Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Michael_Elliott The Unholy (1988)** (out of 4)Father Michael (Ben Cross) is called to a hotel where a man is about to jump to his death. Instead, the man grabs the Father and throws him out the window sending his body several stories to the ground. Somehow, the Father escapes without a single injury and the detective (Ned Beatty) on the scene as well as Archbishop Moseley (Hal Holbrook) want to know how. It turns out that there's a demon stalking the streets killing sinners and now it's up to Father Michael to try and stop it.THE UNHOLY is a rather interesting failure. The film has some very interesting ideas scattered throughout it but sadly they never fully come together in a screenplay that doesn't seem to know what it wants to do in the end. Part of the film is a rather graphic horror film that offers up a lot more blood and gore than you'd expect from a movie from this period. It also tries to offer up a mystery, although this aspect is somewhat thrown away and wasted during the opening scenes. The most shocking, the film wants to be a serious religious movie.As I said, there are some good things scattered throughout the picture. What I most enjoyed was the first thirty-minutes of the movie as we're treated to some rather bloody death scenes as we're introduced to this lead character who we then follow throughout the rest of the movie. I thought the "demon stalking" was quite good the the special effects were good for the era. I was shocked to see how much blood got through considering the MPAA was pretty much slashing horror films during this era. The film also benefits from the strong performances by Cross, Holbrook and Beatty.What goes wrong? I really wasn't too impressed with the direction by Camilo Vila as there's really no tension, suspense or atmosphere. I'd also argue that the pacing was a bit too slow and this really dragged out the already long 102-minute running time. Another problem is that the screenplay just tries to do too much and none of it ever gets done in a rewarding manor. I respect that the film wanted to be a serious piece of religious drama but at the same time the gore didn't mix too well with that.Either way, THE UNHOLY is an interesting film that fans of the genre will want to check out but it's really too bad more wasn't done with it. Ken Russell was directing movies for Vestron around this time. I can only imagine what someone like him might have done with the material.

sol- Given the responsibility of his own parish, an overly rational priest gradually learns that he has been selected for the specific purpose of warding off a demon who has a history with the parish in this theologically themed horror movie. 'The Unholy' does not have the best of reputations and has slid into near obscurity over the years, written off by many as just another 'Exorcist'/'Omen' variant, but it is a far more accomplished motion picture than that. The film begins on a very strong note with a grisly parish priest murder and the scene in which protagonist Ben Cross falls out of a window is undeniably intense. The film mounts quite a few genuine shocks from rapid fire editing of bizarre images too. The central dynamic is also very decent as Cross gradually learns to believe in all the stuff the that fire and brimstone preachers say, "telling people they are going to fry in hell", and as one character puts it, it is ironic how unwilling Cross is to suspend disbelief despite damnation being such a key part of his religion. All of this initial promise is almost whittled away with a dialogue-heavy mid-section, and indeed the ratio between talk and scares seems to be a common complaint with the film. Never to mind, things come together very well in the final fifteen minutes with some genuinely creepy monster effects - and awesome special effects in general. The rapid fire editing also continues to the serve the film well as Cross eventually gets torn between seeing the demon for what it is and what it pretends to be, and the film certainly ends on a powerful note.

darnmay The Unholy (1988)Released in 1988, The Unholy is a cut above the average good v evil story. Indeed there has been other less entertaining films that have gone down the same road. Directed by Camilo Vila, not really a well known name as directors go, who doesn't do too bad a job. The experienced actors, bringing their skills to this film, no doubt help to achieve this.Ned Beatty- a well know supporting actor- who appeared in such films as Deliverance and Superman. Ben Cross- in many films and TV episodes. Hal Holbrook – a winner of 4 Emmy awards. Trevor Howard. Well remembered for his performance in Brief Encounter, had a small part in this film, which sadly, was his last. He died in January 1988The film follows the well-used format of a Priest fighting evil which manifests in his church. The church establishment, as usual, tries to hush up the whole affair. A well used format, but with this film it works a little better than some others. The priest's initial scepticism is gradually eroded as he realises that evil does exist in a tangible form. It is not just in people's thoughts, including his own, which he struggles to overcome. The final scenes, however, are not helped by the manifestation of the evil force in its true form.But we have to remember this was 1988. CGI was not the order of the day. So the film's shortcomings must be seen in that context.Thanks to the British Censor releasing the film uncut for its video/DVD release in 2001, we are able to view the film as originally made To protect us 10 seconds had been removed from the original cinema release in 1988, although their records do not indicate which 10 seconds. If you give this film an airing, which I thoroughly recommend, perhaps you will guess.Darnmay7th September 2007

epeteet I love 80's horror movies but they usually don't scare me; i mostly watch them for gore/special effects/monsters/nudity, etc. you don't find in the watered down PG-13 crap that passes for horror today. I gotta admit this movie actually creeped me out pretty good. THE UNHOLY involves an evil demon that takes the form of a major babe in order to seduce priests so it can claim the innocent for Satan or something like that. It reminded me a lot of the Italian horror movie THE CHURCH which i also enjoyed. Both take place mostly in big Catholic churches and are filled with satanic hallucinations.I won't give it away but the opening scene is simply awesome. The movie slows down in the middle but remains stylish with music that almost gives it a similar feeling to the THE LOST BOYS. It also has lots of cool blue and red lighting which makes it look very 80's. (I mean that in a good way, not that the film looks too dated or anything.) It picks back up towards the end and was actually starting to get scary until a couple of cool but funny looking demons show up. There is some sweet gore scenes, cool slimy monster effects, and even some nudity. The pace coulda been a lil faster but the awesome finale makes it well worth it. If you like this i would also recommend THE CHURCH and vise versa.