Dark sanctuary

The Story of The church

A feature-length documentary about the historic Dallas goth club - The Church. The documentary explores the incredible history of one of the longest running goth clubs in the U.S. and the world-renowned artists who performed there.

Through interviews with world-famous music artists, local bands, and patrons, the film tells the story of the community that formed in the nearly three decades of the legendary club’s existence. The motto of The Church became “Enter Without Prejudice” meaning no matter who you are, how you look, how you dress, your sexuality, your gender identity, the color of your skin, your body type, all are welcome and embraced at The Church. 

The film centers on the club’s DJ in residence, Joe Virus, and follow his journey from aspiring musician to DJ’ing the main stage for over 20 years. The film also narrates the events of 2019 and 2020 as a multimillion-dollar real estate company bought up the neighborhood, and the pandemic claimed the community’s beloved building at 2424 Swiss Avenue. Over the decades, it has often been said by Church-goers, that The Church was theirs-“Our Church.” Now, their home of nearly 3 decades stands on the brink of being lost forever.