Prince of Darkness

Prince of Darkness is a strange movie written by Carpenter and combining religion and theoretical quantum physics. It sounds like a contradictory combination but, it works better then you might expect. The story opens with the death of a priest who presided over a small inner city parish. Enter Donald Pleasance as another priest... who's name is never given... who discovers that the deceased priest was part of a secret society within the church called The Brotherhood Of Sleep. And this sect have been protecting a dark secret that may challenge the very core of what we have come to believe both scientifically and religiously. A team of college students, led by Professor Birack (Victor Wong from Big Trouble In Little China) and including Brian Marsh (Jameson Parker) and Catherine Danforth (Lisa Blount), are brought to the parish to investigate a strange cylinder filled with a pulsating green liquid in a locked chamber in the basement, as well as, the scriptures that come with it. They discover that the liquid is a form of the Anti-Christ and it seeks release in order to bring it's father, the Anti-God into our world. And as members of the team start to fall under it's powerful thrall and they all become plagued by the same strange dreams, it's terrifyingly obvious that the remaining team members are in a fight against an ancient evil that their science may not be able to contain. Carpenter delivers a very odd but, effectively creepy film. It's has an atmosphere of dread from the start to the finish and presents a very chilling scenario that there may be things in existence that neither our religion or science may be able to handle. And as these are two things people most put their faith in, it is a disturbing concept. It also presents an interesting idea that Bible prophecies may have actually been warnings sent from the future as the dream effecting all our college science students appears to be exactly that. Carpenter also presents the possibility that certain Bible stories were put in place to cover more disturbing truths as the scientific knowledge to explain or understand the reality of it was not available. Basically we were told things in fable form because the science wasn't there to properly explain it and we weren't advanced enough to understand it. As someone who was born and raised Christian yet has always had an interest in science, I actually have had this thought myself occasionally and it was interesting to see the master filmmaker weave this theory into his plot. Carpenter also uses his low budget well and keeps the story, for the most part contained in the church. Again working with the fear of isolation as a horde of homicidal homeless people keep our besieged team members inside. Gary B. Kibbe provides the atmospheric cinematography and would collaborate with Carpenter on 7 more projects and he gives Prince a very unsettling look yet, rich with color. This is a strange film that may not appeal to everyone, it took me a few years and repeat viewings before I fully appreciated it and it's grown on me since I first saw it in 87 and wasn't quite sold on it then. The film has it's flaws, some of the make-up FX are cheesy and some of the violent death scenes, especially those perpetrated by the army of homeless people surrounding the church, lead by Alice Cooper, seem a little out of place in a film that starts out working in subtlety. But, since it does switch gears and become more of a traditional horror film in it's second half, as the possessed students try to kill or possess the others who are fighting against their former friends to stay alive, so, in the overall scheme they work fine. Some may not have patience for some of the science heavy dialog but, I though Carpenter's script does a good job of giving scientific explanations for some of the more supernatural elements of the religious scripture presented in his story. Regardless of your beliefs, Carpenter poses some interesting questions and the film is really creepy throughout. And adding to the effectiveness is one of Carpenter's spookiest scores to date composed with frequent collaborator Alan Howarth. Overall, Prince Of Darkness is perhaps Carpenter's oddest and most daring film, in some respects but, yet another that wasn't all that well accepted at first and now has gained a following over the years and rightfully so. This flick may not be for everyone and it's mix of science and religion may not work for some but, I think it's an interesting and thoroughly creepy movie that not only presents some well executed traditional horror elements but, poses some interesting questions and theories about what we believe in as well. Also stars another Big Trouble In Little China, Dennis Dun in a fun role as a skeptical student. The film is now available in this beautiful new transfer from Scream Factory!

For all his accolades John Carpenter is still the most underrated director of all time. He is a master and by far my favorite filmmaker of all time and I think this is his masterpiece. Prince is a sci-fi, apocalyptic horror film that transcends all known reality. It's premise is not a simple one but is put together in way that the higher concepts can be more easily understood by those with only a passing knowledge of quantum physics. It's not a simple film, it contains many nuances and sub-levels that repeated viewings can unlock. It's horror elements are diverse, creative and really help accept the idea of evil as an actual, physical entity with a telepathic link to humans and the ability to control them. The characters are well fleshed out and believable. They are , for the most part, the epitome of good and that truly helps one see this as a true battle against evil. Donald Pleasence rules the roost as always giving depth to his character and dramatic presence to everything he does. I also enjoyed Victor Wong who did a brilliant job as a counterpart to Pleasence both being the ultimate spokesperson for Science Vs Religion. The new special edition is exquisite. The colors are vibrant and the sound is crisp with a special nod going to the spinning-devil-goo which has a a most lustrous shade of darkish green and low hum that was not as easily heard in earlier editions. The interviews are top notch. I learned things about story, effects and characters that I really had no clue about and I've been very vigilant from an early age in reading everything I could about the making of this masterpiece . In closing if you have never seen this triumph of moviemaking there is no better time than now to grab a copy and if you have enjoyed this film before please give this spectacular new edition a try...you will not be disappointed.

