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The Church
Italian film poster
Directed by	Michele Soavi
Produced by	Dario Argento
Written by	Dario Argento Dardano Sacchetti (uncredited) Lamberto Bava (uncredited)
Starring	Hugh Quarshie Tomas Arana Asia Argento Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Music by	Keith Emerson Phillip Glass Goblin
Cinematography	Renato Tafuri
Editing by	Franco Fraticelli
Distributed by	Cecchi Gori Distribuzione (Italy) Anchor Bay Entertainment (US)
Release date(s)	1989
Running time	110 min.
Language	English/Italian
Budget	$3,500,00 est.

The Church (Italian title: La chiesa) is a 1989 Italian horror film written and produced by Dario Argento and directed by Michele Soavi. The film stars Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Barbara Cupisti, Asia Argento, Feodor Chaliapin, Jr., and Giovanni Lombardo Radice.

Plot

In Medieval Italy, the Teutonic Knights massacre a village of supposed "witches" and build the titular structure over their dead bodies. Flash forward to the present day where an assorted group of tourists are visiting the church. When the seal of the crypt is inadvertently broken, the malevolent spirits of the villagers attack the tourists. Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie) and Lotte (Asia Argento), the Sacristan's daughter, must try to combat this evil force before it is unleashed upon the outside world.

Other

The Church was originally conceived as the third film in the Dèmoni series, which Soavi, in an interview with Cinefantastique, referred to as "Pizza Schlock" that he wanted to move beyond.

External links

• The Church at the Internet Movie Database
• The Church at Allmovie