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IMDbPro

Prince of Darkness

  • 1987
  • R
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
47K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,892
523
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Trailer for Prince of Darkness
Play trailer1:51
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Horror

A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil forc... Read allA group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity.A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity.

  • Director
    • John Carpenter
  • Writer
    • John Carpenter
  • Stars
    • Donald Pleasence
    • Lisa Blount
    • Jameson Parker
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    47K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,892
    523
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writer
      • John Carpenter
    • Stars
      • Donald Pleasence
      • Lisa Blount
      • Jameson Parker
    • 328User reviews
    • 208Critic reviews
    • 50Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations

    Videos3

    Prince Of Darkness
    Trailer 1:51
    Watch Prince Of Darkness
    Prince of Darkness
    Trailer 1:52
    Watch Prince of Darkness
    Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary
    Clip 4:54
    Watch Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary

    Photos132

    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Donald Pleasence and Victor Wong in Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Alice Cooper in Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Donald Pleasence in Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Peter Jason in Prince of Darkness (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Donald Pleasence
    Donald Pleasence
    • Priest
    Lisa Blount
    Lisa Blount
    • Catherine Danforth
    Jameson Parker
    Jameson Parker
    • Brian Marsh
    Victor Wong
    Victor Wong
    • Prof. Howard Birack
    Dennis Dun
    Dennis Dun
    • Walter
    Susan Blanchard
    Susan Blanchard
    • Kelly
    Anne Marie Howard
    Anne Marie Howard
    • Susan Cabot
    • (as Anne Howard)
    Ann Yen
    Ann Yen
    • Lisa
    Ken Wright
    Ken Wright
    • Lomax
    Dirk Blocker
    Dirk Blocker
    • Mullins
    Jessie Lawrence Ferguson
    Jessie Lawrence Ferguson
    • Calder
    Peter Jason
    Peter Jason
    • Dr. Paul Leahy
    Robert Grasmere
    • Frank Wyndham
    Thom Bray
    Thom Bray
    • Etchinson
    Joanna Merlin
    Joanna Merlin
    • Bag Lady
    Alice Cooper
    Alice Cooper
    • Street Schizo
    Betty Ramey
    • Nun
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writer
      • John Carpenter
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Carpenter's first film that he made independently since Escape from New York (1981). Not only because of the box office failure of his previous film Big Trouble in Little China (1986), but also his frustration with working with the studios.
    • Goofs
      Toward the end when Brian jumps out the window and the possessed people outside come towards him, it is clearly dawn and light outside. Shortly after, when the possessed is defeated and the mirror is broken by the priest, you can see them dispersing while it is night outside. Then Walter jumps out to get help and it is night as well. The next scene shows Walter with a blanket around him and is dawn again.
    • Quotes

      Voice: This is not a dream... not a dream. We are using your brain's electrical system as a receiver. We are unable to transmit through conscious neural interference. You are receiving this broadcast as a dream. We are transmitting from the year one, nine, nine, nine. You are receiving this broadcast in order to alter the events you are seeing. Our technology has not developed a transmitter strong enough to reach your conscious state of awareness, but this is not a dream. You are seeing what is actually occurring for the purpose of causality violation.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits last for nine minutes.
    • Alternate versions
      Television version is slightly reedited, suggesting that all that takes place in the film is just a dream that Jameson Parker's having:
      • after the opening credits there a new shot showing Parker's house from the outside (the theatrical version opens with a shot of Parker trying to perform a card trick).
      • at the beginning, after Parker watches on TV a program reporting the discovery of a new supernova, the narration goes on talking about the death of a millionaire and the discovery of a religious book in his library
      • all mentions of the dead priest, member of the Brotherhood of Sleep who took care of the church where the evil liquid is kept hidden, are deleted;
      • during the whole film, there are new inserted sequences showing Parker sleeping/dreaming in his bed
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Sicilian/Prince of Darkness/No Man's Land/The Glass Menagerie/The Whales of August (1987)
    • Soundtracks
      Prince of Darkness
      Written by Alice Cooper and Kane Roberts

      Performed by Alice Cooper

      Produced by Michael Wagener

      Courtesy of MCA Records

      (C) 1987 Ensign Music Corporation, Ezra Music Inc.

      Screen Gems Music - EMI Music Inc.

    User reviews328

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    A priest, a physics professor, and the devil walk into a bar
    A priest (Donald Pleasence) finds a large cylinder of glowing green liquid in the basement of a church in Los Angeles. He contacts a physics professor (Victor Wong), who brings a research team to the church to investigate. The research team includes a risibly-mustachioed Jameson Parker, the always-amusing Dennis Dun, Dirk Blocker (son of Bonanza's Hoss), and a few relatively forgettable actresses. I should also point out this entire team of graduate students seems to be in the 30-45 age range. The investigation turns up shocking results as the team discovers the liquid inside the container is the Devil or Anti-God or son of the Devil....it's something bad, for sure.

    This is one of the most divisive John Carpenter films, even among his fans. Most people either seem to love it or hate it. I know when I first saw it back in the early '90s I hated it. I thought it didn't make a lick of sense and the male lead was one of the all-time great movie goobers. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I refused to even try it again until about five years ago. But when I did, my opinion of it changed quite a bit. I'm not saying I'm now part of the "love it" crowd. I still believe it's flawed and has some elements than can only be enjoyed on a tongue-in-cheek basis. But I do like it a lot. I have watched it several times in the last few years and have grown to appreciate it more each time.

    Some genuinely creepy moments, nice gross-out effects, and a very tense last 30 minutes that ranks among Carpenter's best work. Also, another terrific Carpenter score. I don't even mind the cheesy relationship between Lisa Blount and Jameson Parker or the terrible lines they both have to say to one another. Little bits of corn are kind of expected with Carpenter. It's part of his style. It's definitely a unique movie. I can't think of anything else quite like it.
    helpful•10
    1
    • utgard14
    • Feb 26, 2014

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    FAQ3

    • Who is the character shown in the main poster in IMDb?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 23, 1987 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness
    • Filming locations
      • LA Artcore, 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(church)
    • Production companies
      • Alive Films
      • Larry Franco Productions
      • Haunted Machine Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,182,492
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,657,401
      • Oct 25, 1987
    • Gross worldwide
      • $14,182,579
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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