In 1957 deranged and dangerous Catholic priest Father Jonas (excellently played with frightening intensity by James Carver) kills two fornicating teenagers. Thirty-three years later Father Jonas escapes from the cellar of the church he's been imprisoned in and returns to the monastery from his youth. Said monastery has been converted into a summer home where a pair of teenage couples go to celebrate prom night. Director Clay Borris and screenwriter Richard Beattie craft an extremely dark and twisted slice'n'dice body count fright feature that benefits substantially from a grimly serious tone, a creepy mood, a steady pace, several gory and nasty murder set pieces, a smidgen of steamy soft-core sex, a considerable amount of tension, and a brutal and harrowing last third. Better still, there's no silly disruptive humor to diminish the severity of the in-your-face harsh and unflinching horror; Father Jonas in particular registers strongly as one extremely scary and vicious dude. In addition, the brooding religious angle gives the picture an extra sick and subversive edge. Nicole de Boer makes for an appealing heroine as the sweet and virginal Meagan; she receives sound support from Alden Kane as Meagan's nice guy boyfriend Mark, Joy Tanner as shameless slut Laura, Alle Ghadbran as the equally brash Jeff, Brock Simpson as eager young priest Father Colin, and Fab Filippo as Mark's bratty peeping tom younger brother Jonathan. Rick Wincenty's polished, agile cinematography keeps the camera constantly moving and boasts a handful of fluid tracking shots. Paul Zaza's spooky'n'shuddery score likewise hits the skin-crawling spot. A superior slasher horror outing.
