Film Review — Prince of Darkness
★★★☆☆
A priest and a group of scientists gather to study an ancient cylinder of liquid, but curiosity soon turns to terror when they discover its true apocalyptic nature.
Sandwiched between Big Trouble in Little China and They Live it’s easy to forget about this, yet another entry in John Carpenter’s long list of highly enjoyable commercial under-achievers (this actually made a relatively handsome profit, but you know what I mean).
Prince of Darkness doesn’t come close to the carney heights of those cult classic movies but is worthy in its own right by offering an intriguing new take on the end times, blending traditional apocalyptic tropes with Carpenter’s clear obsession with temporal mechanics and other scientific jargon that was probably in vogue at the time.
Does it make sense? Not a lick, but I didn’t really care given how entertaining it all was. What I did mind, however, was a bulky, sluggish start, some eye-wateringly bad dialogue and performances, and a grating, droning Carpenter score that strained to pair with the unique horrors unfolding on-screen.
Director: John Carpenter
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Lisa Blount, Victor Wong, Jameson Parker
Cinematography: Gary Kibbe
Music: John Carpenter & Alan Howarth
Running time: 101 mins
Release year: 1987
BBFC rating: 15 for strong gory violence, horror
