Plot: What’s it about?
While it has been condemned for over four decades, the St. Francis Boarding School for Girls remains fresh in the minds of the locals, especially the college age scene. The rumors about what happened are numerous, but the main story is that a young woman named Christine was pregnant, the nuns forced her to have an abortion because it was the priest’s child, and she turned violent, leaving a bloody wake behind her. In any event, she was locked away for a long while and later returned to society, but she has been a shut-in ever since. The convent has become the target of the college kids, who compete with each other to spraypaint their fraternity logos in certain places, though the campus police have tightened to prevent this. Even so, Clarissa, her goth friend Mo, and several other students head out to the convent and when the cops show up, Mo hides inside to avoid the wrath of the fuzz. She is soon kidnapped by Saul (David Gunn), who thinks he is the son of Lucifer, and his minions who plan to wake the demons by making her their sacrifice. But of course, things don’t go as planned and unless someone steps up fast, the demonic nuns will overtake the convent, perhaps then the world…
This movie wasn’t given much fanfare and only hit a select number of festivals, but if you’re a horror fanatic, then The Convent is a must see release. It has atmosphere, humor, memorable lines, demonic nuns, and of course, ample blood & gore elements. I am sad to report this domestic release has been trimmed, but only by a matter of just over ten seconds, so if that’s a concern for you, I don’t think it is an issue here. This is not serious horror however, so if you want real chills and such, The Convent isn’t along those lines. But it is a very wild, fun, and fast paced picture and while I’ve seen it countless times now, it never fails to entertain. A low budget sometimes stifles the special effects, but those used to barely funded horror shouldn’t be that let down and in truth, some of the work looks terrific, all things considered. Megahn Perry is great as a goth chick and steals a lot of scenes, while Adrienne Barbeau, Coolio, and David Gunn also provide numerous moments of hilarity, especially Gunn as Saul, the “son” of Lucifer. This movie is simply fantastic in terms of fun and while a few seconds have been cut, the special edition content balances that out and in the end, this is the version of The Convent to own, hands down.
As in any movie that deals with the undead or other minions of darkness, someone has to kick ass and in The Convent, that is Adrienne Barbeau. Although she has some years behind her, Barbeau is awesome as the take no prisoners Christine and once she arrives, she has most of the film’s highlights. Then again, she is given some memorable lines and put into some great situations, so some credit has to go to the material also. She deserves much of the praise too though, as she delivers it all in fine form and really nails the attitude, which is most crucial with a character like Christine. You can also see Barbeau in such films as Swamp Thing, Escape from New York, Back to School, The Cannonball Run, The Fog, and Bimbo Movie Bash. The cast also includes Renee Graham (100 Girls, Shriek), David Gunn (Vampire Journals, Real Killers), and Coolio (China Strike Force, Get Over It).
Video: How does it look?
The Convent is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. As this is a low budget horror movie, the image is less than pristine, but it looks good and much better than my import disc, to be sure. The main element here is contrast, since this is a dark movie and as such, needs well balanced black levels. The black hues look terrific here and while not always dead on, they provide ample detail and never become murky, so no worries there. The colors also look vivid and that’s important here too, as the movie features a lot of neon hues at times. The print shows some grain and slight wear signs, but looks cleaner than expected and given the low budget origins, I’d say this is a very nice presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 track won’t replace your current reference disc, but it supplies an active treatment and surpassed my expectations. The surrounds are used quite often and to great ends, as the atmosphere is enhanced more than a little. Of course, the track is more active in certain more action driven moments, but even the calmer scenes have a nice spark, which makes the experience more enjoyable. The vocals are clean and never hard to understand, thanks to high clarity levels and no volume hiccups. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Lions Gate has given this movie a very cool batch of extras, including a selection of deleted scenes. Of course, this material includes the bits snipped to garner the R rating and as you’ll see, there’s nothing substantial involved. A pair of audio commentary tracks have also been recorded, one with director Mike Mendez & several cast members and one with David Gunn & Kelly Mantle, who play Saul and Dickie-Boy in the film. The latter is hilarious and a most welcome inclusion, since these two have so many memorable moments in the film, while the director’s track is more technical, though still humorous at times. This disc also includes a brief behind the scenes featurette, as well as the film’s trailer.
