The Convent - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Have you seen Night of the Demons? Perhaps you caught John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness? Maybe you gave Lamberto Bava’s Demons a spin? Well, if you’re of my generation and grew up watching those movies, as a teenager you very well might have caught Mike Mendez’s tribute to the dark side The Convent. Perhaps light on true scares, the film mocks as much as it loves the Horror sub-genre with a new group of teens desecrating cursed grounds. Certainly not the greatest film ever made, but it’s a damn fun one!

In 1960, a young woman named Christine entered a boarding school for young girls run by the Catholic church. Armed with a shotgun, a baseball bat, a can of gasoline, and a lit cigarette, Christine lays waste to the nuns and the priest. Almost forty years later, the incident has become an urban legend. The school is now a place for young idiots like Clorissa (Joanna Canton) and her dimwit friends go to get high and have a good time. But when the evil souls of the executed nuns return and possess her friends, it’s once again up to the fully-armed Christine (Adrienne Barbeau) to lock, load, and explode some demons. 

I’ve talked with some people who think you’re meant to take The Convent seriously, somehow missing the intentional humor behind the over-the-top gore effects and exaggerated performances. If the guest appearance of Coolio and Bill Mosely as exacerbated cops wasn’t a clue, the first appearance of Adrienne Barbeau as the adult Christine should put the nail in the coffin you're supposed to have a laugh. Now, to be honest and upfront, the first time I saw The Convent at about 19-ish, I did think it was scary. But that was mostly because it was the movie my friends put on after I smoked for the first time and completely greened out. In that state it was terrifying. Sober, it’s still a fun show but hardly scary. A little creepy, but not scary.

After that night, it because one film in a regular rotation of wildly entertaining gore-filled monster shows that was perfect for a gathering of friends, a buffet of cheap delicious junk food, and a smorgasbord of other substances. Because this film was a big piece of my misspent youth, I hadn’t watched it on the better side of fifteen years. Armed with two fingers of bourbon, I was glad to see the film is still a fun time. In the right mood with a little libation, it’s a hoot!

And that’s all The Convent is - fun. The cast is doing what they do best and selling the absolute absurdity of the endeavor. It’s an obvious tribute flick to the string of silly 80s possession films with several obvious references. While poking those films in the eye, Mendez and his team are also giving them a loving hug. The Convent plays as a nice reminder that we can have our favorite films and enjoy them without putting them on some kind of sanctimonious pedestal of perfection. The memories might be perfect, the films themselves probably aren’t. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
The Convent terrorizes physical media collectors with a new two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray set from Synapse Films. The 4K is pressed on a BD-66 disc with a BD-50 rolling the 1080p and the bulk of the bonus features. The discs load to Synapse’s reel of their releases (which gives me hope for a Prom Night 4K Disc soon) before arriving at a static image main menu with standard navigation options. Also included is an eight-page booklet and another booklet highlighting all of the other Synapse releases available. The insert artwork is reversible as well.

Sourced from new 4K scans of the 35mm elements and supervised by Mike Mendez, The Convent arrives with a demonically delicious 4K Dolby Vision transfer. As I said, my last viewing was well over a decade ago and on VHS so hazy addled memories aren’t the best comparison, but I’m really impressed with the results here. Fine details in the late 90s fashions, facial features, production design, and the ghastly makeup effects is crystal clear. You can fully appreciate the gore at its best and silliest. Film grain is retained throughout, it might appear a tad noisy in places, but it’s not out of place and no sign of smoothing. Dolby Vision HDR adds the right kind of push to make the best use of the deep shadows and black spaces while highlighting the intense colors. Neons get a lot of play to shine while primaries look their best. Skin tones are healthy, at least for the humans.

On the audio side, the film is served with an active and very fun DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix. Dialog is clear without issue, so you get to fully enjoy the ghoulish utterances of the undead. Much of the key audio keeps to the front/center channels but surround channels see plenty of activity with nice movement between channels. As the film ramps up the mix becomes more aggressive and that feeling for creepy immersion is sustained. There’s plenty of screaming and gunfire for that last act to feel the 5.1 track is doing its job.

On the bonus features front, we have a very healthy assortment of interesting and worthwhile extras. From behind-the-scenes materials to some gun looks at the gore effects and deleted scenes, fans can also enjoy multiple fun and interesting audio commentaries for hours of additional content once the main feature is over. 

• Audio Commentary featuring cast and crew including Mike Mendez, Megahn Perry, Liam Kyle Sullivan, and composer Joseph Bishara
• “Lords of Hell” Audio Commentary featuring Saul and Dickie-Boy
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (SD 8:33)
• Location Featurette (HD 14:33)
• Deleted Scene (SD 00:31)
• Still Gallery
• Original Electronic Press Kit (SD 11:33)
• Promotional Trailer 1 (HD 1:44)
• Promotional Trailer 2 (HD 1:45)

I don’t think anyone is going to make too much of an argument that The Convent is the greatest possession flick of the sub-genre. Personally, I would say Mike Mendez made a hell of a fun film, but not the greatest ever. Part tribute, part satire, all hilarious and entertaining, the film is a fun throwback to numerous 1980s favorites with a strong cast and plenty of wild over-the-top gore and makeup effects to enjoy - sober or otherwise. On 4K UHD from Synapse, the film breathes new life on disc with a terrific Dolby Vision HDR transfer, great audio, and some very entertaining bonus features. It might not be on everyone’s list for an evening of creepy entertainment, but The Convent is a crowd pleaser so gather some friends, break open that Halloween candy and have a good time. Recommended