adverse situation with danger inside as well as
school class, a photographer doing a fashion photo
outside. Let’s say something like Alien, with the
shoot with some models, as well as many visitors
plane instead of the spaceship and the demons
and people in prayer. Ewald injures the sacristan,
replacing the nasty big bug.”4
infecting him. In turn, the man infects other vis-
Argento and Bava even announced the
itors, then commits suicide. His blood activates a
news on television, during the TV show Giallo,
mechanism which locks the church doors and
where Argento was one of the hosts. But, even
traps all its visitors inside. A young priest, Father
after several drafts, they could not come up with
Gus, realizes that evil has been unleashed inside
a fully satisfying script. According to Sacchetti,
the cathedral, where the visitors are killing each
the story didn’t work well because of the setting.
other, and he finds out that the place has a secret
“There is not much possibility of movement in-
self- destructing system. Ewald, who has turned
side a plane: the characters couldn’t run from
into a demonic creature, mates with Lisa during
one side to the other or act with freedom of
an esoteric ritual. After saving little Lotte, the sac-
movement in that secluded space. Moreover, we
ristan’s daughter and the only one not yet infected,
didn’t have a clear idea of how many characters
Father Gus activates the self- destruction mecha-
would be inside the plane, and if the demons
nism… .
could break through the cockpit and get in. On
In an interview with Lamberto Bava
top of that: how would the ending be? … Given
recorded on January 22, 988, discussing the
such an amount of unanswered questions, we
enormous success of Dèmoni, journalist Alberto
gave up.” Argento, initially enthusiastic about
Morsiani noted: “It is also quite rare that an Ital-
the idea, grew disillusioned with it, too.
ian horror movie had a sequel, Dèmoni seems
So, the scriptwriters came up with a new
the first occurrence to me.” To which Bava
story: the secluded place where to unleash the
replied: “Yes, indeed it is the first, and I think it
demons was to be a church, built on some sort
is even the first time that a third chapter is set
of passage to hell. Not a novelty, considering
into production. I think we’ll make it, we’re
Sacchetti’s previous scripts for Lucio Fulci, but
thinking about it, we’re writing it.” Just a few
a theme that was closer to Argento’s sensibility.
days earlier, producer Dario Argento had con-
During his work on Suspiria and Inferno, he
firmed the news, adding: “The next one in the
had become familiar with Fulcanelli, the elusive
series will not be called Dèmoni 3. I rather think
early 20th century alchemist who had been the
it will have a title like Ritorno alla casa dei dè-
inspiration for the character of Varelli, and his
moni [Author’s note: Return to the House of
book Le Mystère des cathédrales. This way, the
the Demons]; people got tired of titles with
new movie would ideally link to the previous
1989: La chiesa
73
diptych, especially for its reliance on alchemy
Nevsky, 938) for its depiction of the Teutonic
and its mysteries.
Knights, which Eisenstein had totally made up.8
However, the delay caused by the decision
Der Name der Rose also suggested the inclusion
to start all over again with a new storyline had
in the cast of the octogenarian Feodor Chaliapin,
the effect of Lamberto Bava abandoning the
Jr., in a role vaguely similar as that of the “ven-
project. The director had signed a deal with Fin-
erable Jorge” which he played in Annaud’s film,
invest and would start shooting another quartet
as well as the idea of the riddles in Latin. On the
of TV horror movies for the series “Alta ten-
other hand, another blatant influence is John
sione” in October 988, and by July of that year
Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, an (admittedly
it was clear that he would not be able to make
much more successful) blending of traditional
the third Dèmoni film.6 An argument with Sac-
Gothic motifs within a modern- day setting. The
chetti ensued, and the scriptwriter claims he was
young director’s cinephile taste also resulted in
royally paid by Argento in order to keep quiet
some surprising references for an Italian horror
about his involvement in the film. Exit Bava,
film, such as paying homage to Michael Mann’s
enter Michele Soavi, fresh from the success of
The Keep (983).
Deliria.
Shooting took place from September to No-
With the new director on board, the project
vember 988, on a budget of 3 and a half million
took quite a different direction. Now Argento
dollars.9 Many scenes were filmed at an imposing
had found a convincing title, La chiesa, which
location, the astonishing Matthias Church in Bu-
didn’t connect the movie to the previous ones
dapest, in front of the Fisherman’s Bastion, de-
(except for the subtle reference of a stylized
consecrated for the period of the shooting. Ar-
demon face on the letter “C” in the film’s poster).
gento’s 3-year-old daughter Asia was cast in one
Soavi suggested a new opening scene, set in the
of the film’s key roles. It was her third movie after
Middle Ages and inspired by John Milius’ Conan
Dèmoni 2 and Cristina Comencini’s Zoo (988),
the Barbarian (982). Most importantly, in Sac-
where she was the protagonist. Around the same
chetti’s own words, the directorial turnover af-
time, Asia was filming Nanni Moretti’s political
fected the film drastically, resulting in a much
comedy Palombella rossa: it was an auspicious ca-
more dynamic and engrossing visual style, dif-
reer start for the teenage actress, which would
ferent cinematography and color choices, and,
make her one of the most popular young thesps
most notably, a different approach to the narra-
in 990s Italian cinema.
tive.
