The Midnight Horror: 'The Church' (2018)

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My suffering feels perpetual, like a relentless flu plague that refuses to loosen its grip. At this point, I can't help but think I might be possessed by some mischievous demon or a wayward spirit. But I digress—today's Midnight Horror spot features the less-than-chilling 2018 PG-13 flick, The Church. Written and directed by a fellow named Dom Frank—someone I had the unfortunate pleasure of encountering for the first time. Maybe that’s for the best; his filmmaking skills left much to be desired.

The plot unfolds in a rundown neighborhood of Philadelphia, where the Pastor (Bill Moseley), the last bastion of a once-vibrant Baptist church, stares down the barrel of gentrification. Time hasn’t been kind to either the church or its community, and now they’re both clinging desperately to their fading identities. The Pastor's steely resolve to preserve his family legacy is put to the test by the high-society aspirations of his status-seeking wife (Michelle Romano) and avaricious church leaders—one played by the ever-familiar Lisa Wilcox. Lured by the seductive promises of cold, hard cash from the unscrupulous developer (Matthew Nadu) and his team of sycophants (Ashley C. Williams, Vito Lograsso), they plot to swap out the sacred for the shiny—establishing a flashy "mega-ministry" just around the corner.

As greed takes its grip, the spirits of long-ago congregants begin to rise, their spectral dissatisfaction thundering through the crumbling walls of the sanctuary. One by one, the sinners, yanked back into the haunting echo of their choices, become unwilling pawns in a game controlled by invisible forces. The chilling twist? They must all re-examine their past misdeeds, kneeling before the covenant’s will, revealing who among them might still be righteous enough to seek redemption.

Yet here I sit, staring blankly at my computer screen, pondering how to articulate my thoughts on this cinematic drizzle. Is The Church even worthy of the horror label? Sure, it features the horror icon Bill Moseley, but let’s be real—there’s nothing remotely frightening about this film. The premise had potential, but it sinks under the weight of a bland script, lackluster performances from a supporting cast that couldn’t scare a mouse, and an absence of chills. The cinematography? Woeful. The editing? Shotty, at best. The special effects? Well, let’s just say they could use a séance of their own.

With an IMDb budget of a million dollars, one has to wonder: where did it all go? I understand that low budgets can be a filmmaker’s Achilles’ heel, but that’s no excuse for failing to weave a clever tale. Dom Frank could have embraced the essence of Gothic horror, stitching together a tapestry rich with atmospheric tension and a haunting score that would send shivers down the spine. Instead, we’re left with The Church—a tragicomic mess masquerading as horror, a boring slab of mediocrity wrapped in what’s supposed to be a frightful package. Let's hope the next Midnight Horror brings a bit more life—or, at least, a dash more fright—into this season of scares. ╌★✰✰✰✰

〜B.J. Burgess