most part . but a the movie approach the halfway point and we realize the movie driving by and and . nothing be happen . the plot be very simple . i think . two people work in a church and one a a cataloger of book and the other a a restorer of the building wall artwork and discover a scroll or scripture that the man think will lead them to some kind of buried treasure or priceless artifact that he can sell and get rich off of . so he follow his amap only to uncover a force underneath the church that have him hallucinate and while he slowly become a demon who will make everyone else hallucinate . so while he be do his demon work and someone he pass the force onto kill himself in a manner that trap everyone in the church while the demon contagen spread onto everyone and leave a black preacher and the little girl who sneak out of the church every night to go club a the only 2 people who can stop the plague from spread beyond the church wall . that probably sound action pack and soavi style be far more lethargic than argento . but never before have i see an attempted surrealist film this agonizingly boring . i kid you not . absolutely nothing happen in the entire film . i have see expressionistic ( or impressionistic and i be no film school super grad ) film before and but most of them actually show thing happen ( john carpenter halloween for one ) . it follow pretty closely in the footstep of lamberto bava demon film ( since argento co produce ) . be show to a location where a bunch of people gather and one turn into a demon and all the others be isolate and that person infect everyone except a couple survivor and then the demon either get out infect the world and or the survivor get out when the demon die . this film put all those same element in place . except and unlike argento work and nothing happens . okay and a few thing do happen . but only one bizarre sequence have the panache of lamberto much more fun demon film . a random woman neck be impale by a demon use a section of fence he rip out of the floor . what bizarre about that and you wonder . it happen in front of about two dozen people . what do they do . nothing . she die and her head trickle blood in closeup . but all those people do not even notice and though it happen in plain view and no less than 8 foot away from them . maybe 4 people notice the demon run up to stab anyone he can a he run toward her and so they duck out of the way . she kill and in the shot after she die and everyone be just sit around and be quiet while a boy play a saxophone . i kid you not . that what happen . that more than logically incoherent it plain stupid . the scene be suggest that the woman just sort of disappears and no one saw her death . they all just up and forget about it . and this 15 second thing be absolutely the only event that take place in the movie . i be not say it the only violence and gore and or murder we see . it not . it just the only thing we can tell be happen . for example and in one scene a beautiful woman see herself in a mirror look old and ugly . she start claw the skin on her face off and but when she reappear minute later no scratch . people be devour by fish and their face be squash by subway car . but later they turn up as totally unharmed member of a possessed cult and in a scene that commit the ultimate horror heresy copy a famous scene from roman polanski 1968 masterpiece and rosemary baby and the great horror film ever make and shot for shot . even if argento do that and i would be furious .