The Rosary Murders (1987)

A priest is put in a dilemma when the serial killer who has been murdering priests and nuns confesses to him.

Director:

Fred Walton

Writers:

William X. Kienzle (novel), Elmore Leonard,

Stars:

Roger Angelini, Anita Barone, Charles Durning

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roger Angelini	...	Brainard
Anita Barone	...	Irene Jimenez
B. Constance Barry	...	Sister Grace
Belinda Bauer	...	Pat Lennon
Doris Biscoe	...	Woman Newscaster
Sandy Broad	...	Librarian
Keith Brooks	...	Altar Boy
Bethany Carpenter	...	Nancy Baldwin
Joseph Conrad	...	Schommer
Richard Cottrell	...	Officer Mills
John Danelle	...	Detective Harris
Leila Danette	...	Mrs. Washington
Charles Durning	...	Father Ted Nabors
Bruce Economou	...	Priest at Party
Rex Everhart	...	Father Skiarski

Storyline

Life in the Catholic Church of the Holy Redeemer in Detroit is upset by a series of killings whose victims are all priests and nuns. All victims are found with a black rosary in their hands. Father Koesler begins collaborating with the police but soon finds himself in a spot when the killer decides to choose him as confessor.

---

Plot Keywords:

priest | nun | catholic | murdered nun | murder investigation | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 1989 (France)

Also Known As:

Confession criminelle

Filming Locations:

Dearborn, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$1,730,337 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Take, Rosary Take One, Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Not only are Catholic priests bound by the seal of confession not to reveal who or what people confess, but the seal also forbids them to USE any information heard in the confessional. Thus, in real life Fr. Koesler would have been unable to even investigate the murders on his own.

---

Connections

References Psycho (1960)

---

Soundtracks

"MISERERE MEI"
Composed by Antonio Lottia
Performed by The Rochester Catholic Chorale
Conducted by Daniel H. Olsen

User Reviews

better than expected

Donald Sutherland is a Detroit priest who hears the confession of a serial killer with a grudge against the clergy, and is later forced by the ethics of his vocation to (reluctantly) hunt down the murderer himself, unearthing a spine-chilling string of motivation behind each new death. It could have been just another routine shocker, but a clever script and some unusually taciturn direction turns the otherwise familiar material into a modest but intriguing whodunit (actually more a 'whydunit') set against the rituals and mysteries of the Catholic Church, always a reliable source of guilt and intrigue. The steady accumulation of clues and evidence is interrupted only by an unsurprising (and unnecessary) romantic subplot, which happily compromises neither the mystery itself nor Sutherland's oath of celibacy.