The Convent

[Danny]

This is the cheesiest movie of all time and I love it!! It was released in 2000. They just don't make movies like that anymore. Demonic nuns, the cheerleader, the frat guys, the virgin, the goth....so predictable, but so much fun. What do you guys think?

[Lord Crumb]

Personally, I disliked it quite a bit. I don't know. Maybe it didn't live up to all the hype, but to me, it just seemed like it was trying to hard. It lacked heart IMO.

[spacemonkey]

I loved this one! Reminded me a little bit of Evil Dead II.

Loved how they balanced in a good way the comedy and the extreme horror. That bit with the gay devil worshipers was soooo funny!

The way that the possesed nuns looked was reaally interesting, but one thing I didnt like much was how the director chose to jerk the camera around so much, at times it got very annoying. I dont think the film needed that so much.

I liked seeing the chick from the fog back in action again...I forget her name..anyhows she was funny in her scenes as a kick ass demon slayer..

I recommend this one, to anyone looking for a damn fun time with a dash of demon possesed nuns, and extreme gore!

Spacemonkeys seal of approval!:D

[countchocula]

I LOVE THE CONVENT!!!!! It's dense and stereotypical, and it knows it! A charged homage to the cheesy demon flicks of the '80s (Demons, Night of the Demons). The dialogue is campy and energetic, the direction is vivid and stylish, and all of the characters are likeable. Spacemonkey, I agree – the faux Satanists are fucking hysterical! Saul and Dickie-Boy kick ass! You can tell that it was a rushed production (the running time barely scratches 80 minutes), but that just makes it all the more eligible for repeat viewings.

Originally posted by spacemonkey
I liked seeing the chick from the fog back in action again...I forget her name

That would be Adrienne Barbeau, who also portrayed Creepshow's Wilma, the ultimate bitch.

[spacemonkey]

Thanks, yeah Adrianne Barbeau was funny in this one. I like that scene where she straps her self back to back with that other girl and start shooting demons away back to hell! Ha! Cool stuff.
She can also be seen in Swamp Thing.

And the scenes where the gay devil worshipers trying to convinve the other one to have sex with him, so they wouldnt be virgins and couldnt be used for the sacrafice, that stuff had my gut hurting for a long time..heh..heh..:D

Whats this director doing now? Mike Mendez, whats he up to?

[countchocula]

Most recently, Mendez, along with Dave (The Dead Hate the Living) Parker, put together the Masters of Horror documentary. He also did the effects for Infested, which has yet to be released. I'm not sure what his next project is, but I foresee it being worthwhile.

[Mojo67821]

Originally posted by Lord Crumb
Personally, I disliked it quite a bit. I don't know. Maybe it didn't live up to all the hype, but to me, it just seemed like it was trying to hard. It lacked heart IMO.


Thank you LordCrumb!!!!! I watched this movie to review it for my website and although I understood what they were going for, I thought the movie sucked.

It really was like they were trying too hard, and although I agree they don't make movies like they used to, that doesn't mean they still should.

As my little brother pointed out to me, 80's movies are cheesy and fun because the 80's were so damn cheesy and fun. Most of the time they weren't even trying to be cheesy which makes it all the more ridiculous

But with "Convent" Mendez was intentionally trying to be cheesy and run with an 80's vibe...which simply made it not entertaining to me.

[Elgyn]

I thought this movie was *okay*, but not near the masterpiece everyone else seems to think it is.

My main problem: the comedy was great, but the horror elements were just laughable (and not in a good way).

There were some parts that I really liked, but they were all comedic parts. Like the flashback to the evil nuns taking over the school, the gay devil-worshipper trying to convice the dude to have sex with him, etc.

I did love the way they used that oldies tune at the beggining, though.

Oh and also, I really think the movie would`ve been a lot better if the goth chick was the heroine.

[countchocula]

Originally posted by Elgyn
I thought this movie was *okay*, but not near the masterpiece everyone else seems to think it is.

