Prince of Darkness (1987)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writer:

John Carpenter (written by)

Release Date:

23 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Where are you...? Christ?

Plot:

A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.

Plot Keywords:

Church | Priest | Student | Liquid | Devil

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Donald Pleasence	...	Priest
Jameson Parker	...	Brian Marsh
Victor Wong	...	Prof. Howard Birack
Lisa Blount	...	Catherine Danforth
Dennis Dun	...	Walter
Susan Blanchard	...	Kelly
Anne Marie Howard	...	Susan Cabot (as Anne Howard)
Ann Yen	...	Lisa
Ken Wright	...	Lomax
Dirk Blocker	...	Mullins
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson	...	Calder
Peter Jason	...	Dr. Paul Leahy
Robert Grasmere	...	Frank Wyndham
Thom Bray	...	Etchinson
Joanna Merlin	...	Bag Lady
Alice Cooper	...	Street Schizo
Betty Ramey	...	Nun
Jessie Ferguson	...	Dark Figure

Directed by
John Carpenter

Writing credits
John Carpenter		(written by) (as Martin Quatermass)

Produced by
Andre Blay	....	executive producer
Larry J. Franco	....	producer
Shep Gordon	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Carpenter
Alan Howarth

Cinematography by
Gary B. Kibbe

Film Editing by
Steve Mirkovich

Casting by
Linda Francis

Production Design by
Daniel A. Lomino

Set Decoration by
Rick Gentz

Makeup Department
Janis Clark	....	hair stylist
Francisco X. Pérez	....	makeup artist (as Frank Carrisosa)
Mark Shostrom	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Stratton Leopold	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Larry J. Franco	....	first assistant director
Bruce Solow	....	second assistant director (as Bruce Alan Solow)

Art Department
Rick Caprarelli	....	lead man
Claudia Gilligan Ivanjack	....	stand-by painter (as Claudia Gilligan)
Audrey A. Johnson	....	assistant property master
Kent H. Johnson	....	property master
Richard M. Kerns	....	assistant property master
Craig Talmy	....	prop shop consultant
Anthony Tomeo	....	stand-by painter
Larry Verne	....	construction coordinator
Ward Welton	....	paint foreman
Michael Wright	....	construction foreman

Sound Department
Bruce Bell	....	foley recordist
Joseph F. Brennan	....	boom operator
Thomas Causey	....	production sound mixer
Greg Curda	....	foley mixer
Charles Davis	....	assistant sound editor
Dane A. Davis	....	special sound effects creator
John P. Fasal	....	special sound effects creator
David Gertz	....	dubbing recordist
Jeremy J. Gordon	....	sound editor
Laura Hekking	....	adr recordist
Michael Hilkene	....	supervising sound editor
Frank Howard	....	sound editor
David J. Hudson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Doc Kane	....	adr mixer
Fran Kaplan	....	apprentice sound editor
Val Kuklowsky	....	supervising sound editor
Eric Lindemann	....	sound editor
Mel Metcalfe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Terry Porter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist
John O. Wilde	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Kevin Quibell	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Jim Danforth	....	matte painter
Robert Grasmere	....	visual effects supervisor
Jim Danforth	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Christine Anne Baur	....	stunts
Simone Boisseree	....	stunts
Justin De Rosa	....	stunts
Ellarye	....	stunts
Debbie Evans	....	stunts
Randy Hall	....	stunts
Bob Herron	....	stunts
Jeff Imada	....	stunt coordinator
Wayne King	....	stunts
Mario Roberts	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Kevin Arnold	....	electrician
Kirk Bales	....	dolly grip
Danny Falkengren	....	grip
John R. Hamilton	....	still photographer
Frederick Hamm	....	second assistant camera
Casey Hotchkiss	....	first assistant camera: second camera
Jud Kehl	....	camera operator
Robert McCarthy	....	best boy electric
Ron Peebles	....	best boy grip
Charles Saldana	....	key grip
Charles Smock	....	electrician
Ken Spencer	....	gaffer (as Kenneth Spencer)
Chris Squires	....	panaglide operator (as Christopher Squires)
Chris Squires	....	second camera operator (as Christopher Squires)
Joseph E. Thibo	....	first assistant camera
Ian Wayne	....	video engineer

