Catacombs (1988) User Reviews

Not bad

[Tikkin · 4/10 · 31 January 2007]

Catacombs isn't a bad film, the actors are quite believable and do a good job, and the story keeps you mildly engaged. However, this isn't really a proper horror film as there is little gore or scares. There's a lot of mumbo jumbo about demons which is hard to follow. Apparently it's all to do with a demon trapped underneath the monastery, causing strange things to happen.

There was one good scene where a statue of Jesus comes alive and kills a man, and I suspect anyone deeply religious would be offended by Catacombs for this reason. I wouldn't recommend this film to horror fans as it's neither here nor there. It's not bad but not that great either.

The best stuff happens at the beginning

[Aaron1375 · 4/10 · 20 June 2014]

I got this film in a pack with three other horror films. The other three are "Dungeon Master", "Cellar Dweller" and the horrendous "Contamination .7". The only other one I have seen was the awful "Contamination .7" so while this one was not particularly good, compared to that it was spectacular! Seriously though, this is another in a long line of horror films that had something good going for it and an interesting premise, but ends up being done the wrong way. It starts out fast enough as something happens in the past and then it is not all that long in the present that something is released making me think this one was going to be one heck of a ride; however, it slows down significantly and ends in basically with an exorcism that is very anticlimactic. This one was watchable though and it held my interest, I just feel it could have done better considering how it started out.

The story has an exorcism being done in the past and it fails to produce results so the accursed is sealed within a tomb under a monastery. It switches to present time and a young lady is visiting the monastery and wishes to see the wondrous catacombs underneath it. Unfortunately, the evil that has been sealed is now about to be released for reasons only the makers of the film know and chaos will ensue! Well, it does ensue, but it does so rather slowly. It is up to Timothy Van Patten to get to the bottom of the evil and destroy it once and for all!

So yeah, the film does have a nice scene at the beginning. It just kind of fades out quickly after that. You have the monk who warns everyone that the evil is coming and he is ignored and thought a fool by the head of the place and even though he is absolutely correct, he is still presented as someone to root against. Though if they had listened to him, lives would have been spared. The girl is attractive and near the end of the film she would be possessed, but all that would play out is your basic exorcism scene, well not too basic. I do believe it is the first time I have seen evil defeated with a flashback.

So another in a long line of horror films that was almost good, but they pretty much blew it. There just was not enough going on after the initial scenes and the end was rather weak. They gave us a monastery full of people and had a very low death toll. Still, it was short and while not great, it held my interest enough that the movie did not feel overlong either. So, with a bit of work and some more death, this one could have been something special. As it is, it is just another horror movie on a package of four.

Good, creepy religious chiller

[Mephisto-21 · 6/10 · 26 December 1999]

Originally filmed in 1988 under the title Catacombs but not released until 1993 due to the production company's bankruptcy, Curse IV is a surprisingly entertaining film. Under the direction of frequent Charles Band collaborator David Schmoeller, the film creates a strong feeling of unease early on and keeps the suspense going fairly strong throughout. Feodor Chaliapin is especially memorable as a dying priest. He comes across with just the right amount of sincerity so that one could honestly see him as a man of the cloth. While far from the greatest film to come out of Empire Pictures, Curse IV is still a fun movie that is worth a look sometime.

Monastery of the damned

[Cujo108 · 30 October 2010]

Taken off the shelf and retitled "Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice", this was actually made before the second and third entries in the unrelated series. This one deals with a possessed albino who was sealed in the walls of an old monastery 400 years ago. Fast-forward to the present and a young teacher's arrival to the monastery somehow frees the demon from it's prison.

I'm a fan of the other three film in the Curse "series", and while I enjoyed this one to an extent, it's easily the weakest of the four. The film boasts an exciting opening sequence, but things get bogged down when we move to the present. Of the cast, Laura Schaefer is certainly attractive, but the only good performance here is that of Jeremy West as the strict Brother Marinus. The atmosphere is solid, Pino Donaggio contributes a typically good score and there's a really effective bit with a possessed statue towards the end. This scene alone is worth seeing the film for.

