La setta

"La Setta", or "The Sect", is that most unfortunate type of film, the kind with a collection of good moments but no discernable thread to string them all together. The result is a movie so boring that when a memorable scene happens, you probably won't be paying attention.

The plot has something, loosely, to do with the titular sect of devil worshippers, who appear to be based on the Manson family, at least in the movie's prologue. They kill a bunch of hippies in 1970, while a song from 1972 plays on the soundtrack. They also look shaggy and unkempt.

Then the movie switches to present day, and a kindergarten teacher almost runs over an old man, played by legendary German actor Herbert Lom. Of course, the meeting is really no accident, he's involved in the sect, and as with so many horror movies about evil cults, our protagonist is involved with the sect too, she just doesn't realise it. She's the essential ingredient the cultists need to make the devil come back or whatever.

If you think that last bit was a spoiler, the English-language distributors apparently disagree with you: they give it away in the film's title on those shores: "The Devil's Daughter".

You've seen it all before anyway, and done better: "The Wicker Man" also featured a religious cult in which the unsuspecting hero was the vital ingredient the cult needed for their evil plan. So did a little-seen, (but much better than "The Sect") Dutch movie called "The Family". "Rosemary's Baby", anyone? Maybe even "The Omen" films, in which the protagonist was indeed evil, but didn't know it at first.

It's been done before, and done better, and you've seen it at least a few times.

I said the movie has memorable moments but no interesting plot to tie them together. I think what it really has is moments that could be memorable in a better movie, but here, are not.

I'm at a loss to explain how this movie was directed by Michele Soavi, who made the superb "Cemetery Man" next. Perhaps it was the influence of Argento co-writing the screenplay that made this one so confusing and dull.

Not to mention overlong. Who the hell thought a trite devil-worshipper movie needed to be almost two hours?

Horror movie mostly set at a house with a great number of gory and bloody scenes. Third movie by Italian horror maestro's most gifted acolyte, Michael Soavi. A school teacher : Kelly Curtis becomes involved with an elderly man : Herbert Lom who she previously ran over at a car accident . But Satan has chosen his victims. Soon after , she finds herself being hunted por an eerie Satanic cult . The battle with evil has begun.

Creepy and scary movie with a number of amazing and terrifying scenes and lots of blood of gore. It is an atmospheric chiller with subterranean secrets about a young German schoolteacher who becomes involved with the Manson-like devil-worshipping sect headed by a mysterious person . The film is acceptable and passable but has a convoluted plot, being middlingly paced with several scenes that don't make sense and some frames in the wake of Argento's Inferno. The picture blends sacrifices, tortures , bravura set pieces, supernatural events, Alice in Wonderland references, ghastly appearances, general dream-like ambiance, stylist visuals and anything else.

It packs a colorful and atmospheric cinematography by Raffaele Mertes . As well as thrilling and mysterious musical score by Pino Donaggio. This gore-feast picture was regularly directed by Michael Soavi, that's why it has a number of flaws and gaps. Soavi is a fine artisan who started as a director assistant in various notorious films most of them directed by his maestro Dario Argento or Lamberto Bava as Tenebre, Phenomena, A Blade in the Dark, Demons. With new skills went on assisting Dario Argento as FX supervisor for Opera. Then Argento offered him to shoot another movie, the horror film titled La Chiesa or the Church with Dario as producer and shot in Hungary. In the Eighties and Nineties Soavi made some decent terror movies such as "Aquarius, The Chiesa, The Sect and his best one : Dellamore Dellamore or Zombie Graveyard" with Rupert Everett and Ann Falchi. All of them established as an fine expert more on suspense and scares than on graphic gore.

A woman is chosen to bear the son of Satan by a cult headed by a mysterious old traveller.

I find it pretty unfortunate to say the least that Michele Soavi last made a horror film way back in 1994. Unlike most of his Italian peers he seems to have bowed out on a high. With this film along with Stagefright, The Church and Cemetery Man, Soavi has a pretty impressive body of work. He was the premier Italian horror director from the period 1987-94. I can't say definitively why he never returned to the genre but needless to say he is a great loss.

Similar to his earlier movie The Church, The Sect was also produced and co-written by Dario Argento. Soavi was something of a protégé of the great man. This one shows the influence pretty clearly once again. It has stylish direction and inventive cinematography. It also benefits from a good score from Pino Donaggio. So its overall look and feel is pretty good, while it has some well-conceived locations such as the tree and the well. Soavi really comes into his element with the dream sequence and cult ceremony scenes. The dream sequence in particular is a bravura display of cinematic technique. It's surreal, weird and very memorable. It's the highlight of the movie for sure.

It has a decent enough cast that includes Herbert Lom as the mysterious old traveller, cult favourite Giovanni Lombardo Radice as the man who is chased in the underground with the human heart, while Jamie Lee-Curtis's sister Kelly leads the picture in the role of the teacher. It's by no means a faultless film; in fact it's probably the least good of Soavi's quartet of movies. It's probably a bit over long while its ending did seem very rushed and a bit unsatisfying. Nevertheless, it remains one of the very last good Italian horror films and like all Soavi films, is well worth catching.

