Director – Mike Mendez (Killers, Tales of Halloween)
Starring – Joanna Canton (That 70’s Show, Brimstone), Richard Trapp (Cradle 2 the Grave, Midgets vs. Mascots), and Dax Miller (Bette, Blood Surf)
Release Date – 2000
Rating – 4/5
UHD Release – 4/5
Mike Mendez is a filmmaker that I know has a serious fan base. Several genre fans that I’ve befriended over the years are die hard fans. While Tales of Halloween was a decent flick and Killers made me laugh, I wouldn’t call myself a fan. He’s a talented filmmaker but nothing has really wow’d me.
That changed when I went into this double feature I put together for myself featuring his newest releases from Synapse Films. Killers was a fun watch but a film that took itself way too seriously. I followed that up with his 2000 horror flick The Convent. Once again, I want to thank Synapse Films for sending this one over.
**Spoiler alert** The film follows a group of college students that decide to break into an old convent to party it up. The local legend states a woman several decades before was pregnant and the church forced her to have an abortion because it was the priest’s child. While they explore the property, drink, take drugs, and try to fornicate they inadvertently awaken the evil presence that has laid dormant there for all these years while uncovering the truth about why the convent has become a local legend. **spoiler Alert**
The Convent seriously surprised me. The movie is easy to compare to the original Night of the Demons. It has a similar story but the 80s look and style has been replaced with early 2000’s nu metal trends. Honestly, it was a lot of fun and easily my favorite Mendez film.
The acting in this one is very inconsistent and had me laughing. Much like Killers, the cast is extremely over the top and very dramatic. When you mix that with late 90s and early 2000’s slang you get some memorable moments but they are not memorable for the right reasons. Bill Mosley and Coolio deliver what I would consider to be the film’s best performances. The remainder of the cast delivers awkward or unintentionally funny performances that didn’t ruin the film but didn’t improve it either.
The story for this one is Night of the Demons but for the Limp Bizkit era. We have a goth girl and a bunch of teenagers/early twenty-somethings who go to a local area with an urban legend attached to it where they accidentally unleash a demonic presence while trying to party and screw. Honestly, this could have been a small budget remake and it would have still worked. I loved the story and how it all came full circle. We get the legend of the place, the real story of what happened, and a rich blending of both stories to give us a story that a lot of movies can’t. I really enjoyed the way it was written and while it does have a good portion of the same story as Night of the Demons, Mendez puts enough of his own spin on it so it doesn’t feel like the same film from beginning to end.
Finally, the film has some amazing make-up effects and some gore. I loved the looked of the possessed and when you mix that with the great looking death scenes and the large amount of blood we get, you have something that sticks with you for days after watching it. Overall, The Convent was fucking fantastic. While his other films did not impress me as much as they did other genre fans, it’s The Convent that really made me respect Mike Mendez. Since my initial viewing of the film I’ve now seen it three times and would love to get in another watch before Halloween. This is easily my favorite release this year so do yourself a favor and snag Synapse’s release.
Special Features:
Limited Edition Combo (4K UHD + Blu-ray) Release of only 4000 units total
Limited Edition Slipcover only on this combo release
4K remaster of the uncut version supervised and approved by director, Mike Mendez
Mastered in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
5.1 stereo surround mix from the original 16-track audio masters
Cast and crew audio commentary, featuring director Mike Mendez
“Lords of Hell” audio commentary featuring Saul and Dickie-Boy
Video tour of both THE CONVENT and KILLERS film locations
Vintage “Making of” featurette
Vintage original studio Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
“It’s Always Something with a Virgin” Liner notes booklet from Corey Danna
Deleted scene
Gore outtakes
Still gallery
Promotional trailers
Reversible cover art
