Stigmata

Eureka Entertainment, £14.99 (Dual Format)

Holy Moly! A hedonistic hairdresser gets the religious ‘gift’ of bleeding over everybody while her priest lover uncovers a Catholic conspiracy to bury the true words of Christ! Released in 1999, Stigmata was perfectly timed to explore the jumpy spiritual atmosphere of the millennium. Sadly, it means it’s also very much a product of the 1990s: it looks like an over-stylised music promo, with more religious iconography and slow-motion doves than a Madonna video. Some people love this kind of stuff, of course, and the film has its hardcore fans. Me though? Not so much. It’s still an interesting pre- Da-Vinci Code dip into all those conspiracy theories that the established church might be hiding the source of true spirituality, but as an anti-Church horror movie, it ironically ends up being a bit too sanctimonious and preachy. PL 5/10