Set in the 1950s in small-town Georgia, a pregnant young woman named Agatha seeks refuge in a convent. What first starts out as the perfect place to have a child turns into a dark layer where silence is forced, ghastly secrets are masked, and every bit of will power Agatha has is tested as she learns the sick and twisted truth of the convent and the odd people that lurk inside its halls.
I came to the boisterous L.A. premiere of Darren Lynn Bousman’s latest cinematic horror escapade, “St. Agatha,” with low expectations. The man behind three “Saw” movies, “Repo! The Cinematic Opera” and consequent straight-to-VOD cheapies like “Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival” hasn’t exactly instilled confidence in me as a critic. While I do appreciate his affinity for the grotesque and eccentric, those two adjectives have pretty much summed up Bousman’s “oeuvre” so far, with nary an original idea in sight. I could very well be mistaken, but “St. Agatha” seems to show traces of the director attempting to inject the gory narrative with some thoughts about faith, motherhood and even feminism. Or maybe I just saw what I wanted to see, amongst the spirited cheers of the devoutly faithful (and drunk) audience.
Don’t get me wrong, “St. Agatha” is still, for the most part, pure drivel. Original it’s not. Staples like jump scares, gratuitous gore, laughably obvious musical cues and spooky sound effects are all present. Religion-themed horror flicks are a dime a dozen (didn’t Corin Hardy’s “The Nun” just collect over $365 million worldwide in “donations”?). Yet there are also moments that sneak up on you. Its villainous Nun Ratchet is a compellingly over-the-top character. If one were to step back – like, way, way back – one could maybe see a statement on how religion has a capacity to victimize the weak; with that said, the film is almost entirely populated by women, one of whom – spoiler alert! – defies the faith forced upon her. Oh, and she’s pregnant, too.
Sabrina Kern plays Mary, so haunted by tragedy she seeks peace, shelter and perhaps atonement in an immediately and obviously screwed-up convent. With rotting, leaking walls and grim-looking nuns run by Mother Superior (Carolyn Hennesy), it resembles prison more than a nunnery. Soon enough, Mary witnesses – and falls victim to – shocking acts of brutality, such as tongue-slicing, coffin torture and multiple scenes involving vomit consumption. As the mystery behind Mother Superior’s off-the-grid “operation” unveils itself, Mary attempts to escape, over and over again.
That was one of my issues with the film – at many points, the pregnant girls outnumber the old nuns, at least four to one, making one wonder why they don’t at least try to escape. But then again, the film is full of such plot holes: when a girl is given a choice between leaving the convent or committing an act of self-mutilation, she picks the latter, for no apparent reason. Do the girls suffer in this place, or are they programmed to be dependent on it? I’m cool with it being both, the film just never convinced me of it, and neither did the shaky central performance by Kern, semblances of strength/determination battling their way through Kern batting her lashes like she just woke up in an acting class. The frenzied ending elicited appreciative laughter/gasps from the admiring crowd but left me scratching my head.
Thankfully, we’ve got Hennesy’s scenery-gnawing turn, buoying the entire film. Some of the supporting cast, especially Courtney Halverson as the downtrodden Catherine, do their best with underdeveloped characters. The film is well-lit and shot, especially considering it takes place in mostly one location (with some annoying flashbacks and dream sequences thrown in).
Bousman either needed to go for broke and make “St. Agatha” full-blown psychedelic schlock (see: “Mandy”) or amp up his levels of artistry considerably (see: “Martyrs”) to make a truly resonant statement. While not without its merits, his latest film, with its jumble of tones, screechy effects, and gallons of cheese, left me with a bigger headache than before I walked into the theater, as if I’d been repeatedly hit in the face by a Bible.
In Theaters and On Demand/Digital February 8th
