Blu-ray Review: DARK SANCTUARY: THE STORY OF THE CHURCH (2024)

 

DARK SANCTUARY:  THE STORY OF THE CHURCH

Directed by:  Timothy Stevens

Distributed by:  Cleopatra Films / MVD Entertainment

DARK SANCTUARY is a documentary film about a famous night club in Dallas, TX.  I'm going to be honest here....I had never heard of this film or of the night club that is the subject matter of this film.  When this showed up in my mailbox to review, I was a little disappointed.   A documentary about a night club did not sound like an entertaining 86 minutes of my life.   Well, I am not to proud to admit how wrong I was.   This just goes to show you that you can't judge a book  (or a movie), by it's cover.   What sounded like a dull documentary to me ended up being one of the most interesting documentaries I have watched in quite a while.   

Here is a description of the film from the MVD website:

DARK SANCTUARY is a feature-length documentary about the historic Dallas, TX Goth club - The Church.  Dark Sanctuary exposes the incredible, shocking history of one of the longest running goth clubs in the U.S. as well as the world-renowned artists who performed there.


Through interviews with world-famous music artists, local bands, and patrons, the film tells the story of the community that formed over nearly three decades of the legendary club's existence. The motto of The Church became 'Enter Without Prejudice' meaning no matter who you are, how you look, how you dress, your sexuality, your gender identity, the color of your skin, your body type, all are welcome and embraced at The Church.


Follow DJ in residence, Joe Virus, on his journey from aspiring musician to headlining the main stage for over 20 years and through the events of the global epidemic which lead to a neighborhood buyout from a multimillion-dollar real estate company, threatening to claim the beloved building at 2424 Swiss Avenue.


Just what will happen when the deep south's premiere goth club of nearly thirty years stands on the brink of being lost forever?

  The Church was what a club called The Lizard Lounge changed into on Sunday nights.  The location was at 2424 Swiss Ave in the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, TX.   The Church opened in 1994 and was the place for artists and "misfits" to gather with like minded people and enjoy some Electronic Dance Music and what would later become known as the "Goth" community.   The film is mainly told through The Church's resident DJ, DJ VIRUS  (Joe Gonzales), and it was very touching to see how much this club meant to him.   In fact, almost everyone that is interviewed about The Church gets choked up at some point while reminiscing about the club.  It just shows you how much of an effect this place had on it's regulars.  The film goes over the clubs entire timeline, from it's creation and all the special events that took place over the years and live music performances, to it's closing and eventual reopening 

  While the original location closed in 2020, The Church lives on today at a new club located at 4322 Elm St in Dallas.  It looks as though it never has recreated the true look and feel of the original location, though, in my opinion.   For those that went to The Church religiously,  this is a wonderful keepsake and memento of a place that meant so much to so many people, and is a must have film.  Even if you are like me, having never heard of The Church, this is still a wonderful film and honestly makes me a bit jealous that I never had a place like this to hang out.  The people here seem so sincere and accepting of everyone.   While some people might look at The Churchgoers as "weirdos" or "outcasts", I think they were just the opposite.  They are the people we should all strive to be like.  Loving people that let others be themselves and accepting of all lifestyles with no judgement or prejudice of any kind.  The Church truly seemed like an amazing place. 

  DARK SANCTUARY is available now on DVD and BD from MVD Entertainment and contains the following Special Features:

*  Trailer

*  Uncut Celebrity Interviews

* 2 music videos from the band Solemn Assembly 

CLICK HERE to watch the trialer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to purchase the BLU-RAY

The 4H Blog is back from Holiday Break!

 

  Happy New Year!!!    Well, I wasn't planning on it, but I took quite a bit of a Holiday break from the 4H Blog!   The Holidays are a very busy time, with family get togethers and parties.  Also, my boys were home from college!  So, needless to say, I didn't find the time  (or make the time, I guess) to do much blogging!   

I did watch quite a few films during the break!   I won't go into too much detail, but I will give you a quick rundown of what I watched!  It wasn't all horror, but that was the majority, of course! 

