"The Unholy" isn't bad at all as far as religion themed horror goes. It goes too far into cheesy monster mayhem for its final act, which hurts the overall impact because up to then it's quite a serious and interesting enough look into the whole idea of temptation and the ability to withstand it. Co-written by veteran Philip Yordan and the films' production designer, Fernando Fonseca, it tells the story of a young priest, Father Michael (Ben Cross), who miraculously survives a 17 story fall. After this, he's assigned by an Archbishop (Hal Holbrook) to take over a church that has been shut down for three years due to the death of the former priest. It's up to Father Michael to vanquish the evil that returns to this location in order to collect pure souls, specifically priests and virgins. The film is set in New Orleans and, truthfully, it would have been nice to get a little more of that unique Old World flavour inherent in the city. As it is, the film mostly takes place in interiors. Still, director Camilo Vila maintains a very somber mood and works with cinematographer Henry Vargas to create some decent lighting schemes. The story has just enough twists to keep it intriguing, complete with a red herring. It benefits from the sturdy performances of its well chosen cast, with the engaging Cross as a man of principle and good intent. Holbrook is excellent, of course, and the late Trevor Howard is a joy as Father Silva, speaking his lines in an amusing sing song style. Jill Carroll is endearing as Millie, the young girl who becomes attached to Michael. Ned Beatty is likable as the police detective on the case, although his character is never properly paid off. William Russ has the most flamboyant role in the film as the club owner who dabbles in occult related imagery and rituals for the sake of a good show. But it's Nicole Fortier whom the audience is likely to remember the most: the ravishing redhead is temptation personified as the human incarnation of the demon. Bob Keen handles the special effects work, and does a good job, but the truth is the film would have been better served without resorting to traditional horror trappings that are unfortunately more goofy than anything else. Still, it's always nice to see a genre film espouse the power of faith, and the timeless idea of good vs. evil ensures a reasonable amount of involvement. Overall, a decently entertaining film. Seven out of 10.
Review of The Unholy
