THE UNHOLY (1988)

Taglines- You haven’t got a prayer

                  Seduction. Submission. Murder. Tonight . . . evil goes over the edge.

The Unholy is the story of the struggle between good and evil, epitomised by priests and an ancient demon known as Daesidarius, respectively. The demon manifests itself on earth each lunar eclipse as a stunningly beautiful woman with the motive of corrupting the purest of mortal souls. Its modus operandi involves slashing the throats of men while they are engaged in the act of sinning and thereafter sending their souls to eternal damnation in hell. The known tactics of destruction include seduction and temptation, deception  and illusion, and finally torture.

The immediate events in the film surround the mysterious killings of two priests in St. Agnes Parish of New Orleans. A new pastor is appointed after three years, following the closure of the parish on account of the deaths. Father Michaels survives a miraculous fall from the seventeenth floor of an apartment and as the Diocese regards the survival as an act of ‘divine intervention’, he is promptly put in charge of the doomed parish with hopes of defeating the devil.

Although Father Michael is sceptical of the existence of evil spirits and demons, he slowly becomes disturbed by the visions of the stunning woman who has murdered his predecessors and appears in his dreams in an attempt to make him break his vows. The cop who has unsuccessfully investigated the two killings tries to dissuade Father from continuing his work with the ominous warning of the fate met by others; however he is not able to convince him. The only clue he seems to have with the previous priest Father Dennis is that he had frequently recorded meetings with a waitress named Millie who worked in a local goth club. The club is run by an elusive and shady businessman Luke who makes his actors simulate real acts of violence such as murder as cheap gimmicks in bid to earn money, but confesses to Father that his club may have actually come under satanic influence after a string of strange happenings.

Father is shaken when he spends a night at the club and feels a sinister presence which tries to wreak havoc to Luke’s room. Father is further troubled by the shadowy appearance of the demon who tries to seduce him, and also by his growing attraction to Millie who takes refuge in his parish and also tries to seduce him, although her purported object is to seek protection from Daesidarius (The Unholy) who only attacks priests and virgins.

Towards the end of the movie, the diocese informs Father Michael of the task ahead-that he must battle Daesidarius (“the irresistible temptation” and “the object of desire”) as the demon has chosen his church, which is evidenced from the brutal death of the club owner in front of Father’s own eyes. Father is unable to deny the fact of the demon’s presence and prepares himself for the final conflict. He is told that the demon is permitted to reside out of hell and it manifests itself between Ash Wednesday and the Feast of the Resurrection, and further that it makes a sacrifice to Satan on the solemnest of days, the victims being pure and saintly persons who have consecrated themselves to God. The demon appears in the form that the intended victim desires most and if the victim succumbs to temptation, then Daesidarius kills him/her in the act of sinning and thus makes an offering to his master Satan. If however, the temptation is resisted, then the powers of illusion are broken and the person has to face the true form of the demon, after which the battle begins. Father is also told that he must manifest Christ the Lord through himself that very night and send Daesidarius to “Asheron”(probably a reference to hell), as it is the night when the Sanctuary lamp is out and the Lord lies “dead” and as the Feast of Resurrection is the very next day.

As night approaches, Father Michael stands alone in darkness, in the main altar of the church. This is where he feels the presence of the demon and utters it’s name. Daesidarius appears and tries to tempt the priest by changing its appearance to resemble Millie, whom Father impliedly likes. However, he is successful in resisting the seduction by the demon and thus witnesses the gruesome face of the demon. In a disgusting scene, many parts of the slimy big teethed demon tie Father to a post and force him to eat a piece of the demon meat. The consequence is that he finds himself suspended in an abyss for some time, till he musters his strength and invokes God within him. This finally defeats the demon and banishes it from earth, however at the cost of Father losing his eyesight permanently.

The Unholy is an understated horror movie from the late 1980s, which has an interesting story delivered well by good acting and a pervasive sense of doom outlined by the use of bright red and blue lights, the scary sculptures adorning the walls of the church, and by the sinister musical score. In June 2017, Vestron Video Collection released a Blu Ray packed with some interesting extras-audio commentary with the director Camilo Vila, the producer, production designer and co-writer, interview with main actor Ben Cross, isolated score compositions which were not used in the movie and theatrical trailer along with TV and radio spots.