On the other hand, the film would benefit from a different actor in the hero role. The guy they chose annoyed me, and so did the bedridden priest who goes on and on about utter nonsense. His character should have been omitted entirely. I also can't believe that an obvious continuity error was allowed to remain during the scene where Schaefer walks in on the monks having dinner.

A mixed bag.

The first ten mins is pure horror and then the entire movie is boring without any gore, scare or nudity.

[Fella_shibby · 2/10 · 6 September 2021]

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently to end the curse of The Curse marathon.

Horror movies set in isolated monasteries and that too with a demon who can uncuff himself with his magical power n also turn a metal crucifix into black serpents is very rare and looks n sounds fantastic.

This movie started off in the above mentioned manner that i loved the first ten mins but then it became very boring.

The concept of statue coming to life is spooky but here in this movie it is a big lol.

The plot - In the 17th century, a monk possessed by a demon is captured and sealed in the catacombs of a monastery only to be released in the present day when a young n attractive woman visits the monastery in order to do some research against the wishes of a monk who is second in command.

Laura Schaefer's character gets possessed but we dont get to see any nudity or sex.

Not classy enough; not trashy enough.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 13 April 2021]

In the 16th Century, a group of monks trap a demon in the catacombs under the Abbey of San Pietro en Valle in Italy. Centuries later, the demon is accidentally freed and possesses visiting teacher Elizabeth Magrino (Laura Schaefer).

David Schmoeller started his directorial career with the excellent offbeat horror Tourist Trap and followed that with the oddball Klaus Kinski chiller Crawlspace, but his later career saw him turn to schlocky B-movies for Charles Band's Full Moon studio. With its religious setting and a cool Omen-esque score by Pino Donaggio, it initially seems as though Catacombs might be a little classier, but in the end, it just another piece of straight-to-video nonsense, but one that isn't trashy enough to be fun: the film is very light on the gore and features no gratuitous nudity whatsoever, redheaded beauty Schaefer staying fully clothed throughout.

Half of the film consists of shots of people walking down a spiral staircase and through the tunnels of the catacombs; everyone does it at least once. Much of the remainder sees the same people pretending to be struck by the demon's supernatural force. It all gets very boring. There's not much in the way of special effects to speak of, the budget only allowing for a smoke machine, a wind machine, some white slap and a pair of black contact lenses. The much touted 'Jesus coming alive on the cross' scene is very disappointing: it's just a bloke wearing a nappy, a bad wig and fake beard, and the subsequent killing of a monk with one of the crucifixion nails is totally gore-free.

The ending, in which Father John Durham (Timothy Van Patten) banishes the demon with a heavenly beam of light reflected off a golden monstrance, makes no sense at all and closes the film in a very unsatisfactory manner.

Curse IV

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 24 December 2021]

Yes, you may notice that the fourth Curse move was made two years after the third. We can blame that on the fact that it was the last officially completed film by Empire Pictures before the company was seized for failure to pay on loans.

This delayed the movie by five years and TriStar Home Video released it direct-to-video as Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice with no connection to The Curse, The Curse II: The Bite or The Curse III: Blood Sacrifice.

It's directed and written by David Schmoeller, whose Tourist Trap and Puppet Master are both great movies.

Teacher Elizabeth Magrino arrives at the Abbey of San Pietro en Valle to see the abbey's first Prior had his vision healed within the catacombs thanks to the Miracle of the Celestial Light. There's also the issue of a demon that had been trapped in the monastery that has now possessed an albino leper, which is really a sentence that you should go back and read again.

Making this movie work is a solid Italian crew, including cinematography by Sergio Salvati (The Beyond, The House by the Cemetery), a score by Pino Donaggio and production design by Giovanni Natalucci (Once Upon a Time in America, The Stendhal Syndrome). There's one scene worth watching this movie for, as a possessed statue of Jesus remembers how amazing The Eerie Midnight Horror Show was and gets down off the cross and kills a monk.

