"Stigmata" review

Stigmata (1999)

Directed by Rupert Wainwright
Writing credits Tom Lazarus

Patricia Arquette .... Frankie Paige
Gabriel Byrne .... Father Andrew Kiernan
Jonathan Pryce .... Cardinal Daniel Houseman
Nia Long .... Donna Chadway

Patricia Arquette bleeds and screams a lot. See, she's possessed. When you find out by who, (not a demon or the devil), you'll realize that this is not a horror movie but a wacky anti-Catholic Church movie. It is far too serious for a supposed to be horror flick. Or is it supposed to be? It sure was sold that way. It's very disappointing to have a possession movie and no horror.

So Arquette starts breaking out with a case of the Stigmatas. Who knew you could catch it like a virus? Dr. Gabriel Byrne, (a priest), comes to check her out and gives her his diagnosis: "Why you can't have the Stigmatas because you have no faith!!" But doc, it's Stigmata season! There's a lot of it going around! Byrne does what he can and runs into church politics and the viewer is bored. Too uneven, (is it horror, is it drama, is it a slam on the Catholic Church, is it trying to make my head hurt with all this screaming and loud music?), to be enjoyable.

SCORE: 1.5 out of 4 wailing Arquettes