TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Red-Barracuda A woman is chosen to bear the son of Satan by a cult headed by a mysterious old traveller.I find it pretty unfortunate to say the least that Michele Soavi last made a horror film way back in 1994. Unlike most of his Italian peers he seems to have bowed out on a high. With this film along with Stagefright, The Church and Cemetery Man, Soavi has a pretty impressive body of work. He was the premier Italian horror director from the period 1987-94. I can't say definitively why he never returned to the genre but needless to say he is a great loss.Similar to his earlier movie The Church, The Sect was also produced and co-written by Dario Argento. Soavi was something of a protégé of the great man. This one shows the influence pretty clearly once again. It has stylish direction and inventive cinematography. It also benefits from a good score from Pino Donaggio. So its overall look and feel is pretty good, while it has some well-conceived locations such as the tree and the well. Soavi really comes into his element with the dream sequence and cult ceremony scenes. The dream sequence in particular is a bravura display of cinematic technique. It's surreal, weird and very memorable. It's the highlight of the movie for sure.It has a decent enough cast that includes Herbert Lom as the mysterious old traveller, cult favourite Giovanni Lombardo Radice as the man who is chased in the underground with the human heart, while Jamie Lee-Curtis's sister Kelly leads the picture in the role of the teacher. It's by no means a faultless film; in fact it's probably the least good of Soavi's quartet of movies. It's probably a bit over long while its ending did seem very rushed and a bit unsatisfying. Nevertheless, it remains one of the very last good Italian horror films and like all Soavi films, is well worth catching.

deckardinlove Well this is not and usual terror film like other Hollywood movies. M. Soavi, director of another excellent movies like Dellamorte Dellamore or La Chiesa, takes you to a strange world where the evil surrounds Miriam, a lonely girl who is the victim of a sect, she is the person who must brings the devil to the earth. Visually, the film is incredible, genial camera angles, excellent colours and sounds management that makes you enter the story. There is also a reference to La Chiesa, the hole at Miriam's house, is the door to the evil, like the hole at the church of La Chiesa. Strongly recommended in order to see a different terror from Hollywood

Infofreak 'The Sect' is a profoundly strange Satanic thriller. Directed by Dario Argento protege Michele Soavi (best known for the zombie movie 'Dellamorte Dellamore'), and co-scripted/co-produced by Argento himself, this shares the surreal, dreamlike feel of 'Suspiria' or 'Inferno', but without their distinctive stylish atmosphere. At times it appears to make no sense at all, especially the bizarre sequences using insects and animals, but it always holds your interest, and is certainly original and worth watching.Kelly Curtis plays the sexy but nice schoolteacher who finds herself the centre of an evil cult who have big plans for her. Horror veteran Herbert Lom ('Mark Of The Devil', 'Asylum', etc.) is a mysterious old man who she befriends after nearly accidentally running him over. Can he be trusted? Can Miriam's pet white rabbit be trusted? And what exactly do subterranean wells, a Manson-like hippie killer, evil storks, Lewis Carrollesque dream sequences, and sticking extinct earwigs up people's noses have to do with it all? I'll leave you to work it all out.A very freaky but entertaining movie that will probably become a future cult classic. Highly recommended.

Scott-42 Much, much, better than The Church or Aquarius, Soavi is obviously finding his way as a director. A bit too over long and not everything makes sense - what's up with that rabbit?, but the film keeps your attention for much of it's length even though you aren't really sure what is going on. Most everything is explained in the end, and it was a nice surprise to see Herbert Lom outside of the Pink Panther films again.Overall, a more worthwhile choice for those that liked Cemetery Man than either of Soavi's previous films.