Shooting was an exhausting experience for
Despite the game of references and thefts
Soavi. “I was free, and I could do what I wanted
that form a strong undercurrent in his work, Ar-
… but I also suffered a lot because of the diffi-
gento cannot be considered a postmodernist,
culties, the vicissitudes, the delays.”0 Lighting
focused on pillowing and reassembling old
the church proved an ordeal due to the vast in-
movies: his relationship w
ith cinema of the past
terior spaces, and the director had to give up the
is an “occult metabolization”7 rather than an
idea of shooting the scene of Barbara Cupisti’s
open homage. Whereas Soavi, born in 97 and
character coupling with a horned demon on lo-
the son of the noted poet Giorgio Soavi, is an
cation, due to the protests of the persons in
out- and-out postmodernist filmmaker. La chiesa
charge of the cathedral. The scene had to be
is an omnivorous and self- satisfied collection of
filmed at the De Paolis studios. But despite a
a wide variety of explicit references, from Hi-
rather weak and repetitive third act, La chiesa
eronymus Bosch’ apocalyptic paintings to Boris
displayed Soavi’s visionary technique, especially
Vallejo’s comic book panels, from music videos
in the scene which starts in the Middle Age, in
to video games—and, of course, many films of
the church crypt, and ends in the present day,
the distant and close past, which turn up every
on the surface, with the camera travelling
now and then like pieces of a crazy jigsaw. The
through space and time in what looks like a long
aforementioned prologue, for instance, takes
take, even though there are a few cuts.
place in a gloomy medieval setting influenced
Even though Argento and his co- script-
by the gruesome excesses of Paul Verhoeven’s
writers were drawing on Fulcanelli’s work, with a
Flesh+Blood (98), as well as by Der Name der
dab of the esoteric and alchemic elements de-
Rose (a.k.a. The Name of the Rose, 986, Jean-
rived from Suspiria and Inferno, La chiesa looks
Jacques Annaud), although Soavi mentioned
like a paraphrase on film of Maurice Lévy’s fas-
Eisenstein’s Aleksandr Nevskij (a.k.a. Alexander
cinating thesis on the Gothic novel, “toute “his-
74 1989: La chiesa toire gothique” se doit d’etre la mise en fable d’une
episodes can multiply at will, and blossom from
demeure” (every “Gothic story” should make a
each other, from characters which are promoted
narrative out of a house). In La chiesa, the very
within the space of a shot from mere extras or
title refers to the place where the story unfolds:
spectators of the story to makers and objects of
it is the abode, the building, the enclosed area,
horror, like the two young bikers, the arrogant
the house—here, by definition, the “House of
fashion model, the elderly couple. They have a
God”—which is the protagonist. It is the subject
similar function as the figures in the bas- reliefs
and the object, it affects the plot and acts as the
which decorate an apse, which at first get lost in
(almost) unmoved mover of the characters’ ac-
the overall composition and only at second
tions and tribulations. In turn, said characters
glance stand out in the small space allowed to
are merely two- dimensional presences, barely
them by the artist. It is the same method Argento
sketched, and utterly expendable figures.
and his collaborators experimented on Dèmoni
In his study of the Gothic genre, Lévy de-
and Dèmoni 2, and which only in La chiesa,
velops an analogy with architecture, and em-
thanks to the Gothic setting, finds a consistent
phasizes the symbolic significance of the Gothic
point of arrival.
building and the concept of man’s aspiration to
While preparing the film, Argento heard
the Divine it expresses. Such a concept is over-
that Keith Emerson would be interested in writ-
turned in Soavi’s film, where both the characters
ing the score. The idea of working again with
and the camera are attracted and driven down-
the English keyboardist, nine years after Inferno,
ward, most notably in the impressive sequence
was tempting: it would not only be an attempt
in which a vast abyss opens under the gigantic
to top his previous works as a producer, but it
cross that seals the crypt floor. As Edmund
would also bring back his own past (a trait
Burke wrote in his A Philosophical Enquiry into
which would characterize more and more Ar-
the Sublime and Beautiful, “I am apt to imagine
gento’s following output as a director). Around
likewise, that height is less grand than depth;
the same time Alejandro Jodorowsky (who was
and that we are more struck at looking down
making Santa Sangre, with Argento’s brother
from a precipice, than at looking up at an object
Claudio producing) got in touch with Emerson
of equal height.”2
too, having liked his work on Inferno very much.
