Bringing The Convent to screens (big and small) in the U.S. was never an easy task. Making its debut at Sundance on January 20, 2000, it would be close to three years before making its way to home video (though it did debut in the U.K. long before that). Problems with the distributor arose, which held it back, hindering what I felt could have been a much more successful run. From the minds of then newcomers Chaton Anderson and Mike Mendez, they fashioned a film that has entertained fans the world over for over twenty years. It may have taken nearly two decades, but over the last couple of years, its cult status just continues to rise.
Clorissa (Joanna Canton) and her goth queen friend Mo (Megahn Perry) join the rest of their college friends in breaking into an old abandoned convent, where they encounter a group of Satanists led by Saul (David Gunn) and Dickie Boy (Kelly Mantle). Somehow, the inept Satanists complete a ritual, and they unintentionally unleash demonic spirits that take over their bodies. The only way for them to be stopped is to look into the history of the convent and enlist the help of someone who has battled them before.
In the vein of something like Evil Dead, director Mike Mendez, who had only directed one previous feature film (Killers), was quick to jump aboard the project. “Alpine Pictures had already raised a certain amount of money and needed to make a horror film. Chaton came to me with her idea, and I said, ‘Yes!’ right away. She wrote the script, I threw in my two cents, and it was a go,” Mendez recalls. Chaton Anderson had grown close to Mendez while doing PR for his first film, so after the pitch, they were off and running. She continues, “I wrote the script in a month and presented it to the company. They loved it and were excited by the idea of having Mike attached as well. I had maybe a month to incorporate notes and do another re-write before we moved on it.”
For me, what truly makes the film work is the casting. Not just one person steals the film; almost every single character has a moment to remember. Actress Megahn Perry has nothing but praise for her co-stars, saying, “David Gunn and Kelly Mantle were so hilarious! I just kept laughing at how funny everything they said was. If you put me in a room with Mike, Chaton, Liam Kyle Sullivan, or David, we all talk over each other, we have the same sense of humor, everyone is hilarious, and just a great group of people to improv with.“ If you’ve seen the film, you’ll understand what she’s saying. The acting is relaxed, and the humor never seems forced, it just flows organically. Even Adrienne Barbeau, who plays Christine in the film, knew it was something different. “I thought the script was hysterically funny! I love the scene where Clorissa (Joanna Canton) goes to Christine for help, and they meet for the first time. It’s so funny, especially when I ask her if her brother is a virgin,” she says.
Along with the casting and humor, another standout quality of The Convent was the use of practical effects. It was released at a time when computer effects were just taking over, it used very little and stuck to the use of prosthetics and make-up. Gorehounds had plenty to fawn over, with several phenomenal set pieces that showcased the work of award-winning effects artist Dean Jones. An amazing demon creature appears at the end of the film, and actor Kelly Mantle is the lucky performer who has to sit in the chair for the extensive makeup application.
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Kelly recollects, “I was in that makeup chair for six hours, and I’m terrible at sitting still for long periods of time. It was physically challenging, and we also had to get it in one take at like 5:00 a.m. with no sleep. It was surreal and memorable because it was my only scene getting to act with Adrienne Barbeau.” Also notable on the effects front was the use of fluorescent paint on the demons. It was such a cool and unique look it has never really been replicated. Mike Mendez took inspiration from a friend of his, special effects legend Screaming Mad George, and used a black light reactive lens along with the paint to achieve the look. He even went so far as to have his second-unit director over-crank the camera so his demons moved in a jerky, stop-motion-like way.
Just when I thought the film had sort of been thrown to the wayside, on October 11, 2018, Retro Nightmares brought The Convent back to the big screen for a one-night-only event. The film was restored to a 4K version, and it was recently announced that Synapse Films is planning to release it on Blu-ray. In a recent interview with Rue Morgue, Synapse president Don May Jr. said, “We’re still looking for materials for The Convent. There’s a 4K master available that was done by the licensor with materials they had, a couple of theatrical prints, which doesn’t look so hot. If we have to use it, we will, but we think we’ve found the original materials. The production company went under, so all the materials got scattered, and it’s hard to figure out the chain of where everything went. Around December or January, we found where we think the materials are.” While it doesn’t appear to be heading our way soon, a Blu-ray will happen, and that’s exciting to know.
Actor David Gunn says it best: “Film is subjective, and everyone has their own tastes. There’s this amazing community of people who love to buy these quirky little films, and it’s like capturing a piece of preserved history. Not just our film, but others who have worked in similar circumstances, giving all their blood, sweat, and tears, deserve to have their art preserved and available to those who will truly appreciate it.” While 2020 may have been the official twenty-year anniversary of the film’s theatrical release, the DVD and VHS came out in 2002, courtesy of Trimark. It’s also available to rent on various streaming sites, including Amazon Prime Video.
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If you’ve never seen The Convent, do yourself a favor and seek it out. It’s one of my favorites and a film I will never stop championing. In fact, in issue #8 of cult film magazine Exploitation Nation, I wrote a massive ten-page article on the film featuring interviews with Mike Mendez, Chaton Anderson, David Gunn, Megahn Perry, composer Joe Bishara, Liam Kyle Sullivan, effects artist Dean Jones, Kelly Mantle, and the legendary Adrienne Barbeau. I pulled some quotes for this article from my extensive interview sessions with these talented individuals. The Convent is everything a cult film should be and more, and to see it finally getting some respect is truly exciting as a fan and, I’m sure, gratifying for everyone involved.
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