Catacombs (1988)

A demon is trapped in a monastery. 400 years later a young girl arrives at the monastery to study.

Director:

David Schmoeller

Writers:

Giovanni Dimarco, R. Barker Price

Stars:

Timothy Van Patten, Ian Abercrombie, Jeremy West

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timothy Van Patten	...	Father John Durham
Ian Abercrombie	...	Brother Orsini
Jeremy West	...	Brother Marinus
Laura Schaefer	...	Elizabeth Magrino
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Brother Timothy
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Brother Terrel
Brett Porter	...	Possessed albino
Michael Pasby	...	Jesus Christ
Mapi Galán	...	Antonia
Nicola Morelli	...	The Inquisitor
Julian Jenkins	...	Brother Martino
Ted Rusoff	...	Brother Brandt
Leslie Thomas	...	Brother Agostino
Giordano Falzoni	...	Brother Callisto
G. Ferretti	...	Brother Angelo

Storyline

A demon is trapped in a monastery. 400 years later a young girl arrives at the monastery to study.

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Plot Keywords:

monastery | sequel | one word title | monk | fourth part | 

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Taglines:

Dare you enter the labyrinth ?

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 1988 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Empire Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was completed in 1988 with the title Catacombs, but when its intended distributor went out of business, the film was not released. The film debuted on video and laser disc in 1993 with the title Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice in an attempt to capitalize on the mild success of the Curse films. This however, is illogical, as the film was made before both The Bite and Curse III: Blood Sacrifice.

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Connections

Follows The Curse (1987)

User Reviews

Monastery of the damned

Taken off the shelf and retitled "Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice", this was actually made before the second and third entries in the unrelated series. This one deals with a possessed albino who was sealed in the walls of an old monastery 400 years ago. Fast-forward to the present and a young teacher's arrival to the monastery somehow frees the demon from it's prison.

I'm a fan of the other three film in the Curse "series", and while I enjoyed this one to an extent, it's easily the weakest of the four. The film boasts an exciting opening sequence, but things get bogged down when we move to the present. Of the cast, Laura Schaefer is certainly attractive, but the only good performance here is that of Jeremy West as the strict Brother Marinus. The atmosphere is solid, Pino Donaggio contributes a typically good score and there's a really effective bit with a possessed statue towards the end. This scene alone is worth seeing the film for.

On the other hand, the film would benefit from a different actor in the hero role. The guy they chose annoyed me, and so did the bedridden priest who goes on and on about utter nonsense. His character should have been omitted entirely. I also can't believe that an obvious continuity error was allowed to remain during the scene where Schaefer walks in on the monks having dinner.

A mixed bag.