Several college students in Southern California decide to trespass into an abandoned convent simply for amusement, but they quickly discover its history is far more disturbing than they imagined. Chaos follows. "The Convent" (2000) attempts a horror/comedy blend that’s inventive, lively and provocative, though it feels like it's desperately trying to be cool and overcompensates as a result. It isn’t quite as flawed in this respect as “Killer Tongue” (1996), but they share similarities. Despite a budget of only $1 million, the special effects are surprisingly well-done and still look decent. Some viewers dislike the sped-up motion used for the creatures, but I didn't find it problematic. I understand this is intended to be a stylishly cheesy horror film with a dark sense of humor (and a plot borrowed from “Night of the Demons”), however, the narrative needs to make some kind of sense in order for viewers to buy into what’s happening. The most obvious issue is that the school staff suddenly appears one day transformed into monsters and the students simply accept it. Characters suffer beatings with a yardstick, the ‘nuns’ write "hail Satan" on a chalkboard and vomit green substance onto students, but nobody contacts their families or the authorities, or at least tries to remove whatever is causing this? It seems unlikely. Joanna Canton delivers a good performance as the main character, Clorissa, while Megahn Perry is effective as the detached Goth girl with a dry wit, and Chaton (Itae) Anderson deserves recognition for her role as Sapphira, one of the ‘devil’s disciples.’ Adrienne Barbeau appears in the final act giving an exaggerated performance; she was 54 years old during filming and maintained a remarkable physique. Ultimately, this film is entertaining to a degree, with some memorable moments (and others, like Coolio's amusing portrayal as a police officer), but the characters feel excessively irritating and the overall impression is that it’s striving too hard to be considered a cult classic. It was filmed in 1999, and I couldn't help but think this marked a turning point for the decline of America and Western Civilization. The movie has a running time of 1 hour, 19 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles. GRADE: C

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