It’s a good time to be a fan of filmmaker Mike Mendez. Not only did he contribute to the horror anthology Satanic Hispanics, which received a theatrical release a few months ago and is coming soon to Blu-ray, but now Synapse Films has given his awesome 2000 horror comedy The Convent (watch it HERE) a limited edition 4K release! Copies of this release can be purchased directly from Synapse Films, or through Diabolik DVD.
Directed by Mendez from a screenplay by Chaton Anderson, The Convent has the following synopsis: In 1960, a young woman named Christine enters St. Francis Boarding School for Girls and lays waste to the resident nuns. Four decades later, a group of college students head to the long-abandoned building late one night to tag it with their fraternity letters, little knowing that rumors of the place being haunted are terrifyingly true. Stir in a couple of disapproving cops and a band of unlikely Satanists, and the table is set for a feast of demonic infestation and bloodshed that only the grown-up Christine (Adrienne Barbeau) can possibly stop.
Synapse Films had this to add: From its opening massacre, set to the strains of (appropriately enough) Lesley Gore, The Convent is an in-your-face fright film with a full-blooded sense of humor. Director Mike Mendez (The Gravedancers, Big Ass Spider!) both embraces and skewers the traditions of supernatural/possession cinema, with wicked twists that upend expectations and deliver jolts and laughs in equal measure. Not for the devout or the easily offended, the film gives Barbeau one of her best roles as the motorcycle-riding, shotgun-wielding Christine, with bonus appearances by fellow genre icon Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects) and rapper/actor Coolio. The Convent rocked audiences at festivals including Sundance and Fantasia, but has long been unavailable on disc. Now you can possess its uncensored U.S. debut remastered in Dolby Vision 4K from the original uncut 35mm Internegative elements and worship the extensive special features!
Barbeau, Moseley, and Coolio are joined in the cast by Joanna Canton, Liam Kyle Sullivan, Megahn Perry, Richard Trapp, Jim Golden, Dax Miller, Chaton Anderson, Renée Graham, Kelly Mantle, David Gunn, and Oakley Stevenson.
The Convent‘s limited edition 4K release includes the following special features:
Limited Edition Combo (4K UHD + Blu-ray) Release of only 4000 units total
Limited Edition Slipcover only on this combo release
4K remaster of the uncut version supervised and approved by director, Mike Mendez
Mastered in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
5.1 stereo surround mix from the original 16-track audio masters
Cast and crew audio commentary, featuring director Mike Mendez
“Lords of Hell” audio commentary featuring Saul and Dickie-Boy
Video tour of both THE CONVENT and KILLERS film locations
Vintage “Making of” featurette
Vintage original studio Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
“It’s Always Something with a Virgin” Liner notes booklet from Corey Danna
Deleted scene
Gore outtakes
Still gallery
Promotional trailers
Reversible cover art
Are you a fan of Mike Mendez and/or The Convent? Will you be picking up a copy of this 4K release? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
It should be noted that Mendez also directed one of the most entertaining Dolph Lundgren movies, Don’t Kill It.