Got problems falling asleep? Well, look no further...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 15 April 2024]

When I had the chance to sit down and watch the 1988 horror movie "Catacombs" here in 2024, of course I did so. Sure, I had never even heard about the movie, prior to sitting down to watch it. But with it being a horror movie, that in itself was more than enough to make me give the movie a fair chance.

However, writers David Schmoeller and R. Barker Price put together a script and storyline that failed to entertain me. The movie started out nice enough, but then lost its momentum and sort of went from being a horror movie to being a boring pseudo-religious movie without direction and contents. Truth be told, I fell asleep along the slow paced narrative, yeah, the movie was that boring.

Of the entire cast, I was only familiar with Ian Abercrombie and Vernon Dobtcheff. The acting performances in the movie were good, and the actors and actresses did portray their characters nicely on the screen.

Visually, not an overly impressive movie. So "Catacombs" didn't even have that working in favor of it.

"Catacombs" was a swing and a miss of a movie. And this is definitely not a movie that I would recommend that you waste 88 minutes on watching. Some of us suffered through this ordeal, so you don't have to. You're quite welcome.

My rating of director David Schmoeller's 1988 movie "Catacombs" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

Starts Great, 10 rating, then crap acting, dialogue, story quickly moves to a 1 rating. Complete Failure!

[Bababooe · 1/10 · 4 March 2017]

Starts Great, 10 rating, then crap acting, dialogue, story quickly moves to a 1 rating. Complete Failure!

Great beginning at an earlier time with a demon and exorcism, cinematography, editing, sets, creepy acting makeup blood. Beginning is a solid 10 rating. The rest of the movie. The present day. We get the female lead, which was OK, but nothing special. The acting all around was cheaper than soap opera. The dialogue sucked. The story sucked. The atmosphere sucked. The whole freaking movie was set in a monastery and its grounds. Boring slow crap. Nothing is explained. Why did the demon decide to escape at that point in time. Was it because of the girl? Who knows.

The sets were decent in the catacombs and the cinematography was good. The rest of the movie sucked. It's incredible with suck a strong beginning that the rest of the movie fails in such a glorious way. They had a budget, good sets and cinematography. Some decent actors with crappy lines. The hero priest was one of the worst actors. The female lead was OK, but nothing great.

The rating is probably closer to C/D, or 4 stars. But for the complete incompetence and failure of a boring slow nothing happening movie, it is an F, 1 star. The only reason to watch this movie is to compare your thoughts to the reviews listed here. Maybe you can find some entertainment there.

Pretty decent

[dworldeater · 6/10 · 16 July 2019]

Catacombs is a nice timepasser and pretty decent lesser known horror movie. This takes place in modern times(well, the late 80's)and is about a powerful demon locked away in the catacombs of an ancient monastery that is breaking out and reeking havoc, The acting is pretty good and the pacing and f/x are solid. Catacombs plot and style is nothing new and borrows heavily from The Exorcist, The Omen films and other, better films in the same genre. It does generate a spooky atmosphere and I would say, there is not much that will blow viewers away, but its done well enough that most people can sit through the film and more ardent fans of similar horror films should enjoy it.

Disappointing Charles Band production

[a_chinn · 2/10 · 3 June 2017]

I'm usually a big fan of cheesy Charles Band horror productions, but this was was pretty bad. The story is about a demon trapped in a monastery 400 years ago who gets inadvertently released. This film is lacking any kind of knowing campiness, which makes most Band productions unpretentiously entertaining, with camp ranging from subtle, such as "From Beyond," to the ridiculous (and ridiculously fun) "Killjoy" films. This production simply did not have the budget or behind the scenes talent to pull off something like "The Exorcist" or "The Church," which this film clearly wanted to be. The film does boast a classy score by Pino Donaggio, but that's about it.

