An original thriller ,still relevant at a time the Catholic church runs into serious difficulties; the young priest hints at celibacy -whereas protestant ministers can marry- and his final attitude makes sense.
But the central character ,father Xavier Meldrum , under his compassionate smile , hides a dark soul and an unspeakable perversity : recording his penitents' confessions to blackmail them , making them feel guilty till some commit suicide ; on the other hand , one could have done without the housekeeper who uses the priest 's mother as a punch(ing) bag :enough is enough .
But all that concerns the priest is effective and scary :the best scene is perhaps the one in the hospital : the bedridden terrified patient sees his fiend near his bed when the girl is dragged out of the room by the nurses who think she's having a nervous breakdown.
But the central character ,father Xavier Meldrum , under his compassionate smile , hides a dark soul and an unspeakable perversity : recording his penitents' confessions to blackmail them , making them feel guilty till some commit suicide ; on the other hand , one could have done without the housekeeper who uses the priest 's mother as a punch(ing) bag :enough is enough .
But all that concerns the priest is effective and scary :the best scene is perhaps the one in the hospital : the bedridden terrified patient sees his fiend near his bed when the girl is dragged out of the room by the nurses who think she's having a nervous breakdown.