Underneath a Romanian Catholic church's graveyard lies a breeding ground of eggs containing gargoyles an evil priest is harvesting for Armegeddon as the mother creature is out flying the skies looking for victims to munch on. Michael Paré and Sandra Hess are American agents working on a case regarding a criminal who was snatched away by the mother gargoyle monster, trying to determine what had caused his death, among a string of attacks concerning the beast. Kate Orsini is an art curator helping to restore and modernize the Catholic church where creepy corrupt priest Fintan McKeown is secretly working against his clergy hoping to unleash an army of hatched gargoyles on an unsuspecting public. Petri Roega is a priest sent by the Vatican to replace McKeown and indeed knows what his plans are. Paré will hook up with Orsini after reporting to her after learning about her missing co-workers..in their search for truth regarding bizarre crime scenes and elaborate pictures of gargoyles found in a book of study on McKeown's desk(..not to mention Orsini's discovery of a missing painting hidden in the Catholic church she is working on containing a gargoyle)they will soon learn about a special crossbow and blood-blessed arrows meant to use on the mother gargoyle sweeping down and snatching human food. Tim Abell, a Wynorski regular, has a supporting role as Lex, a showman who passes himself off as a cult leader of vampirism finding a devoted following of goth-obsessed flunkies who frequent his club for kicks. Abell sees himself what the gargoyle can do when it swoops down taking out a gang of thugs who wish to take over Bucharest's streets. Another Wynorski regular Arthur Roberts has a small role as a Bishop who lives within the ruins of a castle on the outskirts of Bucharest who holds the special crossbow and gives knowledge to Paré and Orsini regarding the gargoyle on the loose.
Serious creature feature from Wynorski plays it completely straight unlike his usual efforts, certainly relies heavily on computer generated monsters which look more like giant bats when cloaked in the darkness of night or within the catacombs underneath the graveyard. Wynorski does, when given a chance, direct films geared towards fans of sci-fi/horror/action, but rarely has sufficient funds to finance a feature with superior special effects. When the gargoyle charges towards the camera, that's when the computer generated effects are truly exposed. Wynorski actually focuses more on plot than usual with a cast keeping a straight face with Paré coasting on his charisma. I think fans of Sci-fi channel monster movies will find this better than most of their usual fare, but I'm not sure that's an insult or a compliment for Wynorski's movie. I love gargoyles, but even the finest CGI monster would pale in comparison to the animatronic wonders created by the ingenuity and artistic skill of the crew for the "Lover's Vow" tale in Tales from the Darkside-The Movie(1990). Like other directors who wish not to give their correct name in the directorial credit, Wynorski uses the alias of Jay Andrews. The movie doesn't really separate itself from the gluttony of monster movies that have populated Sci-fi channel over the years so don't expect any really big surprises.
Serious creature feature from Wynorski plays it completely straight unlike his usual efforts, certainly relies heavily on computer generated monsters which look more like giant bats when cloaked in the darkness of night or within the catacombs underneath the graveyard. Wynorski does, when given a chance, direct films geared towards fans of sci-fi/horror/action, but rarely has sufficient funds to finance a feature with superior special effects. When the gargoyle charges towards the camera, that's when the computer generated effects are truly exposed. Wynorski actually focuses more on plot than usual with a cast keeping a straight face with Paré coasting on his charisma. I think fans of Sci-fi channel monster movies will find this better than most of their usual fare, but I'm not sure that's an insult or a compliment for Wynorski's movie. I love gargoyles, but even the finest CGI monster would pale in comparison to the animatronic wonders created by the ingenuity and artistic skill of the crew for the "Lover's Vow" tale in Tales from the Darkside-The Movie(1990). Like other directors who wish not to give their correct name in the directorial credit, Wynorski uses the alias of Jay Andrews. The movie doesn't really separate itself from the gluttony of monster movies that have populated Sci-fi channel over the years so don't expect any really big surprises.