I was impressed with this one.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 23 March 2014]

"Catacombs" stands out in the catalogue of Charles Bands' Empire Pictures; it's actually pretty good, with a refreshing lack of cheese and camp. Yes, it's possible that it may bore viewers hoping for more action and a high body count, but it has a serious, somber quality and atmosphere that makes it quite effective. Filmed at Empires' Italian studios, it's earnestly acted by a sound cast, deliberately paced, hauntingly scored (by the ever reliable Pino Donaggio), and uses the classic theme of good vs. evil to good effect. Granted, the finale is somewhat underwhelming, but until then the movie works well.

Directed by David Schmoeller, who co-wrote under a pseudonym, it stars "Class of 1984" villain Timothy Van Patten as Father John Durham, who lives in a monastery but isn't part of the brotherhood of monks residing there. The place is visited by a schoolteacher named Elizabeth Magrino (Laura Schaefer, "Ghost Town"), and this seems to serve as a catalyst for supernatural phenomena to occur. John, Elizabeth, and the others realize then that there is an evil presence on hand.

"Catacombs" is bolstered by its engaging performances; Van Patten is low key but likable, as is the lovely Schaefer. Ian Abercrombie ("Army of Darkness") and Vernon Dobtcheff ("Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade") each have a warm presence as the monks who give Elizabeth a nice welcome, while Jeremy West is very good as Brother Marinus, a humourless stiff who distrusts her presence. Feodor Chaliapin Jr. is touching as the terminally ill Brother Terrel. And viewers are certain to remember cast member Brett Porter as the creepy possessed albino.

Production design (by Giovanni Natalucci) and cinematography (by Sergio Salvati) are first rate, and special effects are good but kept to a minimum.

Fans of 1980s horror who love discovering the more obscure offerings may find this to be very respectable and interesting.

Eight out of 10.

not what you will be expecting

[vh290096 · 7 February 2001]

Picking this title up for a couple of quid, I had hoped for a standard lame monster flick in which those dam monks get there just deserves. Surprisingly, the characters throughout are well rounded, often humorous and quite believable. The demon that stalks the catacombs has some cool moves that unfortunately are not really exploited in the films conclusion. If you like watching these kind of bargain basement titles then Catacombs will serve you well as it is a little more intelligent and atmospheric than usual. Although not particularly scary or gory this movie offers more than enough laughs and thrills to recommend a rental. 5 outa 10

A follow up on Catacombs.

[cllangkjaer · 9/10 · 9 March 2005]

I have a correction to what was written in an earlier comment. Well this Movie WAS shot under the Catacombs title, not Curse 4. Due to the fall of Empire Pictures around 1989, this film was "lost" for a few years. Charlie Band sold the rights to Tristar/Epic along with the Rights for Robot Jox to Transworld, an earlier film from veteran director Stuart Gordon. Tristar released Catacombs under the Curse 4 title.( Video Box Office) Also The Film score was done by Italian Composer Pino Donaggio. It is a fantastic score, truly haunting. The Stereo sound from Tristar's full screen Laserdisc edition is done nicely. Though there is a little video grain in the picture. The Entertainment in video UK VHS edition is in 1:85:1 and the picture and sound quality is fairly good. This is one of my favorite Empire movies and it is a well put together film from Director David Schmoeller.

Good Exorcist/Omen clone

[etusciuk · 8/10 · 19 September 2017]

This is a movie I never saw before until just recently. I had borrowed a 2-disc set of low-budget 80's horror movies and this was on it. So I watched it and I was genuinely impressed to a degree. The acting is kind of well-rounded. You got your actors who are okay and your actors who are good and know how to act.

