The Convent (2000 film)

The Convent

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mike Mendez
Written by Chaton Anderson
Starring Joanna Canton
Adrienne Barbeau
Richard Trapp
Dax Miller
Music by Joseph Bishara
Cinematography Jason Lowe
Edited by John Rosenburg
Production
company
Alpine Pictures
Distributed by Unapix Entertainment
Release dates
  • January 21, 2000 (2000-01-21) (Sundance Film Festival)
Running time
 79 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Convent is a 2000 horror film directed by Mike Mendez. The film had its world premiere on 21 January 2000 at the Sundance Film Festival and follows a group of college students that go into an abandoned convent, only to discover that it is inhabited by demons intent on possessing them.

Plot

The film opens with a young Christine (Oakley Stevenson) breaking into a convent and systematically killing each and every nun she comes across before setting fire to the place and leaving. The scene then cuts to modern day, where it's established that the convent has since been abandoned and is a popular place for local college students to break in and vandalize, as it's reported to be haunted. It's particularly popular for sororities and fraternities to break in and try to spray paint their letters on the bell tower, which is where Clorissa (Joanna Canton) is headed that very night with her friends. She's joined by her old goth friend Mo (Megahn Perry), her nerdy brother Brant (Liam Kyle Sullivan), ex-fraternity brother Frijole (Richard Trapp), the cheerleader Kaitlin (Renée Graham) and her dog, and fraternity brothers Chad (Dax Miller) and Biff (Jim Golden).

At the convent Biff and Frijole immediately start bullying Brant under the pretense that it is just routine hazing that all must go through in order to join the fraternity. This irritates Clorissa, who unsuccessfully tries to convince Brant that he should blow them off. Once inside, the group begins to explore the convent but are stopped by the arrival of two police officers (Coolio and Bill Moseley) that force them to leave and take a joint that one of them had been holding. Only Mo has managed to remain within the convent, as she had persuaded Frijole to cover for her by telling him that she was a virgin and that she'd let him have sex with her. The group then goes to a Denny's, where Frijole tells the group that they must go back for Mo as well as a large stash of pot that he left in the convent.

Back in the convent, Mo has been grabbed by a group of Satanists that are intent on sacrificing her as part of a ritual to give its leader Saul (David Gunn) power and summon Satan to earth. As Mo listens to the group talk to one another, she realizes that while they are all ridiculously gothic pretentious and have no idea what they are doing, they are serious about killing her. She tries to talk them out of it but is ultimately unsuccessful. After she is stabbed in the heart by one of the Satanists, Mo is immediately possessed by one of the demons that were already inhabiting the convent and begins slaying everyone in the group except Saul and Dickie-Boy (Kelly Mantle), who manage to get away. Meanwhile, the others have returned to the convent where they are also murdered one by one, until only Clorissa and Brant remain. Saul kidnaps Brant in the hopes of sacrificing him to Satan and sending the demons back, but Brant manages to escape and Saul is quickly killed and converted by the demons. Brant doesn't get far, as he and Dickie-Boy then get taken by the demons with the intent to use them in a sacrifice.

Clorissa makes her way to the convent and flees to the house of a now grown Christine (Adrienne Barbeau), who tells her the full story of the convent, which also served as an orphanage and home for pregnant teens. Christine admits that she did attack the nuns and priest running the place, but it was because they had become possessed by demons and were intent on taking her baby and using him to create the Anti-Christ. She saved her son, but had to spend years in a mental institution as a result. Christine then goes on to say that every few years college students break into the convent and become possessed by demons, but that little comes of it because she managed to fight them off and because none of them were virgins (meaning that Mo's claims of virginity were false), as only a virgin can become the Anti-Christ. Upon hearing that Brant is a virgin, Christine and Clorissa return to the convent to fight. They manage to fight off most of the demons but are unable to stop them from killing Dickie-Boy (who was also a virgin), who becomes the Anti-Christ. Christine then urges Clorissa and Brant to flee, as she will blow up the convent with herself and the Anti-Christ inside, as it is the only way to ensure that it will not escape. Clorissa and Brant escape the convent and find that the only other survivor is Kaitlin's dog, which Clorissa takes home with her. Once at home, Clorissa lays down on her bed to digest everything that happened and is promptly attacked by the dog, as it was also possessed by one of the demons.

Cast

Reception

Critical reception for The Convent has been mixed.[1]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Award Category Nominee Result
Fantafestival[2] Audience Award Mike Mendez Won
Fantasporto[2] Best Film Mike Mendez Nominated
Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival[2] Best Feature Film Mike Mendez Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "The Convent". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Convent – Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
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