SPILL FILM REVIEW: DARK SANCTUARY: THE STORY OF THE CHURCH

DARK SANCTUARY: THE STORY OF THE CHURCH

SPECTOGRAPH FILMS

JANUARY 21, 2025

To paraphrase the words of club owner Don Nedler, Dark Sanctuary: The Story Of The Church gives us a glimpse into the “mystique, magic, decadence, debauchery, and indulgent nightlife at the legendary goth club in Dallas, TX and the impact it had on its regulars’ lives. Director Timothy Stevens captures both the tangible and intangible atmospheric attributes over the course of the film in an educational yet interesting way.

Closed in 2020, the nightclub was housed inside of an unassuming two-story red brick building and was equipped with chandeliers, stained glass, interior brick walls, and a great deal more than its own share of allure. The film traces the history of the club, which opened in 1984 as the Starck Club and later operated as the Lizard Lounge six days a week and as The Church on Sundays.

Complete with bondage shows and performances by notables such as The Prodigy, Moby, Apoptygma Berzerk, Covenant, God Module, Combichrist, En Esch, cEvin Key, Cyanotic, Pig, Hocico, Imperative Reaction, and Grendel (to name but a few), The Church was a home away from home for many and a place where everyone was welcome. The elegant atmosphere, complete with a chandelier, red drapes over the windows, red carpet on the spiral staircase, and other glamorous elements set a unique stage, “The Church was just so spectacular-looking…like a place where vampire royalty were assembling for a vampire ball,” according to goth personality Auerelio Voltaire. These clips paint a vivid picture of The Church and its patrons.

Perhaps what the film does best is show the story rather than just telling it. Interviews with a handful of frequenters and some of the goth royalty who’d performed at the club reiterated the idea that the location provided a sense of very accepting community: no matter if people were straight, gay, binary, nonbinary – everyone was welcome to this safe place for all.

Nedler recounted various happenings, such as the night Dennis Rodman and Madonna showed up and asked about buying the place, the night The Cure stopped by to shoot pool, and the time he booked Dita von Teese and Marilyn Manson tagged along. There were also the Fetish Balls, the first annual in 1999 produced by Hansel von Quenzer complete with skits showcasing BDSM with whippings, floggings, people on leashes, and Hansel’s arrest by the Dallas Police Department (though the ball did go on!). These events started to attract the BDSM community who brought in vinyl, latex, a flogging bench, among other things.

Eventually The Church put “Enter Without Prejudice” on their flyers for events, “A few words that sort of describe who we are,” per Nedler. This theme is iterated throughout the film and is evidenced by the wide variety of folks who spoke, testifying to the welcoming, family-like atmosphere.

The Church closed down a few months into 2020. Nedler took the time and effort to clean the club out and let former patrons come back in one last time. The line of people waiting to pay their respects stretched down the street and around the corner. The “who’s who” list of goth royalty includes Ogre, cEvin Key, Andy LaPlegua of Combichrist, Bill Leeb, Groovie Mann, to name just a few, in case anyone had any doubt that this place was legit.

Dark Sanctuary: The Story Of The Church shows the legacy of how one venue brought so many people in and gave them a place to belong. This engaging film is excellent for anyone interested in this culture, and director Stevens does a great job of bringing the audience to the club with his use of interviews, footage, and still photos of both today and when the club was at its peak.

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