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Prince Of Darkness (1987)
Released By: MCA Universal Home Video   Rating: R   In Theaters: N/A
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Studio: MCA Universal Home Video
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: R
Director: John Carpenter
Language: English
Official Website: N/A
Theatrical Release: N/A
Home Video Release: N/A
Cast: Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, Lisa Blount, Victor Wong
Published ID: 3606
UPC: 014381427523, 025192123429,
Plot: Proving that you can never guess what you'll find when you clean out the basement, a man of the cloth discovers that ultimate evil has made a hiding place in his cellar in this tale of terror. Father Loomis (Donald Pleasance) is a priest who discovers a strange object in a church basement -- a canister filled with a swirling and volatile green substance. With the help of Professor Birack (Victor Wong), Loomis discovers the startling truth about his find -- it seems that Satan, who is actually an alien life form, had a son, and the essence of the devil's spawn is trapped inside the canister. The evil spirit has been guarded by a group calling themselves The Brotherhood of Sleep, but the spirit has the ability to free itself whenever it decides the time is right...and it seems that time is just around the corner. Prince of Darkness was directed by horror master John Carpenter; he also wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym Martin Quatermass. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
IDDateTimeTitleReviewHelpfulVotesTotalVotes
typical distortion Christian faith of horror movies
Added 10/8/2009

Full disclaimer i am biasd toward the church and i have learning diabilive that make my writing suck. The movie, I personaly felt was a bit disresepct of the churches. I feel there was no person in the film you really felt conction with and just to much data. I am not going to tell you about the film other then, do not buy it unless you can get for two dollars at local story suave your shipping cost.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
Also Known As The Two Hour MagLight Add
Added 9/12/2009

This is the last decent film that John Carpenter ever made. It tells the story of a group of scientists who discover a strange capsule in the basement of an old church. The liquid contents of the capsule turn out to be the son of Satan and, in fact, Jesus and Satan turn out to be extraterrestrials. This of course, follows Arthur C. Clark's idea that any sufficiently advanced technology can look like magic.
Despite the seemingly corny premise, the film combines a mix of the kind of horror found in 'The Thing' and the humor of 'Big Trouble in Little China' which works very well. Though not the best of his films, it still is well worth seeing.
I should explain that that the title of this review comes from one of the funnier scenes in which one of the researchers is trapped in a closet with no hope of escape through the door. When the monster outside comes at him, he uses a MagLight to bash his way through the back wall of the closet into the next room. At the time, MagLights were new on the market and everyone I knew wanted one simply because they had seen the film. Thus, in my circle of friends at least, we often referred to the film as " 'Prince of Darkness' or 'The Two Hour MagLight Add' " in the voice of the narrator at the end of an episode of "Bulwinkle".
It should be noted that this is definitely a horror film and contains plenty of rotting corpses, bloody maulings and other grusome special effects. And things don't exactly come out right in the end. If you're easily creeped out, watch this film with plenty of friends and the lights on! Mwahaha!

1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
Pretty Damn Cool
Added 7/2/2009

One of those rare B-movies that actually has something intelligent going on beneath the cheese riddled surface. Those cerebral transmission scenes are especially foreboding. A fun movie that also leaves some room for reflection.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
2.5 Stars, mostly a demonic dud
Added 6/23/2009

"We believe nature is solid and time is a constant. Matter has substance, and time, a direction. There is truth in flesh, and solid ground. The wind may be invisible, but it's real. Smoke, fire, water, light...They're different. Not as to stone or steel, but they're tangible. And we assume time has an arrow because it is as a clock. One second is one second for everyone. Cause precedes effect. Fruit rots, water flows downstream, we're born, we age, we die, the reverse never happens. None of this is truth. Say goodbye to classical reality, because our logic collapses on the subatomic level into ghosts and shadows."

If extended scenes of plodding, pretentious, not to mention laughable psycho babble like this is your cup of tea, then boy have I found a movie for you. After ten minutes of opening credits, the story begins. Father Loomis comes into a secret buried in the basement of a local church, a cylinder full of Satan in liquid form. He enlists the help of a team of scientists and psychologists to decipher the mystery behind the liquid evil and to stop the premonitions of Satan's return.

At first the story line behind Prince of Darkness is quite intriguing. Mortal man defeating the devil himself by means of science? It certainly has some interesting possibilities. Unfortunately after the green liquid escapes its ancient container and begins possessing people, it doesn't take long for the movie to devolve into a typical stalk and slash fare, and not a very good one at that.

In addition to that, there is far too much silliness here in the first place. Why does the discovery of the cylinder cause a small group of the local homeless, and no one else, to become murderous zombies? All this mayhem is taking place inside a church situated on a frequented city street in broad daylight, why is it so difficult for the group to evade a small group of zombies guarding the exit? Couldn't they call for help, or get the attention of somebody walking or driving by?

Needless to say Prince of Darkness isn't John Carpenter's crowning achievement, but that's not to say it's all bad. It does have a consistent aura of dread throughout, as well as a memorable scene involving hordes of insects and a corpse that borders upon being genuinely disturbing. Plus no movie starring Donald Pleasance could ever be a complete waste, as close as Prince of Darkness manages to come. A casual horror fan may find some entertainment here, but other than that this is definetly one best left for John Carpenter fanatics.

PS: They also should have stuck to the original cover art.

1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
One of Carpenter's best from the 80's
Added 6/7/2009

I saw this a long time ago and liked it.So I decided to pick it up. The story is pretty good and the effects are great. Of course Donald Pleasance does another good job in a Carpenter film. He's been in Halloween and Escape From New York so this would be his third. I also liked Alice Cooper's performance as one of the creepy homeless people. John Carpenter's had some decent films over the years but this is his best next to The Thing and The Fog.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
typical distortion Christian faith of horror movies
Added 10/8/2009

Full disclaimer i am biasd toward the church and i have learning diabilive that make my writing suck. The movie, I personaly felt was a bit disresepct of the churches. I feel there was no person in the film you really felt conction with and just to much data. I am not going to tell you about the film other then, do not buy it unless you can get for two dollars at local story suave your shipping cost.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
Also Known As The Two Hour MagLight Add
Added 9/12/2009

This is the last decent film that John Carpenter ever made. It tells the story of a group of scientists who discover a strange capsule in the basement of an old church. The liquid contents of the capsule turn out to be the son of Satan and, in fact, Jesus and Satan turn out to be extraterrestrials. This of course, follows Arthur C. Clark's idea that any sufficiently advanced technology can look like magic.
Despite the seemingly corny premise, the film combines a mix of the kind of horror found in 'The Thing' and the humor of 'Big Trouble in Little China' which works very well. Though not the best of his films, it still is well worth seeing.
I should explain that that the title of this review comes from one of the funnier scenes in which one of the researchers is trapped in a closet with no hope of escape through the door. When the monster outside comes at him, he uses a MagLight to bash his way through the back wall of the closet into the next room. At the time, MagLights were new on the market and everyone I knew wanted one simply because they had seen the film. Thus, in my circle of friends at least, we often referred to the film as " 'Prince of Darkness' or 'The Two Hour MagLight Add' " in the voice of the narrator at the end of an episode of "Bulwinkle".
It should be noted that this is definitely a horror film and contains plenty of rotting corpses, bloody maulings and other grusome special effects. And things don't exactly come out right in the end. If you're easily creeped out, watch this film with plenty of friends and the lights on! Mwahaha!

1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
Pretty Damn Cool
Added 7/2/2009

One of those rare B-movies that actually has something intelligent going on beneath the cheese riddled surface. Those cerebral transmission scenes are especially foreboding. A fun movie that also leaves some room for reflection.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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