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 3   (2015)

  I had seen the first 2 and liked them, but had heard so many negative things about this 3rd installment that I just kept putting of watching it.  Well, I finally broke down and watched it.  It wasn't as bad as people said, but it was definitely the worst installment of the trilogy.   Would I watch it again?   Probably not.  It was pretty bland compared to the other two, and the Human Centipede only made an appearance at the very end of the film.  Overall, a pretty pointless sequel. 

THE LICKERISH QUARTET  (1970)

  This is a weird one.  I read about it in one of the Grindhouse Movie groups I am in on Facebook.   I checked it out and I am glad I did!   It involves a couple (and for some reason their son) who watch a stag film.  They then go out for a night at the local carnival and they Husband and Wife see a carnival worker that looks eerily like the star of the film they just watched.  They invite her back to their home (which is a huge castle) and she ends up seducing all 3 of the castle's residents.  Sounds simple enough, but this is a very art house type film with some very interesting visuals and more to the story than what it looks like on the surface.   This is not one to watch with the kiddo's, of course, but I would recommend this one.  It was interesting enough that it actually kept me quite entertained. 

STARSHIP TROOPERS  (1997)

  This one is a fun Sci-Fi classic.  One of my boys mentioned that he had never seen it, so I watched it with him.  I forgot how fun this movie is!  It still holds up, including the visuals and effects.   

LORDS OF SALEM  (2012)

  This is one I saw in the theater when it first came out and I was really disappointed in it.  I think I was expecting another HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES or DEVILS REJECTS type film, so I was kind of let down.  Well, it's been 12 years since I first saw it, so I decided to give it another shot.  I am so glad I did!   I absolutely loved this film this time around.  It really goes to show you that sometimes you need to give movies you didn't like a 2nd chance.  The visuals in the film was excellent and the movie was genuinely creepy.   Give it a shot if you haven't seen it before, or give it a 2nd chance if you have seen it but didn't like it originally. 

EXTREME MOVIE  (2008)

  I waned a good laugh, and this film provided many.   Not a "good" movie by any means, but it was some dumb fun and worth a watch

CARNAGE PARK  (2016)

 This was an interesting one....I'm still trying to figure out this one.  I think I liked it.  I'm still trying to process everything.  What starts as a bank heist movie turns into a Turkey Shoot type of film, but there is more to it as well.   

INSEMINOID  (1981)

  Horrible film. Just awful.  They tried to make a knockoff ALIEN film, and failed miserably. Nothing happens.   Avoid this one at all cost!

FUGITIVE GILRS (1974)

 Another one to avoid.  I usually like women in prison type flicks, but this one was bad.   Very boring, and very slow in parts. I actually found myself nodding off several times during this film.

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS  (1986)

  A true classic!  One of my all time favorite horror movies. I put this one on every couple of years or so.  I never get tired of it.   Tom Atkins performance in this film is pure perfection!  If you haven't seen this one, do yourself a favor and check it out!

JOKER:  FOLIE A DEUX  (2024)

 I loved the first JOKER film. I was so excited when this one came out, but unfortunately I heard nothing but bad things about it.  For that reason, I didn't go see it in theaters.  Now that it is streaming on MAX, I decided "what the heck".   I turned it on and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.  Maybe it was because I had such low expectations for it, but I loved it.   It wasn't as good as the first one, and it is a completely type of film than the first one (which is probably why people didn't like it), but it was a great movie on it's own, and one I will be adding to my collection for sure!

THE RINGER  (2005)

 I like to mix in a comedy between my horror movies, and this one was a lot of fun.  It probably couldn't be made in today's world, and I don't think it's streaming anywhere, so you might have to find the DVD like I did.   It's a fun movie and ends up having a good message.   Lots of great quotable lines, it's a fun one that is worth a watch!

SUBSERVIENCE  (2024)

 I saved the best for last.  This is new new Megan Fox film on Netflix about AI robots gone wrong.  The AI robots gone wrong sub-genre is fast becoming one of my favorites.   This one was done extremely well and was extremely entertaining!  I can't recommend this one enough!!

Have you seen any of these films?   Leave me a comment about any you have seen and liked or disliked.  

I'll try to get back to reviewing some new releases soon!! Stay Tuned!