Prime Time: The Convent (2000)

A film that feels very much like it could be an instalment in the Night Of The Demons series, The Convent is the third feature film from Mike Mendez, who was already comfortable with his approach to making fun, modern horror movies full of energy and homages. It's one of his weaker films, especially compared to the likes of Gravedancers (which would be his next feature) and Big Ass Spider! (released in 2013, do check it out), but it's definitely of interest to genre fans.

The main premise concerns a group of youthful men and women who decide to break into a local, allegedly cursed, convent. They plan to get up to typical hijinks, but all of that goes out the window when it soon becomes clear that the convent is host to at least one demonic presence. And a grand plan can start to be put in motion once again if a virgin can be procured and ritually sacrificed. Perhaps the one person who can help is the one person everyone assumed was mad after she attacked the convent residents many years ago. Especially as she is played by Adrienne Barbeau.

With plenty of silly character interactions, evil creatures with neon-tinged veins and blood, and logic quickly sidelined in favour of extreme silliness, including a scene in which Coolio (yes . . . Coolio) and Bill Moseley play a couple of cops, this is a film about fun ahead of anything else.

Joanna Canton is the lead, even if her character feels quite thin, and others involved include Megahn Perry, Liam Kyle Sullivan, Renée Graham, and more, but once you know that Adrienne Barbeau is in the cast list you just end up waiting for her to show up, and the film steps up a notch once she appears, being as tough as fans like her to be.

Mendez directs competently enough, working from a script by Chaton Anderson (who also gets a small onscreen role), and this is the kind of silliness that accompanies the more horrifying moments with some sharp editing and . . . lively music on the soundtrack. It's not about tension, at least not once the opening scenes are out of the way, and it's not about well-rounded characters you want to see make it through the night alive.

The Convent is not big or clever, and it's not trying to be. It's a film uninterested in depth, instead just hoping to provide viewers with some thrills, some laughs, and a fun 80 minutes, which is a perfectly good aim to have, especially when it succeeds. It's not a complete success, I admit that I would have liked some moments that were actually suspenseful, and some more gore gags would have also helped, but it's lightweight fun for those in the mood for it.

6/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.