Catacombs (1988)

The creepy catacombs are a treat for the eye, and so is Laura Schaefer, and I'm definitely saving my DVR recording of this movie. But if you like logic in your films, you're in the wrong catacomb. Brother Marinus warns the other monks about the demon running loose, and the brothers think he's crazy. If they believe in God, why don't they believe in demons? And when a monk doing research in the catacombs dies, no one seems to notice he's missing (unless that was edited out of the TV version). And why isn't Elizabeth more alarmed when her nose suddenly starts bleeding and sand (?) starts pouring down from the ceiling? And if this demon is so powerful that he can kill at a distance by waving his arms, why doesn't he stop Father John when he grabs that shiny mirror thing? And if Father John knows the mirror-thing is the key to defeating the demon, why doesn't Brother Marinus know that? And where is Elizabeth during the final battle? And why did she visit the monastery in the first place? That was never really fully explained (but again, that might have been edited out). But despite the illogic, I love this movie, especially since goodness triumphs in the end -- without the cop-out of evil getting the last laugh, which is such an annoying cliché in so many horror flicks.

I imagine that the basic plot of "Catacombs" - a demonic force being unsealed from its tomb after hundreds of years of imprisonment and causing havoc - will seem familiar to a number of viewers. But I didn't mind that, seeing that few modern day movies are totally original. Some might be bothered by the problem that some things in the movie are not properly explained, though fortunately these are minor details and don't hurt the movie too much. The real problem with this movie is that it is both too slow and not horrific enough. The movie moves at a sluggish pace, and it seems mighty slow in showing both horror and a building feeling of horror, even during the climatic sequence. There is a little genuine atmosphere built, but this movie needed more shocks, jolts and bite of a significant size. For what was a very low budget, the movie does look decent - the locations and sets are serviceable. But I think the majority of horror fans will feel let down by the very soft feeling this "horror" movie generates.

I got this film in a pack with three other horror films. The other three are "Dungeon Master", "Cellar Dweller" and the horrendous "Contamination .7". The only other one I have seen was the awful "Contamination .7" so while this one was not particularly good, compared to that it was spectacular! Seriously though, this is another in a long line of horror films that had something good going for it and an interesting premise, but ends up being done the wrong way. It starts out fast enough as something happens in the past and then it is not all that long in the present that something is released making me think this one was going to be one heck of a ride; however, it slows down significantly and ends in basically with an exorcism that is very anticlimactic. This one was watchable though and it held my interest, I just feel it could have done better considering how it started out.The story has an exorcism being done in the past and it fails to produce results so the accursed is sealed within a tomb under a monastery. It switches to present time and a young lady is visiting the monastery and wishes to see the wondrous catacombs underneath it. Unfortunately, the evil that has been sealed is now about to be released for reasons only the makers of the film know and chaos will ensue! Well, it does ensue, but it does so rather slowly. It is up to Timothy Van Patten to get to the bottom of the evil and destroy it once and for all! So yeah, the film does have a nice scene at the beginning. It just kind of fades out quickly after that. You have the monk who warns everyone that the evil is coming and he is ignored and thought a fool by the head of the place and even though he is absolutely correct, he is still presented as someone to root against. Though if they had listened to him, lives would have been spared. The girl is attractive and near the end of the film she would be possessed, but all that would play out is your basic exorcism scene, well not too basic. I do believe it is the first time I have seen evil defeated with a flashback.So another in a long line of horror films that was almost good, but they pretty much blew it. There just was not enough going on after the initial scenes and the end was rather weak. They gave us a monastery full of people and had a very low death toll. Still, it was short and while not great, it held my interest enough that the movie did not feel overlong either. So, with a bit of work and some more death, this one could have been something special. As it is, it is just another horror movie on a package of four.

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.