The Convent 4K Review (Synapse Films)

The Convent is a 2000 horror comedy directed by Mike Mendez (Killers, Masters of Horror, The Gravedancers, Big Ass Spider!, Tales of Halloween, The Last Heist, Don’t Kill It, Satanic Hispanics, Lavalantula, and Bimbo Movie Bash). It was written and produced by Chaton Anderson (The Devil’s Convent and Punk’s Undead). In 1960, a young woman named Christine (played by: Oakley Stevenson from Terror Firmer, The Dead Hate the Living!, The Gravedancers, and Night of the Demons) goes to St. Francis Boarding School for Girls and she lays waste to the local nuns. Many decades later, a group of college students lead by Clorissa (played by: Joanna Canton from Masters of Sex, That ’70s Show, and Empire Records) decide to enter the abandoned building late one night to vandalize it with their fraternity letters. The rumors of it being haunted proves to be terrifyingly true. The disaster includes some curious cops Starkey (played by: Coolio from Daredevil, Dracula 3000, Red Water, Leprechaun 5, Dear God, and Judgement Day) and Ray (played by: Bill Moseley from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Texas Chainsaw, House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, Night of the Living Dead, and Army of Darkness) plus a crew of Satanists lead by Saul (played by: David Gunn from Killers, The Gravedancers, and Vampire Journals) that have kidnapped their friend Mo (played by: Megahn Perry from The Gravedancers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Perfect Host). This demonic infestation and non stop bloodshed brings back the grown-up Christine (played by: Adrienne Barbeau from Creepshow, Swamp Thing, The Fog, Swamp Thing, Escape from New York, and Two Evil Eyes) to stop her original nightmare!!!! 2000’s The Convent reminds me so much of Night of the Demons. There’s so many similar elements in it. It’s influence is all over this one. The Convent has a nice balance of comedy and horror. The script covers what you would expect from something like this. It has a great opening scene that really sets the mood for everything. One of my favorite things about this low budget production is the gruesome special fx especially for it’s small budget. It’s loaded with so much gore and creative kills. All of the demons looked wild in The Convent. Joanna Canton as Clorissa is a solid lead that gets dragged into this mess. Megahn Perry as Mo steals the show as the fiesty goth. She has some hilarious one liners. I wish that character had a bigger role in this. Adrienne Barbeau as Christine made her return to horror with The Convent. It was awesome to see her as the hero and the only person that could really stop this demonic madness. Rapper Coolio and Horror Icon Bill Moseley are such an odd combination as the cops in this. It adds some interesting moments. The rest of the supporting cast includes Oakley Stevenson, Richard Trapp (Cradle 2 the Grave), Dax Miller (Blood Surf), Renée Graham (Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth), Liam Kyle Sullivan (8 Simple Rules), Jim Golden (The Jamie Foxx Show), Chaton Anderson (Sorority Row), Kelly Mantle (The Browns), Jennifer Buttell (Happy Halloween), Allison Dunbar (The Sopranos), Elle Alexander (Zombieland), and Rosine ‘Ace’ Hatem (From Dusk Till Dawn). They knew what kind of film they were making here, lots of over the top performances but it works for this. It has an 80’s vibe and atmosphere to it. The soundtrack elevated the film, I was surprised by all the known songs used for this independent feature. I honestly wasn’t expecting much from The Convent but it I really enjoyed it. It was a blast and it always stays very entertaining for the entire time. It has strong replay value to it, looking forward to revisiting it already. This should be added to your October horror watch list, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Synapse Films! This 2160p (1.78:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is from a brand new 4K restoration from the original uncut 35mm Internegative elements. I never thought the low budget horror comedy The Convent world ever get this type of home video treatment but it looks fantastic. It blows away all it’s previous versions and it’s the best it’s ever looked anywhere. It’s a very stylish visual horror film so it does pop out when it comes to the video quality. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the UHD. The soundtrack really stands out when it comes to the audio but The Convent has plenty of explosive moments here. All of the dialogue is crisp, the lunacy is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director Mike Mendez, actors Megahn Perry, Liam Kyle Sullivan, and composer Joseph Bishara. It has an additional “Audio Commentary” with characters Saul and Dickie-Boy. Both commentaries are completely different from each other. So you do get a nice variety between these two tracks. The first one has more information and stories about the independent horror production. The second one is a little more fun and if you enjoyed their characters from The Convent, you’ll have lots of fun with their entertaining track. They are nice companion pieces. It has the little over 14 minute “Video Tour” for both The Convent and Killers film locations. Director Mike Mendez takes you through some of the most important spots for these two films including to his own place. He gives all kinds of behind the scenes information about both productions. It has the archive little over 8 minute “Making Of”. It has interviews with the crew and cast. They chat about how they came up with the concept and what inspired it. They talk about the production and some of it’s struggles. They go over their experiences. They bring up the special fx and it’s process. They all discuss working together and having a great time making this. It has the original little over 11 minute “Electronic Press Kit”. It has interviews with the cast and crew. They chat about what brought them to the project. They talk about working with a lower budget and what they did with it. They bring up some influences, special fx, the cast, crew, and the overall film. It has a very short “Deleted Scene” and the almost 6 minute “Gore Outtakes” from the movie. It has a little over 6 minute “Still Gallery” and two different “Promotional Trailers” for The Convent. It comes with reversible artwork, a booklet, Synapse Films catalog, and a blu ray copy of the release. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!