"Do you smell...flowers?"      

STIGMATA (R)

Reviewed September 11, 1999 - Check out the Stigmata Website.

Studio Synopsis: Frankie Paige (Patricia Arquette) is in her twenties. She works as a hairdresser. She has a boyfriend. There are a hundred other girls like Frankie Paige within a mile radius of her apartment. But unlike all of them, things happen to Frankie -- terrible things she can’t understand or explain. And though she has tried everything to make them stop, they’re just getting worse. She goes to doctors and psychologists, but even they can’t answer the most important question: why her? At the darkest moment of one of her episodes, a chance encounter with a local priest is caught on tape and the frightening implications of the incident drive the Vatican to send their own investigator, Andrew Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne). Confronted with the powerful force that has taken control of Frankie, Kiernan immediately recognizes the true danger she is in and he must search his own soul for the strength to save her life, even if it goes against everything he believes.

Fuzzydog Review: The long and short of it is that Stigmata is a film about a possessed girl.  A horror film with strong religious overtones, Stigmata is more interesting in concept than it is in execution, with director Rupert Wainwright unable to resist the temptation to use too much blood, gore and unnecessary special effects to tell his story.  The result is a film that feels both overproduced and overdirected, and one that isn't nearly as entertaining as it could have been.  They say that sometimes less is more, and in the case of Stigmata, less would definitely have been better...

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

katie@hot1.net gives this movie  stars: "I think that this movie was awesome. I have watched it over and over. I think that they could have picked a better woman to play Frankie but no one could have done a better job as Father Andrew Keirnen than Gabriel Byrne. I love him he is so sexy!! Even though the movie itself was good I think that the ending sucked! I mean..... they should have showed if he gave up his priesthood to be with her or something like that! If you agree with me or have pics or info of Gabriel Byrne please email me at Katie@hot1.net" (6/21/01)

germanboy gives this movie  stars: "a waste of money and time!! i ve seen this film a few months ago and i already forgot most of it...thats a bad sign.awesome stupid and boring!!!i knew that the film wouldn tbe a masterpiece and i only watched it because of billy corgans music...but the film was soooo bad" (4/30/00)

nic331@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "C'mon! This was a good movie. "Too much blood, too much gore." Give me a break buddy, where are your stones? The reason i don't give Stigmata a five star rating is beacause Patricia Arquette didn't show her titties." (3/20/00)

amcenroe@prodigy.net gives this movie  stars: "I was extremely dissappointed with Stigmata. At first, I thought that it would be a well thought out, intellectually based story with a lesson to teach. Unfortunately it became an anti-establishment for no provable reason gore film. It attacked the Catholic Church for not accepting a document that in no way, shape or form threatens the current theological teachings of the Catholic Church. The idea that the Kingdom of God is all around us is not a threat to the Church. This movie was obviously written by someone who wants to cash in on the ever popular, anti-Catholic because I want to do evil things and what right does anyone have to tell me they are wrong and you must be an untolerant meannie movement. The author of this film has obviously not spent any real time researching the teachings of the Catholic Church." (3/6/00)

Love_12321@yahoo.com gives this movie  stars: "its realy awsome thay should make more moves like that but a little more scaryer" (3/6/00)

rhaubert@yahoo.com gives this movie  stars: "I agree mostly with the Fuzzy Dog. This was an extended Punk-Rock music video (w/ D. Bowie, Bjourk, etc.) with a confusing message. I am a senior at a state university and plan to enter seminary in Fall 2001. The story was supposed to be about Christ (Jesus) coming through a sinning Gentile to the holier-than-thou Pharisees. The Gentiles being Paige and her friends (i.e. smoking, drinking, drug-induced music, etc.) - and the Pharisees, the Priests (minus Andrew). Andrew was the Good Samaritan. The movie flashes blood and pics, color and sound, and @ 2 dozen interpreted words and does not truely tie it to the proper reference source (the Arabaic Bible). As the film stands, its message is "Drink, smoke and be merry and God will come to you!" I hope the book fills in the pertinent gaps." (3/5/00)

DarkOne gives this movie  stars: "I thought the movie was awesome. I don't agree with dlfranco@yahoo.com that is was over directed and all. In fact, I just saw the dvd version and on that version there was a special director's ending that I thougt was even better than the theatrical release. I also thought the deleted scenes should have been left in. The deleted scenes had even more blood and added even more tension to the movie. I strongly suggest buying the DVD and seeing the surprise ending. Only one suggestion, I would like to have seen it released in DVD DTS sound. Rock on, +DarkOne+" (3/4/00)

dlfranco@yahoo.com gives this movie  stars: "I was wondering if you could tell me if the movie was based in real events or it was only a history...... STIGMATA ... was an excellent movie,,, i would like to know more of that..." (2/24/00)

cluainhr@iol.ie gives this movie  stars: "I went to see the film Stigmata last week with my boyfriend and I thought it was really well done but some of the scences were a bit horrible,but other than that it was brilliant because you did not know what was going to happen next in the film and all the actors played a brilliant role in the film. I am going to see it again with a group of friends today 28th January 2000. If you get this e-mail would you please write back. lots of love Judy..." (1/28/00)