I don't think that anyone sees The Convent as a masterpiece (as far as cheese dishes are concerned). The flaws are indisputable. I just found it easy to overlook most of them. Even if the campy vibe was forced, I still savored it.

Oh and also, I really think the movie would`ve been a lot better if the goth chick was the heroine.

I'm inclined to agree with you there. She was a fun character, but she was "possessed" thirty minutes into the film along with most of the other characters. I wanted to spend some more time with the gang before they transmuted into demonic, fluorescent nuns.

[Horror/GoreFanatic]

I think the Convent is an excellent throwback to 80's horror. It has gallons of gore, some of the coolest demons in any movie i've ever scene, and manages to also has some fairly funny moments.

Grade: A-

[XCoRyX]

i thought the convent,was dare i say....HORRIBLE!Yes thats right,i see no rooting back to the 80s,maybe just disrespecting the 80s if anything,because of the trash it was....

[spacemonkey]

I thought The Convnet was an extremely enjoyable and fun film. The characters were funny, and the gore was there. It aint the best film ever made, but it also isnt the worst. I leave that spot for stuff like Ballistic...heh..heh..by the way just a side note, dont any of you guys dare even rent Ballistic when it comes out on DVD or your souls will be damned for all eternity to the darkest and deepest circles of hell...:D

Spacemonkey out.:D

[Jason13thh]

The Convent is cleary enjoyable and very entertaining, it is never boring and u have some characters full of color and demented.
However I was SPOILER ************************* SPOILER ******************* SPOILER sorry for the goth chick 'cause to me she could have been the real heroine.
She did not deserve to die.

[rtatick]

“The Convent”
Trimark Home Video ( 2001 )
Rated R Anamorphic 1.85:1
Audio: English (DD 5.1), French (DD 2)
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Extras: Commentary, “Gore on Demand”, Behind the Scenes

Starring:
Adrienne Barbeau
Bill Moseley
Joanna Canton
Jason Miller



With the lack of quality horror films becoming more and more apparent, fans of the genre (and those looking to get into it) are left with nothing to lose by checking out the obscure titles found on the shelves of the non-chain video stores. Every once in a while, there is a surprise contained within. Such a surprise is the 2000 movie “The Convent”.
Directed by Mike Mendez (whose previous effort, “Killers”, is very hard to find), “The Convent” is an exercise in excess and situational comedy. Far too often horror movies enter the realm of comedy unintentionally. As a small film, with a pea-sized budget, “The Convent” wraps itself, and enjoys, a cloak of playfulness.
The movie opens in the 1950’s as a young woman decides to set nuns and priests aflame… just before laying a shotgun through them. It’s an intro that needs to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately, as far as visual flare is concerned, this scene is never topped. We fast-forward to the present and meet a group of college kids heading to the long abandoned convent to spray paint fraternity letters. The mix of characters is so over the top you can’t help but love them. Not a single role is taken 100% seriously and it’s obvious that this movie is going to be fun.
Our college friends make it to the convent. Unfortunately, they are busted by two dope-smoking cops. I want nothing more than to go into detail about this scene, but it would ruin a surprise cameo that is beyond hilarious. As the group’s bad luck continues, they realize they have left their entire bag of weed at the convent and must return. From here, gore galore and hilarity ensues.
The plot is simple enough and the movie is very funny (not to mention gory as all get out). We get a simply wonderful cameo from Adrienne Barbeau (whose performance in John Carpenter’s “The Fog” is treasured by countless horror fans) and, generally, decent production values given the budget. My only complaint is that the movie is too short.

Most Internet sites have completely false information about this DVD. The movie is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Unfortunately, the quality of this picture is less than stellar and suffers from subdued colors and severe softness. In fact, this picture is the same as the VHS copy.

The DD 5.1 audio track is sufficient, although it doesn’t offer anything worth buying a system for. The rear channels are underused, but do run at decent levels when necessary.