The movie is genuinely scary, although halfway through and closer to the end it does add a couple scenes that are a little bit more hammy. The plot involves a monastery in Italy. The film opens during the middle ages actually. We see some monks trying to perform an exorcism on this very decrepit looking man. One of the monks ends up getting possessed, but the keep the evil at bay by sealing the room with some kind of holy seal/symbol. It then goes into modern day. Where a young girl who is studying to be a teacher for a religious school goes to the monastery to learn some more things about the holy church. Some weird things go on and a lot of the monks, especially this crazy, but very religiously devout one, blame it on her, calling her evil and unclean. It turns out the possessed man in the basement was more than just a possessed person, but is actually The Beast Of The Apocalypse, THE ANTICHRIST HIMSELF!!

The musical score was excellent. It reminds you of the omen soundtrack, how it is mostly string portions paired with dark sounding Latin chanting. It is genuinely creepy and enhances the film. The cinematography is excellent, and a lot of scenes, especially the ones inside the catacombs are very well shot. You do get a real sense of dread and horror seeing the catacombs, and you can almost feel the Antichrist evil just looking at it.

For a Charles Band production this is very well done. Arguably one of his best. I was surprised how dark, gritty, realistic, and deep this was for his films. I love watching his movies because I like low-budget 80's horror/sci-fi/dark fantasy stuff. I know his stuff did tend to get cheesy and schlock, especially with Dollman and the Troll films, but this was a new level for him and it was impressive.

If you like films like Omen,Exorcist,The Sentinel, any of those possession/apocalypse type films, this one is definitely worth watching.

I give this 8 out of 10.

Solid horror movie

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 5 February 2014]

A demon that's been trapped in a monastery for four hundred years gets unleashed after troubled priest Father John Durham (a fine and likable performance by Timothy Van Patten) and sweet school teacher Elizabeth Magrino (a sound and appealing portrayal by the lovely Laura Schaeffer) arrive at said monastery. Director David Schmoeller, who also co-wrote the smart and involving script with R. Baker Price, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, does an ace job of crafting a creepy atmosphere rife with dread and unease, stages the shock scenes with flair, handles the religious angle with tact and taste, and makes excellent use of the dusty sprawling abbey location. The monks in the monastery are a colorful and interesting bunch: Ian Abercrombie as the jolly superior Brother Orsini, Jeremy West as the dour and fanatical Brother Marinus, Vernon Dobtcheff as the friendly Brother Timothy, and Feoder Chaliapin as the sickly and dying Father Terrel. Moreover, this movie is notable for an striking sequence in which a statue of Christ comes to malevolent life and kills a priest. The big climactic confrontation between good and evil manages to be pretty thrilling and satisfying without resorting to the usual flashy pyrotechnics. Kudos are also in order for Sergio Salvati's handsome cinematography and Pino Donaggio's beautifully eerie score. A neat little fright film.

so typical for the end of the eighties

[trashgang · 3 February 2011]

Before I watched this horror I watched another one coming from the same year. It's easy to see, again, that horror wasn't very popular around that era. Of course there were some highlights as Hellraiser (1987) but here again, it surely isn't a slasher or a gory piece. But there is a bit of suspense here although that you easily can see who will be possessed by the demon. There is almost no blood in it and the effects used are very cheap. What I mean is, the bodies are doing the tricks and now and then a cross or other things just fall of the wall. The acting is reasonable well and it is strange that this flick never had a proper release. Still up to now it isn't available on VHS or DVD. If you want to see it you will have to find it on rental VHS. It wasn't that bad but it's easy to see that it was a low budget. A perfect example that the latex and slime effects were over, which mostly look gory, and that a new era was on his way, the computer era or better known as CGI. But if you can find it than I would recommend it to watch it.

The Best Of Empire Pictures Vol 2.

[jamesbourke59 · 10/10 · 9 August 2010]

O brother where art thou? when all around you the brothers of the cloth are beginning to lose sight of their religion and all those who still survive firmly believe that their world is crumbling all around them! Whilst the death knell was quietly sounding in the background for Empire Pictures, Charles Band still kept his head and and his feet firmly on the ground when this classy little chiller went into production, filmed in the beautiful surroundings of Italy.

