Prince of Darkness main backdrop
Prince of Darkness main poster

Prince of Darkness

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6.8/10 • 1K

1987-10-231h 42m

Horror

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

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

Directors
John Carpenter
Editors
Steve Mirkovich

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Donald Pleasence

    Donald Pleasence

    Father Loomis

  2. Lisa Blount

    Lisa Blount

    Catherine Danforth

  3. Victor Wong

    Victor Wong

    Prof. Howard Birack

  4. Jameson Parker

    Jameson Parker

    Brian Marsh

  5. Dennis Dun

    Dennis Dun

    Walter

  6. Susan Blanchard

    Susan Blanchard

    Kelly

  7. Anne Marie Howard

    Anne Marie Howard

    Susan Cabot

  8. Ann Yen

    Ann Yen

    Lisa

  9. Ken Wright

    Ken Wright

    Lomax

Reviews2

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Oct 15, 2015

7/10

Then it really is Old Scratch knocking at the door. Something of the forgotten John Carpenter movie, Prince of Darkness shows both the good and bad side of the supremely talented director. The story is a beaut, a bit skew-whiff, but unmistakably Carpenter territory as Satan exists in some sort of parallel universe. How he manifests himself is narratively a bit tricky, but still it makes for good horror, especially as the old religious angle finds Carpenter - in the guise of Donald Pleasence - chortling away to himself in a way that Old Nick has been prone to do. Cue bugs, green goo, zombies and a centuries old sect determined to keep Satan out of our world. The scares are many, atmosphere bubbling away (in time with another of Carpenter's pulse beat synth musical scores), while the finale has a genuine surprise up its sleeve. Unfortunately the cast are playing second fiddle to the supernatural strengths, working from a script that doesn't sit at one with the screenplay, rendering the characters as uninvolving fodder. Yet be that as it may, it's still a film of delights, enough in fact to make it a top end entry on Carpenter's CV. 7/10

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  • Prince of Darkness poster
  • Prince of Darkness poster
  • Prince of Darkness poster
  • Prince of Darkness poster
  • Prince of Darkness poster
  • Prince of Darkness poster
  • Prince of Darkness poster
  • Prince of Darkness poster
  • Prince of Darkness poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$3,000,000.00
Revenue
$14,182,492.00
Keywords
researchdreamsobsessionsecret societytime travelsatananti-christartifactpriestlos angeles, californiachurchdemonsatanic cult