MOVIE REVIEW : ‘Unholy’s’ Film Makers Need to Do Penance

Pope Pius XII once stated a disdain for movies because “they are no good for the soul.” It’s not difficult to imagine that he’d take an even harsher stand after viewing “The Unholy” (citywide), a mystic fight between good and evil that pits a simple parish priest against Satan’s strongest agent on Earth.

The resulting film is a crazy quilt culled from cinema’s demonic lexicon. The yarn is set in “Angel Heart’s” New Orleans and stars Ben Cross, who somewhat resembles Jason Miller in his role as priest in “The Exorcist.”

In the opening section, we see a priest brutally murdered and, seemingly unrelated, Cross’ Father Michael unscathed after being thrown from the 17th floor by a presumed suicidal jumper. His superiors--and the audience--immediately realize that he has the mettle to take on the toughest assignment.

So he’s given the long-abandoned parish where the Unholy is believed to dwell. And, little by little, he begins to see that strange forces are at work in the neighborhood. He seeks advice from his superiors, who pretend he’s flipped his cassock and only assist when all other options are spent. Then, a blind Father Silva (Trevor Howard, in his last screen role) explains that the priest must reject temptation, see the creature’s real face and call it by name--something oddly Greek that rhymes with “this is serious.”

“The Unholy” (MPAA-rated R, for nudity, gore and violence) is played at a uniform leaden tone, often creating laughter where none is intended. Though the premise is unquestionable fantastic, do not expect the story or characters to work even within the logic of the situation. The film is devilishly awful and director Camilo Vila has not learned to distinguish between a major plot point and a cheap shock effect.