For the diehard fans out there of John Carpenter and of particularly PRINCE OF DARKNESS, this review is for you. Chances are, this is as good as it is going to get for this film. Germany and Japan have had their own blu-rays, and neither seem to actually stand up to this. Remembering that this was (As they themselves said) Scream!Factory's most requested title, let't take a look. VIDEO: There has been some talk of edge enhancement. It doesn't seem that bad. Definitely not noticible to me anyway, and I've been watching the Universal DVD for the past eight years. What is noticible is that the increased color range and sharpening make a difference. Details are great, even if the anamorphic lenses used on the film blurred the edges of the frame a bit. But it does effect things like Alice Cooper's make up in the film. He's no longer a pasty white anylonger, more natural fleshtones are apparent. No one has heard, nor did Shout - mention that Carpenter or Gary B. Kibbe supervised this transfer so I guess it's really up to the consumer as to what they want. But such details. Audio: It's great. Noticible differences from previous DVD copies - the scene where the Priest is talking to his superiors in the court yard at the beginning has more audiable sprinkler sounds. Just great stuff. The soundtrack pops well. Extras This is what we've all come for, right? I really wish I knew what the making of this disc was like. Before this, if you wanted a really good disc of PRINCE OF DARKNESS, you either got the British DVD or if you really wanted the creme de la creme, the Caheirs du Cinema DVD of the film. Not every special feature in the world is included on this blu-ray. Maybe that's a good thing. The introduction and scene analysis features from the French DVD have been said to be lackluster. What Scream! self produced is great. Interestingly enough, Carpenter looks better than he did in other Scream! produced featurettes. And though some of what he says is repeated in the audio commentary (Taken from the European/Studio Cannal release), the repetition comes with greater details to his anecdotes. The Alice Cooper interview kind of sucks, certain questions didn't seem to have been answered, such as his song PRINCE OF DARKNESS - was it written for the film? We hear it in the film and it wasn't released officially on an album until 1988. The Robert Grasmere interview is full of great stuff. He remembers the film fondly and vividly, even bringing with him some props to show. Alan Howarths' interview plays more like an overview of his time working with Carpenter than about the POD score specifically. To bring this up, the alternate for TV edit of the begining. Yes, it comes with everything that the fabled TV edit is supposed to come with. They don't include things like Donald Pleasance actually reading the diary via ADR over the footage that is already there in the theatrical cut, but it's great stuff. Great stuff. A trailer is there, but it comes with two radio spots as well. Sweet. A TV spot has surfaced on youtube, but eh, make your own second disc for this release! Horror's haunted grounds is fun, though not really substantially. A fun piece. An obvious easter egg is a video from the 25th anniversary screening Q and A. It's okay. Nothing in depth. If you are a fan and want more, either wait for stuff to pop up on the internet to download or buy this release. And I do suggest you buy it. Sure, it doesn't have a booklet with some well written articles on the film (and they're out there), and it doesn't have the video of the premiere at Universal Studios (which could have been bought by Getty Images for $500), but it's great none the less. Buy it now. Don't need to be an alien from THEY LIVE to tell you that.

A FANTASTIC film. So ahead of it's time.

Sure, it's not The Thing (no film ever could be), but Prince of Darkness is far from terrible. It gets kind of convoluted and there are some 'miss' moments in the hit-and-miss journey of the movie, but it's a John Carpenter movie and it certainly feels like it. This has all of his classic tropes: moody long shots of something unnatural, a suspenseful score underlying most scenes, tracking shots following the action, etc. This second installment in Carpenter's apocalypse trilogy is a solid entry in his library and any horror fan should see it! PS: There are definitely 'hit' moments as well!

IV'E BEEN WATCHING MOVIES SINCE 1950'S. I'M A GOOD JUDGE OF MOVIES, LIKE ALL TYPES SO I CAN RATE THEM. NOW MY NUMBER ONE TYPE OF MOVIES ARE HORROR & SCIENCE FICTION. THE BEST CAME OUT IN 1950'S & THE 1980'S, NO ONE CAN TOUCH THEM, AND I CAN ONLY FIGURE THAT IN THESE TIMES THE ACTING, DIRECTURES,SOUND PEOPLE, ETC ARE THE BEST. THIS MOVIE IS A PERFECT 10, AND IT MUST BE IN YOUR COLLECTION. IV'E BEEN A BIG FAN OF DONALD PLEASENCE,HIS EARLY MOVIES ARE GREAT. IN 1978 HE DID HALLOWEEN AND BOY DID HE NAIL IT. THIS MAN IS TOP NOTCH ACTOR. IN PRINCE OF DARKNESS HE SHOWED US WHY HE IS THE BEST. THIS MOVIE HAS ONE OF THE BEST MUSIC SCORES, TOP NOTCH ACTING,GREAT PLOT, AND IT'S HARDTO FORGETIT WHEN YOU WATCH IT.THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT THE DAVIL, NOT GORY AT ALL,AND HAS A GREAT PLOT. JOHN CARPENTER IS IN GREAT FORM. THIS GUY SHOULD BE IN THE BEST LIST EVER. SO I SAY TO ALL PEOPLE WHO ENJOY A GOOD SPOOKY MOVIE WITH CLASS, IT MUST BE IN YOUR COLLECTION, & IT'S WORTH THE MONEY. THE 80'S SURE CAME OUT WITH GREAT MOVIES AND ACTORS, SO LOOK FOR THESE MOVIE IN BLUE RAY (MANY OF THEM), AND START BUYING. SAD THING IS MOST OF HOLLYWOOD IN THE 50'S ARE GONE AND THE ACTORS OF THE 80'S DON'T DO MUCH ANYMORE, SO WE THE PUBLIC SHOULD SHOW OUR RESPECT & LOVE & RESPECT AND BUY THE MOVIES THEY HAVE DONE. SO PLEASE TAKE THE TIME, AND SPEND SOME CASH. I WILL TELL YOU THAT I DO WATCH THEM MANY TIMES OVER AND I DO NOT GET BORED. IF YOU FEEL THE SAME I DO, PLEASE BUT THEM, YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY.