The Sect (aKa La Setta, The Devil's Daughter, and Demons 4) is a 1991 Italian horror film co-written and directed by Michele Soavi (Dario Argento's World of Horror, Stage Fright, The Church, and Cemetery Man). It was co-written and produced by Italian legend Dario Argento (Opera, Two Evil Eyes, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat o' Nine Tails, Suspiria, and Four Flies on Grey Velvet). Soavi started out as an actor in such films as Alien 2: On Earth, City of the Living Dead, A Blade in the Dark, and Demons. Soon after, he became an assistant/second unit director on Tenebrae, A Blade in the Dark, Blasfighter, Phenomena, Demons, and Opera. After their last collaboration The Church was a success, Soavi and Argento decided to team up again for The Sect. Soavi was destined for greatness in horror after striking gold from 1987 to 1994 in the genre with StageFright, The Church, Cemetery Man, and this all in a row. It's still a mystery why he stopped out of no where when he had so much potential to be the next big horror director in Italy. It's great to see his films get proper high definition treatment. In the 80s and early 90s it was a popular trend to cast family members of the famous actors or actresses in a lower budget productions to draw more attention. Kelly, the older sister of Jamie Lee Curtis. Also the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh was cast as the lead in this!!!!

It starts out in 1970 with a bunch of hippies partying and enjoying life near the water. They are greeted by a drifter named Damon (played by: Tomas Arana from "The Church", "Body Puzzle", "The Last Temptation of Christ", and "Gladiator"). He says he's been on the road for a long time and looking for help. They take him in and treat him as one of their own. Later that night, when everyone is asleep other strangers show up. Damon and his Manson-like cult murder the entire group. Damon goes to a vehicle to talk to his mysterious leader. He is told he needs wait for the orders that the cult has been waiting on and he says it could take years. It's now present day 1991 in Germany. In a homage to "Psycho", Marion Crane is introduced as a possible main character as she is followed by Martin Romero (played by: Giovanni Lombardo Radice from "The Church". "StageFright", "City of the Living Dead", and "Cannibal Ferox"). He has the sudden urge to leave his family to pursue the young lady as she leaves town. He breaks in her place and loses it. The police trap him, he starts talking about some conspiracy. An older man Moebius Kelly (played by: Herbert Lom from "The Dead Zone", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Asylum" and the Pink Panther films) nearly gets hit by Miriam Kreisl (played by: Kelly Curtis from "Trading Places", "The Sentinel", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine", and "Magic Sticks") when she's driving towards him. She feels bad so she decides to let hm stay the night with her. When she's asleep, Moebius comes in her room.

He whispers some words which sound like some curse and puts a bug into her nose. She starts to have to nightmares. Miriam wakes up and finds Moebius in bad health. She leaves to find her doctor but she has to get someone else for help. Frank (played by: Michael Adams from "Vater, lieber Vater" and "Ameisenweg") comes over to to see what's going on. They find the old man dead in the basement covered in a white cloth almost like a mask. It's almost like it became his skin as tight it was and it appears to have suffocated him. She goes back to her job as a teacher. One of her students draws a picture of a bug that instantly grabs her attention. Shes finds out it's been extinct. They symbolize fertility and evil. She meets up with her friend Kathryn (played by: Mariangela Giordano from "Burial Ground", "Satan's Baby Doll", "Patrick Still Lives", and "Vampire Killer Barbys"). She's helping her go through some things when the same white cloth as before latches on to her face real tight. Miriam gets a voice recording from Moebius which makes no sense considering the last time she seen him he was dead. Frank joins her for an urgent visit to the hospital. Damon meets up with a familiar face from the hospital. The cult is now in Germany and finally going to carry out their long awaited plan. Miriam goes through a nightmare that won't stop & it leaves you wanting more. Is it reality or just a bad dream????

Is it reality or dreams? This visual nightmare with crafty camera work from cinematographer Raffaele Mertes (Trauma, Blood Delirium, and The Flight of the Innocent) and a haunting score from Pino Donaggio (Carrie, Piranha, Dressed to Kill, The Howling, Trauma, and many others) is truly bizarre. I haven't seen too many movies like this, it stands out from the other films made during the early 90s. The Sect has some great practical special fx during some of the weird moments and the kills in this. It has a solid cast that includes Herbert Lom, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Tomas Arana, Michael Adams, and Kelly Curtis. It was a common practice in the Italian film industry to rip off bigger American pictures and they make their own version on a lower budget. Lots of those projects ended up being so more fun and way more entertaining than it's original influence. It's no a secret or a big surprise that this heavy resembles Rosemary's Baby with a touch of The Innocents. Honestly, I thought this was WAY better than Rosemary's Baby. It had so much more going for it and I found it more interesting to be real. This feature is full of chaotic moments that you won't forget on screen which makes this Italian horror worth checking out or revisiting any time!!!!

I first saw this film prior to its original release in the UK at the London Film Festival where Michele Soavi himself was in attendance. Afterwards I shook the man's hand and congratulated him on a fine film. The whole audience was very appreciative really. That was the last time I saw it until I finally found it again on a fine import dvd from xploitedcinema. I'm glad to say it still holds up very well indeed - the story grips from the start and doesn't let go right up to the incredible ending. Ok, so the story may have echoes of Rosemary's Baby but how often do you see a truly original horror film ? I can only think of a handful. Track this film down and you won't be disappointed.