Moreover, Lévy finds in the Gothic novel
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
“an application, at the level of the dreamlike
When Argento received Emerson’s twelve- track
mechanisms, of the very structures of medieval
demo, he was in for a huge disappointment.
art.”3 The same metaphor turns into images in
“They were terrible. Not even a child would have
La chiesa, and the film’s dreamlike imagery lit-
written music like that. A sort of bombastic
erally take shapes which recall Medieval iconog-
march, it sounded like the Carabinieri fanfare. I
raphy. That is the case with the cross atop the
was aghast… . Naturally, Soavi and I looked for
mass grave of the victims of the plague, the
another musician. And some time later I found
monstrous tangle of bodies which emerge from
out that Jodorowsky had received a demo tape
the bowels of the Earth, the appearance of Satan
more or less like mine, and that he too had re-
in the shape of a goat, and the system of coun-
jected Emerson’s collaboration.” The incident
terweights and gears which eventually causes
left sore feelings on Emerson’s part. What is left
the cathedral to collapse. The latter idea was
in the film of the English musician’s work are
reprised almost verbatim in Mariano Baino’s
three tracks: the organ- driven main title theme
film, Dark Waters (993).
(in two versions), another titled Possession, and
Writing about the Gothic romance, Lévy
a rearranged version of Bach’s Prelude 24 which
and his peers pointed out its incomplete and
sounds like a blatant attempt to recreate the magic
maze- like narrative structure, filled with enig-
of Emerson’s take on Verdi’s Va, pensiero. For the
matic passages and aimed at peaks of suspense,
rest, Soavi relied on Fabio Pignatelli (credited as
lacking a real continuity between the various
Goblin, although his was in fact a solo work) and
episodes and “more similar to a suite of frag-
inserted two tracks by Philip Glass.<
br />
ments—we’d almost say a heap of romance
As with Argento’s previous productions, his
“ruins”—than to an organic construction.”4 In-
name appeared in evidence in newspapers, as if
ferno was an example of the same technique ap-
he was the director himself, a confirmation of
plied to film, and La chiesa is a further attempt
his superstar status among Italian filmmakers
at a potentially infinite container, in which the
and in the public eye.6 However, the commercial
1989: Etoile
7
expectations were destined to be partially un-
Ferrini, Sandro Petraglia; DOP: Acácio de
fulfilled. At first, despite Argento’s will to per-
Almeida (Kodak); M: Jürgen Knieper (Ed. BMG
form some cuts, the rating board gave La chiesa
Ariola; Faso Edizioni Musicali); E: Anna Napoli;
a V.M.8 certificate “in consideration of the
Casting: Michelle Guillermin, Francesco Cinieri;
many, particularly violent and shocking scenes
ArtD: Giantito Burchiellaro; SD: Bruno Cesari;
which are considered unsuitable for the sensi-
CO: Giuseppe Crisolini Malatesta; MU: Massimo
tivity of the spectators in developmental age.”
De Rossi, Andreina Ambrosini; Hair: Vincenzo
The decision severely harmed the film’s box-
Cardella, Giancarlo Lucchetti; AD: Roberto
office potential: La chiesa ended up in 36th place
Palmerini; 2ndAD: Pietro Sola; C: Antonio Scara-
among the year’s top grossers, with a little less
muzza; AC: Roberto De Nigris, Massimo Intoppa;
than 2 billion lire, only slightly more than Dario
AsstArtD: Mauro Borelli, Andrea Gaeta;
Piana’s glossy erotic thriller Sotto il vestito niente
2ndAsstArtD: Luca Tentellini; ACO: Mariella
II, and a trifle compared with the 7 billion and
Dirindelli, Elena Carveni; W: Silvana Cocuccioni,
a half earned by the season’s biggest Italian hit,
Bertilla Silvestrin; AE: Ambra Giombolini, Fabio
Roberto Benigni’s Il piccolo diavolo.
Maiuri; PM: Giancarlo Gabrielli; Construction
One year later, on appeal, the commission
manager: Luigi Sergianni; Painter: Claudio
overturned its previous ruling and, considering
Tedesco; G: Delio Catini; KG: Sergio Serantoni;
that the “violent and shocking scenes … are not
G: Paolo Tiberti; SE: F.lli Corridori; SPFX: Sergio
particularly and intensely underlined within the
Stivaletti; SO: Amelio Verona; B: Maurizio Merli;
general context of the film,” changed the rating
Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989) Page 53