Prince of Darkness – 1987 – Supernatural, Horror
Directed by: John Carpenter
Written by: John Carpenter
Main Players: Donald Pleasence; Lisa Blount; Jameson Parker; Victor Wong; Alice Cooper
As a dying guardian warns that “the sleeper awakens,” a key in a small chest is found and a hidden monastery secret is unearthed. What is this strange large cylinder? Why does it contain a storm of swirling green mist? Why is this thing a secret of the church?
As a priest (Pleasence) looks to uncover its history and the secrets of the odd device, a team of variably aged “college graduate students” are recruited by their teacher Professor Howard Birack (Wong). He gets his best and brightest rounded up and moved into a rundown monastery which hides the cylinder. They are there to analyze, and uncover any coded secrets.
However… strange happenings are occurring all around the building, inside and out. The students struggle with crazy visions, while outside people start forming crowds as if drawn to the strange events. Again we wonder about the strange green gas, and what chaos will it possibly bring to the world?
Prince of Darkness is a pretty solid supernatural thriller. It is slower moving as it was made in the late 80s, however still offers plenty of creep and intrigue. The relatively unknown cast is fine, and Donald Pleasence is always good to see again. The story offers enough mysterious vibes and the dialogue is okay, and Carpenter helms it well as usual.
It’s a solid John Carpenter flick, and is considered the second part of his “Apocalypse” trilogy, which. The movies are unrelated other than theme.
See This If You Liked:
The Exorcist; Night of the Living Dead (1968; 1990); In the Mouth of Madness; The Thing; Halloween (1978); They Live; The Fog (1980); The Conjuring; Session 9; Event Horizon
Score:
7.0