Stigmata is an American horror film of the demonic possession subgenre. It was directed by Rupert Wainwright and written by Tom Lazarus. The film was produced by MGM and FGM Entertainment and released theatrically in the United States on September 10th, 1999. The film stars Patricia Arquette as Frankie Paige, a young woman from Pittsburgh who finds her body is now playing host to a seemingly demonic spirit. Coming to her aid is Gabriel Byrne as Father Andrew Kiernan, a priest who discovers that Frankie is actually possessed by the spirit of a former Catholic priest known to have suffered the stigmata - the physical manifestation of the wounds suffered by Jesus Christ during the crucifixion. While trying to help Frankie exorcise the spirit from her body, Father Kiernan learns a terrible secret - one that threatens to destroy the authority of the Catholic church.
The tagline for this film is, "You don't have to believe... to suffer".
Production on Stigmata began on September 17th, 1998. Principal filming concluded on April 27th, 1999. The movie was shot primarily on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with other scenes being filmed in Mexico, Los Angeles, California and Rome, Italy. The scenes of Frankie Paige's apartment building were filmed at the Eastern Columbia Building at 849 South Broadway in Los Angeles.
Stigmata was released to home video in VHS and Region 1 DVD format by MGM Home Entertainment on February 29th, 2000. The Special Edition version of the film was released in 2001. It was also packaged with Wicker Park starring Josh Hartnett as a double-feature DVD by MGM in 2010.
Director Rupert Wainwright is also known for directing the unaired pilot of the werewolf television series Wolf Lake. In 2005 he directed the remake of John Carpenter's haunting 1980 film The Fog. Wainwright also directed the "Echoes" episode of Fear Itself.
Actress Patricia Arquette got her start in the film business with her portrayal of Kristen Parker in Chuck Russell's 1987 film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
Stephanie Carwin, Mario Lara and Nicolas Martin are uncredited for their participation in this film.