X
- 1987
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 42 m
- 1987
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 42 m
Summary A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.
Directed By: John Carpenter
Written By: John Carpenter
- 1987
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 42 m
- 1987
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 42 m
Prince of Darkness
50
7.6
Where to Watch
Summary A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.
Directed By: John Carpenter
Written By: John Carpenter
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
50
40% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
30% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
50
40% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
30% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Those who don't go for horror films, period, won't go for this, but those who do will find this one of the more intelligent, better produced outings of late, with a good, continuing stream of sarcastic humor. [30 Oct 1987, p. E13]
Carpenter returns to his roots, which is to say he's gouging eyes and summoning demons. He's doing it in a wonderfully rough-hewn, low-budget style that fondly recalls Halloween, the granddaddy of slasher movies. [24 Oct 1987, p.1D]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 57 User Ratings
7.6
72% Positive
41 Ratings
41 Ratings
23% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
5% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 57 User Ratings
7.6
72% Positive
41 Ratings
41 Ratings
23% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
5% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Prince of Darkness is a John Carpenter film which came out in 1987, a few years after John Carpenter's directed classic "The Thing" which is an excellent horror starring Kurt Russell about an alien entity that imitates other lifeforms including humans.... ... Prince of Darkness is completely different but has a kind of dark vibe that The Thing had, but totally different and can't remember what it was about, probably the devil or something and there's talk about religion and God and this weird green stuff that is released from some container or something and starts turning people into almost zombie state beings... No idea what Prince of Darkness is about fully but it's a very good film with great acting especially from Donald Pleasance, Victor Wong didn't appeal to me much but he could of been worse and the rest of the cast were fantastic and all very likeable apart from the creepy beings on the streets which gave it a sort of zombie feel to it.... Prince of Darkness is very dark, absorbing, very cleverly made by the master of horror named John Carpenter and cleverly put together unlike today's rubbish horror movies...... There's little blood and guts in Prince of Darkness but there is quite a bit and what it had worked very well indeed. Check out Prince of Darkness, one of the best horror films ever made.
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Prince of Darkness always seems to fly under the radar in comparison to Carpenter's other work from the 80's. Personally I think it's his Second best film only behind The Thing. Sure the first half of the movie plods along. The Title Sequence seems to go on for ten minutes. It's comical. I believe it boils down to Carpenter's superb writing. Also the atmosphere has Carpenter's style all over it. The second half of the film takes off like a bat out of hell. One of Carpenter's best.
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It’s an endearingly odd, consistently creepy film that hearkens back to the director’s previous work.
John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness gets off to an intriguing start. But then the movie loses its way.
A surprisingly cheesy horror film to come from Mr. Carpenter (''Halloween,'' ''Escape From New York,'' among others), a director whose work is usually far more efficient and inventive.
The sole mystery is the apparent collapse of Carpenter's skills as a storyteller. Prince of Darkness is shapeless and almost utterly lacking in rhythm, as if it had been slashed and then badly reassembled, like a Carpenter victim. [28 Oct 1987, p.D8]
Carpenter being Carpenter, he vacillates between overexplanation -- his are the most verbose horror films -- and cheap shocks.
It looks good. There is nothing to complain about. All of the effects look solid as they were done in-camera. I loved the flowing movement. The music is very eighties but that doesn't bother me! It has a good solid sound mix that I couldn't complain about! This starts a little slow but it really takes off to be an intense and brutally scary movie. This truly is scary with some solid jumps and a petrifying theme! There are a lot of characters and that helps to keep the pace moving at top speed. It is reminiscent of Halloween (1978) but different and scarier due to the themes raised. The story is told really well and hints at many powers that are way above us morals. Stunning horror that doesn't fail to scare and exhilarate.
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Prince of Darkness is by far the most underrated John Carpenter film. Just looking at theses so called critics give me severe headaches. This is an one-of-a-kind movie with a perfect eerie atmosphere that really feet to the story. The cast is really well chosen and the Carpenter / Howarth original score is one of their best to date. The set is really simple as it is creepy and the cinematography really helps a lot to feel the absence of the good inside these walls. I honestly can't find anything bad to say about the whole movie. The make up effects are probably the less effective point but are still believable and correct at this point. Definitely not your typical horror story and at millions miles ago from nowadays standard.
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Prince of Darkness is disappointing. Yes, this is a John Carpenter film, the whole film feels its unique style. But Prince of Darkness doesn't compare at all with the director's other films, especially The Thing. Prince of Darkness has a very mediocre plot in which there is almost no action or development. For the most half of the film, you are waiting for the start of the development of events of which simply not. Prince of Darkness has nothing to surprise the viewer. It doesn't scare like horror, it doesn't keep you on your toes like a thriller. Prince of Darkness just spends your time for 15 minutes of action in the film's finale. Prince of Darkness can only be recommended to John Carpenter fans and no one else.
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From last few days, I have been watching John Carpenter's movie. I read about this movie and watched it. The idea of the movie was little bit creepy but not new. For your info, this movie is now considered cult classic like Carpenter's other movies.
For me, the movie was Carpenter's career one of the weakest. It had elements of darkness, horror and tense, but it failed to have it's impact. There are some good tense scenes but most of the time, it's too much normal movie.
If we talk about performances, none of them gave a worthy performance. Direction by John Carpenter was weak. It thought it would be just like his other movies such as Halloween and The Thing but no. I didn't find any problem with the pacing. The main problem was with too much simple story and it's too much simple execution.
Overall, the movie is a normal one. I can't think that this was made by director who have given so much dark, tense and suspenseful movies.
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This is yet another biblically-based horror film that tackles the end of the world. In this case, it focuses on a small abandoned church where a mysterious brotherhood kept a large hermetically sealed cylinder containing a viscous substance. The movie never tells us what that thing is, nor how it was stuck there, nor does it explain why it came out of the cocoon (one of the biggest problems in the script). But the truth is that it looks like a milkshake of wickedness, evil concentrated. And in it lies the secret to awaken the Prince of Darkness. The movie may seem strange and very unbelievable because of these elements, but the truth is that it works very well as a horror movie. John Carpenter is a master at creating suspense and scare the audience, and he achieves one more success in this film, probably one of the least known of his consecrated career. Donald Pleasence is the most obvious name of the cast, in the role of an unusual Catholic priest. The cast, on the whole, fairly complied with what was demanded of it. The special effects are good but the characterization and the wardrobe deserve special applause because they stand out, particularly as the film draws to an end.
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Production Company
Alive Films,
Larry Franco Productions,
Haunted Machine Productions
Release Date Oct 23, 1987
Duration 1 h 42 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline Where are you...? Christ?
Awards
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Nomination
