Main Cast: Irma St. Paule, Christie Sanford, Danny Lopes, Salvatore Paul Piro, Vincent Lamberti
Release Year: 1999
Run Time: 88 minutes
Plot
In this offbeat and original horror opus, 16-year-old Bobby has been traumatized both by the death of his mother at an early age, and a brutally repressive Catholic upbringing. After Bobby accidentally causes the death of a nun, the boy finds himself sent to Hell, where he encounters his mother and causes a chain-reaction of terrifying spiritual and supernatural consequences. Desecration was the debut feature for 30-year-old auteur Dante Tomaselli. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
A surprisingly gripping indie shocker, Desecration owes debts both thematically (to Alice, Sweet Alice) and stylistically (to Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci), but manages to weave its own unique spell under novice helmer Dante Tomaselli. The film concerns evil doings at a Catholic school, where a 16-year-old named Bobby is haunted by visions of his long-dead mother. Before long, the propellor of a model airplane shreds one nun, another is sliced to ribbons by sentient scissors, and only Bobby's long-suffering grandmother (veteran character actress Irma St. Paule in a tour de force performance) seems to know what's really going on. Tomaselli creates a mood of sustained dread, damaged only by some unintentionally amusing line-readings and an ending which seems to spiral out of his control, but the first two-thirds of the film rank among the eeriest and most effective horror moments of the last several years. Highly recommended for horror fans, the film co-stars Christie Sanford, Danny Lopes, and the man who almost single-handedly created the Rocky Horror Picture Show cult, Sal Piro. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
