Prince of Darkness (1987)

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 (as Martin Quatermass)

Stars:

Donald Pleasence, Lisa Blount, Jameson Parker

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A sinister secret has been kept in the basement of an abandoned Los Angeles church for many years. With the death of a priest belonging to a mysterious sect, another priest opens the door to the basement and discovers a vat containing a green liquid. The priest contacts a group of physics graduate students to investigate it. Unfortunately, they discover that the liquid contains the essence of Satan himself, and they also discover that he will release HIS father - an all-powerful Anti-God! The liquid later comes to life itself, turning some of the students into zombies as the Devil comes forward to release his father. Will these students be able to stop him?

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Plot Keywords:

reference to schrodinger's cat | religion versus science | supernatural | satanic cult | nun | 

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Taglines:

Before man walked the earth... it slept for centuries. It is evil. It is real. It is awakening.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The central location of the film is a church named Saint Godard's. 'anti God' can be formed by rearranging some of the letters.

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Goofs

(at around 56 mins) When Susan climbed onto Lisa's bed and sprayed the liquid "evil" into Lisa's mouth, the liquid was obviously sprayed from a tube behind Susan's mouth instead of from inside it.

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Quotes

[Birack teaches a class on quantum physics]
Professor Edward Birack: Let's talk about our beliefs, and what we can learn about them. We believe nature is solid, and time a constant. Matter has substance and time a direction. There is truth in flesh and the 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 is narrow because it is as a clock - one second is one second for everyone! Cause precedes effect ...

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits last for nine minutes.

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Alternate Versions

The new UK DVD, released by Momentum, contains the full uncut version of the film and has been downgraded to a 15. The same DVD is also available in Germany from Kinowelt.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 20 Scariest Movie Dream Sequences Ever (2020)

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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 Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Peacock

Country:

USA

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

23 October 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,657,401, 25 October 1987

Gross USA:

$14,182,492

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,182,492

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alive Films, Larry Franco Productions, Haunted Machine Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo 4-Track Stereo (Psycho Dynamism Sound) (Japan theatrical release) Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1