The Church (Special Edition) – Gothic Horror: 4K Ultra HD Combo Review

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

In the 1989 gothic horror The Church from director Michele Soavi and co-written/produced by giallo master Dario Argento, new librarian Evan (Tomas Arana) for a cathedral built on top of a mass grave of people killed by a band of a band of Teutonic Knights in medieval Germany arrives for his new job. But the demon the knights built the cathedral on top of the grave to contain begins to break free when a seal is broken, taking control of Evan, trying to birth itself into the world.

The film was meant to be an official sequel in the Dèmoni series, following Demons (1985) and Demons 2 (1986), but Soavi did not want The Church to be connected to that series, so he rewrote the screenplay to distance it from the series. Soavi (Cemetery Man) infuses a more gothic tone into this film and visually it is more atmospheric than the two Demons films. It is like his following films stylistically and certainly has more than enough schlock and horror to satisfy fans of this subgenre of Italian filmmaking. A very young Asia Argento appears as an enigmatic young girl with a potential historical connection to the cathedral and its demon. The plot and characters in The Church are not exactly well fleshed out, but the film exists in its own universe of absurdity, sex, surprise twists, delicious practical effects, and acting that almost verges on camp.

Purchase The Church (Special Edition) [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray]

The Video

The Church arrives with a Soavi-approved 4K scan from the original 35mm camera negative in a 1.85:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement from Severin Films. This looks natural, with just some frames in scenes looking a little rough, but the gentle cleanup keeps the grain looking crisp and free from smoothness, and detail in faces and clothing free from waxiness. The color grading with Dolby Vision looks warm, especially in the flames that have a deep, orange, and amber color with good specular highlight pop. Some shadows can crush ever-so-slightly, but not to detrimentally.

The Audio

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 remix for The Church adds a good bit of ambience to the sound, but it does sound a bit reprocessed rather than discrete. Still, we get clean sound and just a little bump in the subs.  English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo mixes are also included. The stereo mixes sound a little more natural to my ears and have good stereo imaging.

The Supplements

Bonus Features:

Severin has this release loaded with interviews from the cast and crew, including interviews with Dario Argento, Michele Soavi, and Asia Argento.

• Trailer (1080p; 00:02:05)

Blu-ray Only:

• The Mystery of the Cathedrals: Interview with Director Michele Soavi (1080p; 00:19:46)
• Alchemical Possession: Interview with Co-Screenwriter/Producer Dario Argento (1080p; 00:12:41)
• The Eleventh Commandment: Interview with Co-Screenwriter Franco Ferrini (1080p; 00:13:18)
• The Ghostwriter: Interview with Co-Screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti (1080p; 00:18:36)
• Lotte: Interview with Actress Asia Argento (1080p; 00:08:36)
• Here Comes the Bride: Interview with Actress Antonella Vitale (1080p; 00:10:56)
• A Demon Named Evan: Interview with Actor Tomas Arana (1080p; 00:25:37)
• Father Giovanni: Interview with Actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice (1080p; 00:14:14)
• Monsters and Demons: Interview with Special FX Artist Sergio Stivaletti (1080p; 00:19:41)
• Holy Ground: Interview with Make-up Artist Franco Casagni (1080p; 00:09:46)
• Building the Church: Interview with the Set Designer Antonello Geleng (1080p; 00:20:46)
• The Right-Hand Man: Interview with Assistant Director Claudio Lattanzi (1080p; 00:16:50)
• Return to the Land of the Demons: Interview with Alan Jones, Author of Profondo Argento (1080p; 00:05:59)

The Final Assessment

Severin Films delivers a good-looking transfer of this Italian gothic horror on 4K. It could serve as an excellent left turn on a horror marathon.

The Church (Special Edition) is out on 4K Ultra HD Combo April 30, 2024 from Severin Films

Purchase The Church (Special Edition) [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray]

• Rating Certificate: R
• Studios & Distributors: ADC Films | Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica | Reteitalia | Severin Films
• Director: Michele Soavi
• Written By: Dario Argento | Franco Ferrini | Michele Soavi
• Run Time: 102 Mins.
• Street Date: 30 April 2024
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• HDR10 Metadata:
  • MaxLL: 1000 nits
  • MaxFALL: 400 nits
  • Max. Luminance: 1000 nits
  • Min. Luminance: 0.0001 nits
• Primary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Secondary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo | Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH | English for Italian Audio