Prince of Darkness (1987) Reviews

• Carpenter's masterpiece

  Cujo1082010-08-02

  John Carpenter's masterpiece about a priest enlisting the help of a physics professor and his students in preventing the coming of the Anti-God. Yep, I said masterpiece. I consider this to be Carpenter's crowning achievement. Said priest (played by the impeccable Donald Pleasance) discovers a large vat of green fluid in the basement of an old church near downtown Los Angeles. He comes to realize that the liquid in the container is the very essence of Satan himself, and that a sect known as "The Brotherhood of Sleep" has kept it a secret all these years. The secret can no longer be kept, however, as the apocalypse is brewing and the vat of liquid Satan is the over-sized coffee pot. Carpenter really struck gold with the script for Prince of Darkness. I find it to be Carpenter's most intelligent and thought-provoking. I love all of the theoretical, scientific and religious discussion in this film. He takes all of these wonderful ideas and forms them into one of the most intriguing story lines the genre has ever seen. It all makes for a very engaging viewing experience, especially if this sort of material fascinates you as much as it does me. The film is slow-burning, yet intensely unnerving. The overall mood, the creepy street people, the church itself and the eerie occurrences caused by the Anti-God's growing power all make for an unsettling watch. Perhaps the most effective scene in the film for me is Wyndham saying hello in that garbled voice followed by "Pray for death." I also must make mention of the recurring dream projections via tachyons. A brilliant idea that adds an even deeper level to the film's frightening nature. The imagery in these dreams is truly the stuff nightmares are made of! As far as the cast goes, this is my favorite ensemble in a Carpenter film, even more so than the one we get in The Thing. They all do fine jobs, especially Pleasance and Victor Wong. I love the interaction between these two. I also really enjoy Jameson Parker in the lead, and Dennis Dun is the rare case of comedy relief that actually works. He is amusing, likable, and his antics don't overshadow or ruin the mood that the film has built up. The atmosphere? Perfect. So is the dread-inducing score, which is an uncanny fit for the material. In the same way that I see Prince of Darkness as Carpenter's best film, the haunting music throughout makes for his best work as a composer. I love the score as much as I love the film itself. The sense of hopeless isolation Carpenter is able to convey despite the church being in L.A. is yet another impressive accomplishment in a film that never fails to impress. Definitely an underrated classic. Carpenter's wonderful ideas are realized to fascinating effect in the film, and for me, the execution is flawless. It's a rare case when I have nothing bad to say about a movie, but this is one of those instances. The music, the atmosphere, the apocalyptic tone, the marvelous ending... it all works beautifully. It's a gem that Carpenter has never bettered. I'm in the minority regarding that statement, but I'm sticking to it.

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• Eerie

  Krug Stillo2003-11-11

  I agree with regular J.C. actor Kurt Russell on a point he made about the director: If you want to make a cheap movie but make it look slick and expensive, Mr. Carpenter is your man. Like HALLOWEEN this was made for very little money but appears to have been made on a modest budget. After the box office failure of the underrated Big Trouble in Little China, Carpenter left the studio system and returned to independent and horror filmmaking. The soundtrack is constant synth, the acting average, the tension constantly increasing and widescreen lens used to perfection, all combined scream Carpenter's name from the lengthy opening credits scene. PRINCE OF DARKNESS sits among the most eerie and interesting of Carpenter's work. Defects are it isn't very exciting and divulges a lot of unnecessary quantum physics jargon that seem pompous on the writer's behalf (sorry J.C. but 'Martin Quatermass'? your devotees know you love Nigel Kneale's work!). Despite a few scenes of action, which seem thrown in to gather momentum, the film just moves along. Basically PRINCE OF DARKNESS combines ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 with THE THING. A character driven story concerning isolated individuals and one by one falling victim/possessed to/by an alien foe. Priest, Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN) hires University Professor, Victor Wong (Big Trouble in Little China) to investigate an ominous cylinder. The green ooze inside this cannister, hidden for centuries by the 'Brotherhood of Sleep', is the 'anti God' who will end the world if the secrets of its origin remain unsolved. This is the second part in Carpenter's 'apocalypse trilogy' that began with THE THING and concluded with IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS. PRINCE OF DARKNESS is a must for all J.C. fans, but is the slowest of the trilogy.

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• An absolutely Carpenter's apocalypse supernatural classic!

