The 1987 movie Prince of Darkness is the second installment in horror director John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy. The movie is preceded by 1982's The Thing and followed by 1995's In the Mouth of Madness. Prince of Darkness combines demonic terror with quantum physics – a bizarrely original plot for a genre film.
Prince of Darkness received mixed reviews from critics, who view it as less compelling than John Carpenter's other features. However, the movie maintains a cult status among hardcore fans of both the horror genre and Carpenter. While it may not have the reputation of Halloween, some fans believe Prince of Darkness is on par with Carpenter's best movies. Is Prince of Darkness an underrated gem, or is it second-rate filmmaking?
Yes: Donald Pleasance Stars As An Occult Priest
Frequent John Carpenter Donald Pleasance, known for playing Dr. Samuel Loomis in the Halloween movies, stars as an occultist priest in Prince of Darkness. The priest oversees a monastery for an organization known as The Brotherhood of Sleep.
Pleasance brings his standard emotional prowess and psychological stability to his role in Prince of Darkness. Pleasance's Priest rises to the challenge when all hell breaks loose in the film.
No: The Priest's Esoteric Beliefs Remain Unclear
The Brotherhood of Sleep in Prince of Darkness is an esoteric organization whose purpose remains incomprehensible. For people who don't appreciate ambiguity, this aspect of the narrative may be a hard pill to swallow.
The Brotherhood of Sleep communicates through dreams, and the movie is filled with surrealistic, ethereal dream montages. While visually beautiful, these sequences make the film's deeper contexts even more abstract.
Yes: The Priest Hires Quantum Physicists To Investigate A Strange Cylinder Full Of Green Liquid
The Priest seeks the help of Professor Howard Birack (Victor Wong), a quantum physics professor at a local college. With a dozen students and other academics, Dr. Birack studies a massive cylinder in the basement of The Brotherhood of Sleep's church. The cylinder contains a glowing green liquid, and the group decipher a tome found next to the container in order to figure out its purpose.
What the group comes to understand is the green liquid is an embodiment of Satan. Using computers, the physicists apply their scientific knowledge to comprehend supernatural evil.
No: The Narrative Arc Involving The Physicists Is Muddled By A Love Story
One plot point that undermines the new theoretical and scientific horror territory explored in Prince of Darkness is an unnecessary love story between two of the scientists.
Brian Marsh (Jameson Parker) and Catherine Danforth (Lisa Blount) play two of Dr. Birack's students who recently started dating. The tension existing between the characters as they try to solve the mystery of the green liquid serves no purpose is propelling the narrative.
Yes: It Is Set Inside a Creepy, Surrealistic Los Angeles Church
Prince of Darkness was filmed in Los Angeles. The Brotherhood of Sleep resides in a Gothic Revival church, and Dr. Birack's entourage sets up shop there as they study the green liquid.
The juxtaposition between the church's austere, ancient corridors and the scientists' modern – for 1987 – computer equipment is visually stunning. The basement where the container lies is also illuminated by hundreds of candles.
No: The Moody Atmospherics Are Undercut By Cheesy Moments
In order to add moments of comedy or action, Prince of Darkness contains scenes that hurt its overarching mood and aesthetic. From one-liners to drawn-out fights, these moments take away from the film's artistic power.
Including more standard mainstream movie elements like dialogue quips or over-the-top action can sometimes backfire in a movie, and it does here.
Yes: It Looks Beyond Biblical Interpretations Of Good And Evil
Prince of Darkness delves into some heady theoretical science, providing a completely new take on the Judeo-Christian ideas explored in horror movies. The scientists conclude the cylinder containing the embodiment of Satan is the offspring of an even more powerful entity known as "Anti-God."
The film delves into complex quantum physics like anti-matter and interdimensional portals.
No: This Underlying Philosophy Is Difficult For Some Audiences To Understand
While probing these abstract academic ideas is new ground for horror movies, concepts like Anti-God and interdimensional portals may be way too quixotic for some viewers.
Conceptual science combined with supernatural entities is an intense mix. While some viewers may revel in Prince of Darkness's obscure ideas, others will find them burdensome.
Yes: It Reimagines The Zombie Trope
When the sentient green liquid in the cylinder is exposed to people, they turn into zombie-like scions of Satan. Once possessed, the characters in the movie start attacking each other. A lot of body horror ensues.
Susan Blanchard's character Kelly absorbs most of the liquid, turning into Satan's vessel. Her body is disfigured and she becomes capable of both telekinesis and regeneration.
No: The Possessed Don't Always Pack A Powerful Punch
Prince of Darkness also features a horde of homeless zombies outside The Brotherhood of Sleep's church led by none other than Alice Cooper. When members of Dr. Birack's research group try to leave the church after Satan's green ooze takes over, they are sabotaged by the transient undead.
The Alice Cooper zombie gang is pretty cheesy. The film does nothing to hide Cooper's visage underneath his zombie make-up, making it all seem like an '80s music video at times.