Prince Of Darkness
Pretty. Insane, but pretty.
Satan. Lucifer.
Beelzebub. Scratch. Dick Cheney. The Devil has many names and comes
in many forms. Some believe he is a physical being, torturing
condemned souls in the fiery pit of Hell while others believe he
lives within every human being, causing us to do evil. Whether you
believe in Heaven and Hell or God and Satan, the Devil makes for a
pretty good horror movie villain. Since just about everything
regarding his Goatship is open to interpretation, writers and
directors are free to design how he looks as they see fit. While some
movies go for the traditional pitchfork and horns, others go for
something abstract. And then there's John Carpenter who adds his own
little twist with his brand of horror.
Prince of Darkness
is a 1987 horror movie written and directed by John Carpenter
(Halloween, The Thing). The movie stars Jameson Parker (JAG, Simon &
Simon) as metaphysician/student Brian Marsh and Lisa Blount (An
Officer And A Gentleman, Box Of Moon Light) as fellow student
Catherine Danforth. Father Loomis (Donald Pleasance, Halloween,
Escape From New York) approaches their professor, Howard Birack
(Victor Wong, Seven Years In Tibet, The Last Emperor), in need of
help. A fellow priest who had recently died, left a box containing a
key to an underground labyrinth beneath an abandoned church in Los
Angeles. Inside the labyrinth is a cylinder filled with a swirling
green liquid that appears to be growing in power. Birack gathers his
students at the church, including Brian and Lisa who have begun to
fall in love, in an effort to find out just what is in the cylinder.
They are joined by other specialists including a woman to translate
ancient text from a 2,000 year old book found next to the cylinder.
The group notices that homeless people, led Street Schizo (Alice
Cooper, Suck, Wayne's World 2), begin to encircle the church. When a
group member leaves the church, Street Schizo impales him with part
of a bicycle. After parts of the book is translated, it is revealed
that the liquid is a conscious, living embodiment of the Prince of
Darkness, Satan. Satan's powering is growing, changing the sky and
overloading their computers. Loomis tells the group that the Church
had been keeping the information about Satan a secret for thousands
of years in order to protect humanity. Various members of the group
begin to share the same dream, which appears to be a warning from the
future. Satan is able to finally free itself from the cylinder,
shooting liquid onto Susan, a radiologist with the group, making her
into a slave. She begins possessing other members of the group
including Kelly, who had a strange mark on her arm earlier in the day
begins to physically change. She becomes the ultimate incarnation of
Satan, complete with fantastic powers. Birack and the priest discover
that Satan is the the son of an even more powerful entity and plans
to bring him into this world. Surrounded and out-numbered, how will
they be able to stop Satan from bringing his father into our reality?
Who wants Jell-O?
I'm a fan of John
Carpenter's work so it came as a bit of a surprise when I came across
Prince Of Darkness because I had never heard of it before. How can a
movie by the man behind such classics as Halloween, The Thing, and
Escape From New York just go completely under the radar? I think part
of the problem is that the movie is too abstract for the average
movie-goer. Thanks to mainstream media, we all have a preconceived
notion of what the Devil should look like and a swirling green liquid
doesn't fit that idea. I appreciate the desire to be different and I
feel it works in the movie's favor since it's not your average horror
movie. The general idea for the movie came from Carpenter's interest
in theoretical physics and atomic theory and it shows. It's nice that
the movie tries to give a scientific explanation for things, but it
occasionally gets bogged down in specifics, leading to some confusion
and bordedom. There is a good amount of action in the movie, though,
with some nice violence and traditional horror scares. A lot is
crammed in to the movie and certain aspects, like the dream message
or Brian and Catherine's relationship, aren't really given enough
time, especially given their importance.
Carpenter creates a
great atmosphere that lasts throughout the movie. Shot with
wide-angle lenses in an anamorphic format, the movie is very
unsettling. The gothic feel of the church adds to the overall
creepiness brought out by Carpenter's signature synthesizer music.
What really sticks out to me are the small, minor changes in the
actors when they become possessed. Much like spider-walk and head
spinning scenes in The Exorcist, the unearthly sounds coming from the
possessed group really touches a nerve. The acting is pretty good
all-around and every plays their parts well. Jessie Lawrence
Ferguson, who plays a group member named Calder, mixes strange
giggles with weeping that send chills up my spine. The ending is
quite good I actually had a nightmare related to this movie, so you
know it has something working for it. The movie doesn't have your
typical scares, but it manages to stick with you.
"We can't find Waldo anywhere!"
Prince Of Darkness
is an underrated and undervalues horror movie from one of the
masters. John Carpenter is able to craft a scary, surrealistic movie
with a good amount of action and suspense. The abstract ideas and
specific detail may keep some people away, but it's worth sticking
with the movie. The atmosphere throughout the movie is very good
thanks in part to the creepy music and creative camera shots. While
it may not be the most well-known John Carpenter movie, it is well
worth the time to watch. It is fun, scary, and unique. If you need a
movie that will make you think and feel that you may not have seen
before, Prince Of Darkness is a good choice.
8.5/10