At the helm of 'Catacombs' was Empire stalwart David Schmoeller, who can proudly list amongst his achievements the very fine 'Crawlspace' and the not so bad 'Netherworld'.

Whilst most people have often derided this movie as boring and severely lacking in the requisite chills department, let me state right here and now and categorically state, that this movie has got it all! David Schmoeller has crafted a well thought out little gem, the script contains many outstanding flourishes and more importantly, it's the cast of veteran actors who really get the chance to shine.

Timothy Van Patten is a man at odds with his faith, so he is sent on secondment to an out of the way brotherhood. The brotherhood in question is watched over by Brother Orsini superbly played by Ian Abercrombie(another regular in the annals of Empire Pictures.

Of course whilst everything is ticking along nicely, an unnamed brother is quietly excavating in the lower reaches of the monastery, as this is a horror movie, we the viewer just know that if he delves any deeper into the catacombs he will find himself in the midst of a very nasty surprise.

At the same time, a teacher named Elizabeth, (played by the very beautiful Laura Schaefer, who was previously to be seen in another Empire wonder 'Ghost Town') has come to the monastery to study.

Needless to say, all hell literally breaks loose, and whispers and superstitions gradually take hold over everyone, Brother Orsini's second in command Brother Marinus played with devilish glee by Jeremy West('Howling 6 - The Freaks')senses his moment of gaining control over the monastery is close to hand.

As previously mentioned, what really raises this movie to great heights is the acting, especially the participation of Feodor Chaliapin Jnr as the elderly brother who is getting ready to breath his last breath, the scene between himself and Van Patten when Chaliapin's shares of his one great regret in life, really is quite touching.

The screen villain played by Brett Porter ably holds his own as the possessed albino and the showdown between him and Van Patten contains many a wonderful exchange.

If ever a movie deserved a higher recognition this movie truly was it, I learn-ed many years later that this movie was released to DVD as a supposed sequel to that god awful movie 'The Curse', now that was truly a major shame, held high upon it's own merits, 'Catacombs' rocks on every level.

As a legacy of Empire Pictures past, this movie should be right at the top of the list.

Without hesitation, this movie gets 10/10

boring religious drama

[chaosnbeer · 26 December 2002]

Catacombs (Curse IV on video) is a boring religious drama that is trying to pass itself off as a horror movie , it pretty much isn't. It involves an albino demon who is the only interesting thing this film offers , oh and Jesus murders a priest for eating a candy bar..that was dandy. This movie pretty much has the look and feel of those cheesy cheap movies that church's and evangelist produce warning people they are sinners. Only 84 minutes it feels like it's 3 hrs , and it also feels like hours are going by without any action at all. I'd avoid this one

2/10

Gets a few things right... but not enough

[Wizard-8 · 14 April 2015]

I imagine that the basic plot of "Catacombs" - a demonic force being unsealed from its tomb after hundreds of years of imprisonment and causing havoc - will seem familiar to a number of viewers. But I didn't mind that, seeing that few modern day movies are totally original. Some might be bothered by the problem that some things in the movie are not properly explained, though fortunately these are minor details and don't hurt the movie too much. The real problem with this movie is that it is both too slow and not horrific enough. The movie moves at a sluggish pace, and it seems mighty slow in showing both horror and a building feeling of horror, even during the climatic sequence. There is a little genuine atmosphere built, but this movie needed more shocks, jolts and bite of a significant size. For what was a very low budget, the movie does look decent - the locations and sets are serviceable. But I think the majority of horror fans will feel let down by the very soft feeling this "horror" movie generates.

Lame and boring, but i've seen worse

[aaronzombie · 20 May 2000]

First of all this isn't CURSE IV. It was filmed in 1988 under a different title, but wasn't released to video until 1993 under the title CURSE IV: THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. Anyway, this is a lame thriller with cheap special effects, no suspense, and a laughable monster. The only good things are that the plot is o.k. and the actors are decent, but the film is just plain boring. ** out of *****. I don't really consider this part of the CURSE series, since 1-3 are much better.