Casting Department
Bess Gilbert	....	extras casting
Melanie Massey	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mark Peterson	....	costumer
Deahdra Scarano	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Timothy Alverson	....	first assistant editor
Lee Grubin	....	apprentice editor
Frederick Wardell	....	assistant editor
Dode Weyant	....	negative cutter

Transportation Department
Steve Brooks	....	driver
Randy Cantor	....	driver
Jim Huffey	....	driver
Marty Huffey	....	driver
Bob Muehlig	....	driver
John 'J.P.' Pratt	....	driver (as John Pratt)
Mario Simon	....	transportation captain
James E. Vargas	....	transportation captain
Eddie Lee Voelker	....	transportation coordinator
Gordon Wiles II	....	driver
Dennis Yank	....	driver

Other crew
Rezza Badakhshan	....	photographic doubling
Mike Berro	....	computer programmer
Rick Chavez	....	craft service
Maurice Costello	....	first aid
Michelle Costello	....	photographic doubling
Kimberley Coy	....	unit publicist
Burt Davidson	....	effects crewman
Joy Ewing	....	production accountant
Phronsie Franco	....	photographic doubling
Gary Gero	....	bug wrangler
Joseph R. Gonzales	....	technical advisor
Robert Grasmere	....	computer effects coordinator (as Robert Grasmere Jr.)
Sandra Holden	....	assistant to producer
Kent H. Johnson	....	production associate
Randy Killen	....	shop foreman
Sandy King	....	script supervisor
Steven R. Kutcher	....	bug wrangler
Ken Lavet	....	location manager
Michael Nelson	....	computer technical consultant
Steve Patino	....	operator
Steve Patino	....	supervisor
Douglas A. Raine	....	production associate
Marian Shambo	....	production coordinator
Jeffrey Truby	....	labourer foreman
Pablo Ferro	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Alive Films (presents)
• Larry Franco Productions

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (1988) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 4 Front Video (2000) (UK) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (1999) (Germany) (VHS)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (DVD) (Middle East)
• H.O.M. Vision (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1988) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Pioneer (1991) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (1988) (Australia) (VHS)
• Starlight (1988) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Starlight (1990) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Universal Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2009) (Canada) (DVD) (4 film collection)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2009) (USA) (DVD) (4 film collection)
• Vestron Video International (1988) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Vivivideo (19??) (Italy) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Effects Associates

Also Known As:

"John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | West Germany:16 (video release) | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:M | Canada:18+ | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2000) | UK:18 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1988) | USA:R (certificate #28768) | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alive Films

Trivia:

Donald Pleasence's character, Father Loomis, is named after the character he played in the Halloween movies.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The student radiologist Susan Cabot says she has been "carbon dating the corrosion on the lid" of the cylinder, and "we're talking about 7 million years". Carbon dating is used to determine the age of materials, usually organic, containing carbon, not metal corrosion substances, and is only useful for about 60,000 years.

Quotes:

Father Loomis:Why weren't we told the truth?
Professor Edward Birack:Without the technology to confirm? It would have been another legend.
Father Loomis:But he was OUR prisoner, not yours!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Take Me Home Tonight (2011)

Soundtrack:

Prince of Darkness

One of Carpenter's most underrated and best! **** out of *****

The great thing about John Carpenter's films is that almost all of them feature a great sense of doom throughout the picture. Think about it... HalloweeN, The Fog, Escape From New York, In The Mouth of Madness... pure doom and gloom. And they are all accompanied by equally brooding soundtracks.

Prince of Darkness has all of the elements of a classic Carpenter flick. I think it's finally getting the recognition it deserves and is gaining a small cult following.

The acting for the most part is really good. There are some very memorable lines of dialog and I think the script is very well written. Again music is key here. The music helps with the feel of the movie which is very unsettling.

Also, Alice Cooper has a very small but memorable roll. His song 'Prince of Darkness' from the album 'Raise Your Fist and Yell' can be heard during an incredible suspense scene.

A must see for the Carpenter fan. In my opinion it's in his top five.