Stigmata
Directed by Rupert Wainwright
- horror
- thriller
The story
A young woman with no strong religious beliefs, Frankie Paige begins having strange and violent experiences, showing signs of the wounds that Jesus received when crucified. When the Vatican gets word of Frankie's situation, a high-ranking cardinal requests that the Rev. Andrew Kiernan investigate her case. Soon Kiernan realizes that very sinister forces are at work, and tries to rescue Frankie from the entity that is plaguing her.
What it’s like
Glossy late-nineties studio horror, with saturated reds against cold stone, gilded Vatican halls, and dim, grimy apartments lit by sickly practicals and flickering bulbs. The camera moves restlessly, with quick cuts, swooping crane shots, and jolting handheld close-ups during the possession scenes. The score leans on loud, guitar-heavy rock punctuated by church choirs, so the sacred and the profane sit uneasily side by side. The vibe is feverish and sensational, with a sceptical, late-night unease that suits a weekend thriller or a rainy evening when you want something bold and a little trashy. Its pace is brisk and escalating, and its arc follows a doubting young woman whose body becomes a battleground and a priest who must confront his own faith. The violence is frequent and bloody: wounds bleed heavily, bodies are thrown and contorted, and there are sudden jump scares and some disturbing body-horror imagery, though it is more visceral spectacle than prolonged cruelty. Some sexual suggestion occurs in the possession sequences. It is not gentle. It suits fans of Catholic-themed horror who enjoy operatic, unsubtle genre filmmaking.
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