  ivo-cobra82015-11-10

  Prince of Darkness (1987) is John Carpenter underrated absolutely apocalypse classic supernatural horror flick! I know I should choose The Fog above Prince of Darkness but after watching this film for the first time. I absolutely love it so damn much. It is actually about an apocalypse that means the end of the world. A group of college students with a priest and a college professor finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world. It containing a swirling green liquid that spits in the students and makes them possessed by the entity, which uses them against the others. The fight for survival and rescue has begun. Starring: Donald Pleasence from Halloween (1978), Escape from New York (1981) Victor Wong and Dennis Dun from Big Trouble in Little China (1986) Jameson Parker from Simon & Simon (1981 - 1995) and Thom Bray from Riptide (1984 - 1986). I love this film to death alongside with The Thing (1982) is the second installment in what Carpenter calls his "Apocalypse Trilogy", which began with The Thing (1982). It is one of my all time favorite supernatural horror flick from the 80's. I got it now, why is underrated you have to be very smart about it. I always can enjoy this film from John Carpenter and it is a classic film for me! A lot of people don't understand this movie but I love it and the soundtrack is amazing. The special effect this horror film had on young teenagers (14 minus), they were truly scared. It really worked and it had some interesting ideas. Lisa Blount was so beautiful in here and she was so outstanding her role as Catherine Danforth! This movie is truly amazing!!!! I am so glad that Victor Wong and Donald Pleasence return in the John Carpenter horror film. The both worked in the past 70's and 80's with John Carpenter on his awesome horror film Halloween (1978) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986). They are both classic films, just I don't like Halloween (1978) I am probably the only who hate this film, but in to Prince of Darkness I can get too, I just love this film to death!!!! The visual after Catherine (Lisa Blunt) pushes the possessed Kelly through the mirror of the light fading out as she falls into darkness is stunning and unforgettable. Lisa Blunt kicks ass in this movie!!!!!!! I just love to death how Catherine sacrifice her self to prevent apocalypse in our world, that is so outstanding! Lisa Blount did the most outstanding performance in this movie I just love her so much, movies that are pure crap are getting Oscar nominates, this movie did not got nothing, Lisa Blount is awesome!!!! RIP to Donald Pleasence, Victor Wong, and Lisa Blount. May should all rest in peace! This movie has a real story to it and is not a gore for the sake of gore movie or a hack and slash movie. John Carpenter was great in the 80s. He did a great job directing this movie along side with The Fog (1980) I think this movie is his masterpiece. I like the artwork on the soundtrack album. Very creepy it is. Sorta like a face melting effect like in the movie The Thing. The voice on the soundtrack from the end of this movie still gives me chills. It's one of the best bits is horror history. One thing I noticed about Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy is a running theme throughout--the fear of infection. In the Thing, it was fear of touching the monster and having your body converted to it. In Prince of Darkness it was the scientists infecting each other with bodily fluids, and in In the Mouth of Madness, it was fear of Sutter Cane's book being widely spread throughout the world, infecting those who read it with madness. It's interesting that this movie trilogy started up about the same time as AIDs was discovered. There was a huge panic about the disease being spread by blood and other fluids and it would have been foremost in the public mind. No doubt it inspired Carpenter a bit. The film isn't fast paced, but it's not slow either, gradually building tension to the very end that's peppered with a mild "scares" throughout to assist. There are enough twists and turns to maintain an edge to the very end, with one final twist. The movie's entirely different concept of Good and Evil is developed in a very unique and unusual manner, while maintaining excellent credibility. Visual and Special effects along with the stunt work are done quite well, surprisingly so given the film's budget. There is some graphic blood and gore, and it's very definitely "R" rated, but it's not as much by contemporary hard-core horror film standards (e.g. Saw, Hostel, or The Crazies remake). Carpenter makes use of some very creepy and revolting effects in lieu of it. Overall, it's an excellent supernatural horror thriller and IMHO it's one of Carpenter's better films. Master of horror John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) directs this terrifying battle between humankind and ultimate evil. It is one of my favorite John Carpenter best films! I am giving this movie 10/10 because this movie deserves it and it doesn't need to be hated for it.

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• Greatly underrated. One of Carpenter's best!

  mpainter2004-10-15

  I remember working as an usher when this movie came out. The look on the faces in the audience after the movie ended was priceless. Most were either truly disturbed or confused as hell. I thought the premise was unique. It's always been said that the existence of God can't be proven. Here we have several scientists and students trying, not only to prove that the Devil exists, but that they have him trapped in a jar in a church basement. The movie is so full of sub-atomic theory that you would swear it was written by Michio Kaku, not John Carpenter. (Yeah, don't let the credits fool you. Carpenter wrote this film under a pseudonym) Took my girlfriend to see this when it came out. She's now my wife and to this day, she's still a little afraid of mirrors because of this film. Loved it.

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• Carpenter's best work . . .

  brother_d_732004-10-30

  John Carpenter's made some great horror films, and Prince of Darkness is my hands-down favorite Carpenter flick. First and foremost, the music does it for me every time. Sometimes Carpenter's score do miss their mark, but this time, the music is dead on perfect. Beyond this, the movie overall is wonderful. The opening title sequence (which does extend quite a bit into the film itself) does a great job of setting up the characters and the beginning of the drama at hand. Once the film picks up, it really doesn't let you go until the end, and even then, to the very last shot, the film reminds you that, for the briefest of moments, it had you. Oh, it had you. Alice Cooper makes his first theatrical film appearance with this film, but he appears briefly. Instead, the film centers mostly around Brian Marsh, a grad student brought in as part of a group of collegiate-types to investigate something dark and sinister in the basement of an old church. A lot of people I know pan his performance, but I felt Jameson (TV's "Simon & Simon") Parker's performance was solid and that look of confusion he wears throughout a bulk of the picture seems appropriate to the events unfolding around his character. Donald Pleasance's presence as a Catholic priest who begrudgingly recruits the team of college students and professors, scientists and theorists, adds a sense of credibility to the threat involved, as well as the film itself. And Victor Wong - he's just fun to watch. I love this movie.

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