The extras may be sparse, but for a small release we do get some good stuff. The commentary track is entertaining and informative. There were two glaring problems, though. First, Chaton Anderson (who not only stars as the blond, large-breasted Satan worshiper but also WROTE the movie) is barely audible and has frequent microphone trouble. Secondly, there is a point in the movie where, one way or another, the audio commentary gets out of synch with the movie. It is distracting trying to figure out what exactly is going on, but those who have seen the movie more than once will be able to keep up with, and enjoy, the commentary.
Secondly, we get a short “behind the scenes” featurette. Far from a professional documentary, this short video really conveys the independent nature of the production. The actors all seem to love what they are doing in this film and the director seems very laid back and open about his production. It won’t win any awards, but this is a very fun and (unlike most big-budget movies’ behind the scenes features) thoroughly entertaining.
Finally, we have an inventive feature called “Gore On Demand”. This feature allows the viewer to jump to any gore scene. What is even better, though, is that these aren’t exactly the final production scenes. We are allowed to witness the production of the scenes and, in some cases, the parts they had to cut out for one reason or another.

With a creative blend of comedy and gore, “The Convent” should easily find its way into many genre fans collections. Highly underrated and undersold as there seems to be mass confusion about the actual content and set-up of the DVD, “The Convent” never tries to be serious and is a welcome breather for the horror fan looking for something besides the standard cheap-special effect, lackluster performance fare.

[Jewbo]

just got this on dvd and watched it last nite. really liked it. its very back to the 80's but with a modern mtv generation style twist to it. some cool gore scenes but missing the nudity to make it a real horror ;). great film tho.

[Cronos]

Id have bought this by now if it wasnt missing footage, heres to hoping itll get released uncut

[Dandridge]

This movie is lots of fun I thought. Reminded me alot of Night of the Demons. I had heard nothing of the movie when I bought a copy but I'm glad I did. I don't really think the movie was meant to be taken seriously at all. There are too many laughs in it for it to be a serious horror flick. I'm waiting for a sequel to be released despite the fact I think it would be a mistake. Seems there is always a sequel to everything! I liked it but I don't think any sequel would be very good.

[Jewbo]

Originally posted by Cronos
Id have bought this by now if it wasnt missing footage, heres to hoping itll get released uncut

my version is the dutch dvd and it says uncut. is that still cut then?

[Cronos]

Not sure about that Jewbo, ive found a number of Dutch DVDs of films apparently uncut on the net and am not completely sure if they are completely uncut or not and IMDB is no help

[TheAxeGrinder]

Originally posted by Lord Crumb
Personally, I disliked it quite a bit. I don't know. Maybe it didn't live up to all the hype, but to me, it just seemed like it was trying to hard. It lacked heart IMO.

I'm with you, Crumb. I didn't enjoy this movie as much as The Arrow, I'm sure. It seemed like Evil Dead 2 in a good way, but I felt it had a little too much cheese to it, especially the parting shot. Sure, the gore was over the top for the most part, but it never went anywhere besides being a glorified sprinkler in some spots. I'm certain you'd have to be drunk in order to get the full experience.

[radikill]

Pros:
Adrienne Barbeau is BAD ASS!
Cutest goth chick in movie history.
The effeminate suburban demon worshippers.

Cons:
Cheesy gore fx.
Crap ending.

Thumbs mildly up. Worked better as a straight comedy than a horror comedy.

[sleepawaycampfan#1]

I really enjoyed this movie. I had a hard time looking for it since they didn't have it at blockbuster. Liked the demons, they were great! I dont care how cheesy it was, I love it!

[Gretchen_Ross]

this movie was just fun, fun, fun. good story, good gore, and an approach that was at the same time old-school and original. like The Arrow, i thought Frijole was hilarious ("just give me five minutes...!"), and i thought that adrienne barbeau's character and acting were great.

one funny thing - the main characters are in college, right? so why is the "cheerleader" character wearing an actual cheerleader uniform? i don't mean like a college dance team outfit, like a seriously high school uniform?

i also loved the opening sequence set to the song "you don't own me." having gone to catholic high school myself, it was certainly reminiscent of some of my own revenge fantasies!