Synapse Films Is Out Early With The "Halloween Season" 4K Ultra HD Release Announcement For Director Mike Mendez's The Convent On Oct. 08

Synapse Films, with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, is out with the first “Halloween Season” announcement this past week.   Arriving on Oct. 08 as a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack is director Mike Mendez’s The Convent … a film that should have had a theatrical release but didn’t.

This is a new 4K re-mastering of the uncut version of the film, which was supervised and approved by Mendez.

It started out as Alpine Pictures production with distribution lined up through Unapix Entertainment and its home video arm, A-Pix Entertainment.  The Convent made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2000, which signaled that this is a genre film that has some real potential.  

Indeed, counted among the cast is none other than Adrienne Barbeau, who had established her genre-film bona fides with both John Carpenter’s The Fog in 1980 and his 1981 release of Escape from New York (they were married at the time) and Wes Craven’s 1982 creature feature, Swamp Thing.

However, Unapix was in dire financial straits and the film dropped out of sight … there was no follow-up to the film festival screening.

It resurfaced on Dec. 18, 2001 as part of an eleven-title DVD release blitz from Trimark (aka: Lionsgate).   In other words, Mendez’s film went direct to video.   The long delay of nearly two years may have had something to do with the MPAA rating of NC-17 (X), which was based on “too much bloody violence” (geeze) … the cut version (R-rated) was the direct to video product offering, which was a 19 second trim job (a little less blood here, a little less there).

Synapse Films has the fully restored version of the film ready for 4K (a stand-alone Blu-ray will also be available on Oct. 8).

As to the film itself, it is a classic haunted house thriller, complete with a victim pool (college kids), the “haunted house” (in this case an abandoned convent) and a crazed killer (possessed demons).   

The Convent opens with a bloody hook, where we witness Christine (played by future Emmy-winning consume designer Oakley Stevenson) enter the convent and systematically slaughter all of the nuns and then she leaves (she will return as an adult in “present times” and be played by, yes, Adrienne Barbeau).

We skip ahead to present times and the arrival of our victim pool, which is actually two separate victim pools (the college kids and a group of “Satanists”), who — regardless of “team” affiliation — are butchered in turn.

However, Clorissa (Joanna Canton), one of the college students, manages to escape.  For backstory and plot development, she hooks up with the adult Christine (who wasn’t really slaughtering nuns, but nuns possessed by demons) and they team up to return to the convent in an effort to save the remaining “victim pool” members and vanquish the demons!

There is a clever twist at the end (not revealed here).   The Convent has it all … perfect!!

 As to bonus features, there are two commentary options.   The first features director Mike Mendez, while the second, titled “Lords of Hell,” features cast member David Gunn (Saul) and Kelly Mantle (Dickie-Boy).

Additionally, there is a deleted scene, outtakes, a video tour of the filming locations and a vintage “Making Of” featurette.