Customer Reviews

The Unholy [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Set in New Orleans ,this movie centres on a Catholic priest,Father Michael (Ben Cross) who ,despite his vocation does not believe in the devil or in the existence of demons .He comes to see things differently when he takes over a church where the two previous incumbents have been violently killed .It is not long before he finds himself confronting the title entity a super-demon whose speciality is the corruption and murder of priests .At first the creature appears to him in the form of a luscious and ripe young woman ( Nicole Forher) but before too long it takes its altogether more revolting true form and the stage is set for the concluding battle between Good and Evil as the priest and the demon lock horns-so to speak.

The movie drags a tad in the middle but overall this is a neat little movie which does not stint on sights of the demon and the final confrontation is well done .

The effects overall are good and it boasts a pretty decent cast with solid performers like Hal holbrook ,Trevor Howard and Ned Beatty lending their formidable talents to proceedings .Tense ,well made and stylishly directed this is a good B movie for horror lovers

This is a fun, entertaining MOVIE! To say that this depicts the way SAAAY-TAN (insert your own impression of Dana Carvey's "Church Lady" here) works is absurd.

There are demons out there, there is evil, but to say that this is how they work?!? Come on. Besides, that's a totally Christian concept. I like the saying "It's your Hell, YOU burn in it!"

Now, about the MOVIE: Ben Cross does an excellent job as the doubting father until he is forced to concede that there is something going on.

I liked the concept of the annual battle between the champions of good & evil. Being held at this time of year (after the candle was extinguished) representing Jesus death was a nice, chilling touch..."our Lord lay dead" to paraphrase that scene.

The representation of the demon Desidaria/Desdarius as being 4 legged instead of the ususal bipedal, horned 'devil' was a cool touch - I didn't expect that.

My only gripe with this flick is that it was never released on dvd.

O.K. I don't know what planet these other reviewers are from, but it seems they were watching a different movie. I agree that The Unholy is worth watching-I've seen it several times because it is so funny. I mean we've got priests calling from the dead-ON THE TELEPHONE, no less. My friend and I saw this back when we were in college and have been calling each other as Father Dennis ever since. This movie takes itself way to seriously-this is a great B flick, but certainly not all the raves I've read in these other reviews. If you're expecting an excellent film, the likes of Rosemary's Baby, don't bother. However, if you're looking for a fun, scary laugh, the likes of Carnosaur, then, by all means, check this one out!

Before I say anything about this film, I would first like to ask why is it that viewers who honestly come out and say that a movie just plain sucks are given a ton of "not helpful votes" by the other reviewers? Afterall, if a movie is not good, then it just isn't good. Please don't blame the reviewer for telling the truth and warning others not to waste their time and money on a bad film, and say their review isn't helpful.

So I happened upon this movie the "Unholy" and saw all of the highly rated marks (5/5 stars) given by past viewers. I also saw that many read their reviews and gave them a helpful vote. Thus, I bought this movie online to watch, and was really disappointed at the lingering/choppy pace of the film as well as the minimal plot and character development. Perhaps the special effects for this film were OK back when it was made, but I can't see how anyone could sit and watch the final battle where the main protagonist Father Michael stands against the incredibly cheesy powers of the demon "Desidearius" (???) without laughing until their chest hurt???!!! I also was extremely amused by the incredibly pointless, demonic phone call from another dead priest who phoned Father Michael just to say: "Wuz up? I'm in Hell." Yeah. I wonder what the phone rates are in hell, especially with all that heat and bad transmission?

So at the end of the day please people, please don't be so quick to write off a negative review...it could save others a lot of money, and it could prevent them from having their nights ruined by a complete botch of a film.

...Wow, now I bet I'm going to get a bunch of "not helpful votes."

I was young and recall my folks telling my "No, you may not see this!" And now I have it here to see all I saw only a moment of as a kid. Not cheesy and not too splatter gory The Unholy is a welcome to my horror movie collection. Used vhs tape--this came quickly and works fine for my purposes. Thanks 4/5 (one point for not being a dvd, if The Unholy ever made it to dvd...anybody ever seen this film on dvd? Dot

The movie got me scared all right, and I'll remember it. But it is not 5 star poltergeist, nor 5 star exorcist. That said, it did remind me of other elements in live outside of materialism, which is good, but now I do not dear to go to bed.................

Yet again another movie not available to US/region 1 buyers.... Great I can get it from some UK amazon region two for over 40$; and who knows how much is shipping... which is unnaceptable.... You can even get it as a download but not as an actual DVD....

I love this movie!! Although the New Orleans dialect is a little "cheesy", The Unholy is a delightful B-horror movie. Ben Cross does a wonderful job in his portrayal of Fr. John Michael, but I must say my favorite character is Teresa, the caretaker who loves to be in Father's business. If you haven't seen this one, I am sure that you will enjoy it. I watch this movie quite regularly.

You have read the previous reviews praising this film. This film is so informative of what is happeing today that it should
be watch every Holy Week. The reason is all too apparent. Checkout the sad events happening in the Christian Church. Is it true that the vile actions peak between Ash Wednesday and Easter?
Does Satan and the Creator square off and choose their champions to fight to the death. What ever happens to the priests who lose? (My pasture did commit such a grieveous act and after being punished,he disappeared from sight.) This film should be raised to cult status. It is so important. We all know the Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil. Was his temptation similar to what what was shown in the film? I personally believe His temptation was so intense that it was unimaginable. Jesus triumped over that dragon ,the devil.

I give two thumbs up for the costume design for Satan.