![]() She has a lot of dramatic moments to chew on. ![]() Any first big role is daunting, but it must be so in a horror film where you basically carry the source of the horror on your shoulders. Much like Morgan, Brown is one of the film’s highlights as she impresses in her first feature film role. And as Father Hagan, Fenn, and others become suspicious that this isn’t Mary, but the work of Satan, and as the secrets of the town’s church and history are revealed, Alice risks leading this community down a road of tragedy. But there’s a darkness that’s manifesting unnoticed. As parishioners gather to be cured by Alice, a media firestorm follows, drawing attention to all the “miracles” happening in this small farming community. ![]() Fenn, a journalist known for faking stories, finally has his scoop and it’s something truly unbelievable. But then, she speaks for everyone to hear and her deafness is seemingly cured-she states that she’s been touched by the Virgin Mary and is speaking through her. As Fenn recounts what he saw, everyone is understandably in disbelief. This event perhaps wouldn’t have seemed that strange if Alice didn’t suffer from congenital cholesteatoma, a condition that has left her unable to hear or speak since birth. Her name is Alice (Cricket Brown in her breakout role), the niece of the church priest, Father Hagan (William Sadler). Soon after, Fenn comes across a mysterious girl kneeling in front of the same tree, praying or speaking to something unseen. But unbeknownst to him, his self-serving actions open Pandora’s Box, marking the beginning of the unholy events to come. Fenn decides to break it, blaming his fake cattle mutilation story on a curse unleashed. The legend goes that farmers would bury them in their fields for good luck, but they could also be a vessel to hold the spirit of evil. When Fenn is drawn to a petrified oak on the neighboring church property, he finds a Kern Baby buried beneath its trunk. But he also carries weariness, a relatable trait for anyone who’s about to experience horrors. (He’s disgraced for a reason.) Because of Morgan’s charm and charisma as the character, this is a film that starts with a light, comedic tone. The gig? Investigate the strange claims that cows are being mysteriously mutilated. When that turns out to be a hoax, he does what he does best: fabricate a story. While many like The Nun try too hard to be scary, The Unholy does the opposite.īased on James Herbert’s best-selling book Shrine, the film follows disgraced journalist Gerry Fenn (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as he’s sent on assignment to a small Massachusetts town. It’s smart in that respect, but just because a film has a James Wan story credit, or in this case, a Sam Raimi producing credit, it sadly doesn’t spell a good supernatural tale. And in a sense, by speaking of false prophets and introducing an untrustworthy journalist character, the film speaks of the effects of “fake news” and the consequences that ensue when false narratives are intentionally planted. The church, a symbol of good, is used as the backdrop, but as in other films like The Nun, what takes place among the pews is wholly evil. A film about how nothing is what it seems in the context of a demonic horror film rooted in Catholicism. I would certainly be open to checking out more of his work, especially his sf novel The Feminists, which looks exceptionally trashy.“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” This Biblical phrase that closes writer-director Evan Spiliotopoulos’s The Unholy perfectly encapsulates it. ![]() Cooper (which is the name this book lists as the copyright holder). I wish this author had written more horror like this, but it looks like he mostly wrote romances and gothics in the 70s as Parley J. It's a fast-paced slow burn, if that makes sense, with well-written characters and even a handful of genuinely chilling moments. The chapters are short (3-4 pages), keeping a nice fast pace, and rarely do two chapters go by without something strange or creepy happening, at least after the initial setup. Of course there's a teen psychic here as well, and he's the only one who senses the true danger they're all in. The town is temporarily cut off due to a rockslide and downed telephone lines, and the evil force can strike anywhere or possess anyone at any time, so even when it seems like a scene of normal everyday life, the characters are never really safe. What made this one stand out for me was the constantly mounting tension and near-constant supernatural shenanigans. This was a surprisingly good "evil in a small town" tale, which there's seemingly a never-ending supply of from the 80s (not all good, mind you).
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