The movie is a classic of horror and John Carpenter. And the release from Shout Factory is a nice release of the movie. The movie tells the story of a looming apocalypse facing the world. An ancient container held by a secretive sect of the Catholic Church seems to be ready to open. What it holds is unclear. But it defy's both science and faith. But scientists and priest work together to understand it, keep it from opening, and then just struggle to survive the night as evil besieges them. The film brings together a number of John Carpenter's horror alum. Donald Pleasence from Halloween. And Victor Wong and Dennis Dun from Big Trouble in Little China. The film also gives us a bit of Alice Cooper. The film looks good and the sound is great, making for a fun and chilling night's viewing. In addition there is a commentary with John Carpenter, and a set of documentaries and interviews. They make for a chance to better appreciate the history of this movie. (Included is the original opening for the movie when it was shown on TV.)

This movie is so good it's difficult to understand why it flies under the radar for so many people. Then again I'm a huge fan of obscure horror so maybe it's just me. I love the underlying concepts in this movie quite a bit... it really takes the christianity out of the antichrist and frames it in an eternally-old-unspeakable-evil context. I'm also a big fan of the "Brotherhood of Sleep" concept, the transmission of a message backward through time by focusing a beam of tachyons to a specific place - in this case an old church where the imprisoned antichrist sleeps. Kinda funny though in 2014 to watch a movie where the future transmission comes from 1999! Donald Pleasence is awesome as always, though his character is a bit like Dr. Loomis in a priest's outfit. The romantic subtext between the blonde dude who was in "Simon & Simon" and the redhead is a bit corny & stupid in my opinion, but then again that's pretty much how I see most romantic subtexts. Yeah I get it, it makes it so much sadder when people die, blah blah blah... but in a horror movie if you need romantic subtext to make death seem scary or horrific then you're not doing your job as a screenwriter or director. All that aside, this is a very doomy movie with a very original killing perpetrated by Alice Cooper. Love this flick! You will too!

...mi ha portato male: Infatti non era la versione francese, ma una zona 1 non riproducibile dal mio lettore. Restituito.

Coming in between "The Thing" and "In the Mouth of Madness" as John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy, Prince of Darkness represents Carpenter's most thoughtful horror film, with creepy and interesting ideas to spare, shocking philosophically and viscerally in equal doses. The plot has it's own joys and if you're avoiding it because you dislike religious-based horror or expect an Exorcist knock-off, you have got it all wrong. This is science-fiction/religious horror and it bears little resemblance to the Judeo-Christian myth. Enough about that - you must see it. This Scream Factory disc includes amazing picture and sound (this score begged for 5.1 surround sound), the same John Carpenter/Peter Jason commentary (fairly average for Carpenter's tracks, which means it's a solid 3/5) that's on the UK Studio Canal DVD (missing the opening remark about the "Studio Canal Plus logo" which is irrelevant as said logo is replaced by the original Universal logo here), a good solid interview with Mr Carpenter, another with a effects guy who also acted in the film, another with Alice Cooper (who acts here and recorded a song for it, briefly heard in the film), one with Alan Howarth (who collaberated on most of John Carpenter's scores between Halloween II/The Fog to They Live), the trailer and radio spots, the alternate opening sequenced edited for American TV which hilariously speeds up the footage to fit it between commercial breaks and attempts to tone down severely anything that might be construed as anti-religious. There's also the customary "Horror's Hallowed Grounds", which is funnier than usual (I still kind of find the host annoying, but these are really fun features) and an easter egg from the 25th anniversary screening of the film which features some of Carp's funniest answers to questions. This is THE version of the film to own. I find it VERY unlikely it will be topped by anyone for years and years to come.

No hay mucho que decir, la película es buena. Sobre la presentación, no incluye demasiados extras, solo lo justo. Lo recomiendo.

Classic! Love the reversible cover. A+++

Cuando estrenaba sus películas era muy criticado y tenía mala recepción del público, pero el tiempo le da la razón y se vuelven películas de culto, acostumbrado a su horror aunque en este caso no tan visceral como otras de sus grandes películas desde una perspectiva más "científica" esta película toma la lucha del bien contra el mal desde un punto más científico y de dimensiones alternas si eres fan de sus películas no te la debes perder