Stigmata (1999)

Director:

Rupert Wainwright

Writers (WGA):

Tom Lazarus (story)
Tom Lazarus (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Mystery | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The messenger must be silenced.

Plot:

A priest from the Vatican is sent in to investigate claims that a small town in Brazil has a church where statues bleed from the eyes...

Plot Keywords:

Christian Horror | Female Nudity | Demonic Possession | Hallucination | Investigation

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Patricia Arquette	...	Frankie Paige
Gabriel Byrne	...	Father Andrew Kiernan
Jonathan Pryce	...	Cardinal Daniel Houseman
Nia Long	...	Donna Chadway
Thomas Kopache	...	Father Durning
Rade Serbedzija	...	Marion Petrocelli (as Rade Sherbedgia)
Enrico Colantoni	...	Father Dario
Dick Latessa	...	Father Gianni Delmonico
Portia de Rossi	...	Jennifer Kelliho
Patrick Muldoon	...	Steven
Ann Cusack	...	Dr. Reston
Shaun Toub	...	Doctor
Tom Hodges	...	ER Nurse
Lydia Hazan	...	Attending Nurse
Shaun Duke	...	Dr. Eckworth (as Duke Moosekian)

Also Known As:

Toby's Story (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for intense violent sequences, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | English | Portuguese | Italian | Aramaic

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | South Africa:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Eastern Columbia Building - 849 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

FGM Entertainment

Trivia:

When Father Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne) comes in the Vatican office to get is new assignment, we can hear a bit of Italian speaking in the back between Cardinal Daniel Houseman (Jonathan Pryce) and another priest. Translation: "Rest assured, none of this will never leave this room."

Goofs:

Continuity: The style in which Frankie's hair is pulled back changes between the scene where she runs into the street to save the fallen baby and the scene on the subway, though they are meant to be the same day.

Quotes:

Dr. Reston: And are there any problems with a significant other?
Frankie: Yes...
Dr. Reston: Which is?
Frankie: I'm not very significant.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Mary Mary (Stigmatic Mix)

Captivitating religious horror

Frankie Paige (Patricia Arquette) is a hip 20-something New Yorker who faces a nasty wake-up call when she gets randomly attacked by an unseen force, puncturing her wrists. While the hospital calls it a suicide attempt, the Vatican thinks she may be showing signs of stigmata and sends a priest (Gabriel Byrne) to investigate.

This is one of the more clever "religious horror" films that I've seen. Using a young atheist girl as the recipient of stigmata is an original and intriguing concept. The various violent scenes where the fabulously stylish Arquette is attacked are gory and horrific, but so gorgeously shot that you cannot take your eyes away. Unfortunately, there are too many boring scenes of babbling priests. There was a bit of controversy when this was released because it hypothesizes about some very horrific skeletons in the closet of the Catholic church. The DVD features the Director's alternate ending that is decidedly less Hollywoodized than the theatrical release, but leaves the story in a confused, contradictory space. Recommended for fans of religious and stylish horror. My Rating: 7/10