Prince of Darkness
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Movie Reviews of Prince of Darkness
Movie Review: B Flicks Live Again!
Summary: 4 Stars
I like John Carpenter, for he know how to make stylish B-films that work. Jameson Parker (Rick of Simon & Simon - NOT Parker Jameson, mind you!), is a student under Professor Victor Wong (Tremors "Here are some Swiss Cheese & Bullets") along with Lisa Blount (Officer and a Gentleman) and Denis Dun (Big Trouble in Little China). They and their fellow students are recruited to help a priest, Donald Pleasance, in solving the riddle of an Evil the church has kept hidden (Now we know what is wrong with Mickael Meyers!!). They confront a huge glass cylinder of swirling green Jell-o that is supposedly an "evil", likely the "son" of Satan.There are lots of doings outside the church, as well. Alice Cooper and his palies are lumbering around doing all sorts of Lord of the Flies routines, obviously called by the Jell-o in the tube in the basement. Our gang is trapped in the church, trying to solve the riddle of the text kept with the tube, but all are slowly being affected by the tube, just as Alice and crew are outside. Can they solved the riddle of the evil before it's too late? Maybe they need Cool Whip??
It sounds hokey, and at point you really want to laugh, but at the same time Carpenter blends his B-movie magic to terrify you. A heady mix! He keeps the audience on the edge of their sets.
Likely to be one of Carpenter "cult classic" down the road and well deservedly!
Movie Review: John Carpenter is the True "Prince of Darkness"
Summary: 4 Stars
This is another masterpiece from Carpenter. The other reviewers here and the synopsis of the film really say it all as far as plot goes, but what empressed me the most with this story is how Carpenter spends some real quality time helping us get to know the characters and getting attached to them. This is one of his more thoughtful suspenseful films even though it also does the requisite gory stuff. The script is extremely literate, even the scientific info is very acurate in the film.
The acting is well-above average for a chiller which is a nice change of pace from the typical acting in this genre. The special effects and make-up are a little dated, but still acceptable by today's standards. The music isn't as memorable as Halloween, The Fog, and The Thing, but it's still eerie and effective. The setting is appropriately claustrophobic. There are a few awkward moments in the film, but nothing significant to detract from the overall effect of the film.
This is an intelligent B-horror film that Carpenter gives the "A" treatment. This DVD belongs in your horror collection for sure.
Movie Review: Low-budget chiller way better than it should be!
Summary: 4 Stars
Prince of Darkness SHOULD have been a horrible movie. It has alot of things wrong with it. For instance:-The opening credits are boring and take a LONG time to roll by.
-The first half hour of the movie, nothing much happens.
-There is a "romantic" subplot that is about as exciting and fun as eating paint chips.
-The budget is clearly really small, even for a Carpenter flick.
-It has a lot of scientific/spiritual mumbo-jumbo dialogue, which is bount to put people off in what is mostly a ZOMBIE MOVIE.
-The plot is outrageous, even by horror movie standards.
-Almost all the actors are recycled from older John Carpenter movies like "Big Trouble in Little China."
-Satan in a jar... 'nuff said.
-Alice Cooper... 'nuff said.
Having said all that, this movie really creeped me out. It has some good scares, some gross-outs, and some chilling moments. The ending was flat-out nuts, in a good way. This movie doesn't measure up to Carpenter's version of "The Thing," but it is a good and original chiller all the same.
On to the DVD... the sound and picture quality are excellent, but you get practically NO extras whatsoever. And I think this movie deserves the "Special Edition" treatment like "The Thing" and "The Fog" got.
Movie Review: Another good one from Carpenter
Summary: 4 Stars
Sunday, May 09, 2004 / 4 of 5 / Another good one from Carpenter. There is a certain niche in the horror genre that mixes religion and science well. Event Horizon, and Prince of Darkness are prime examples. I always enjoy this offering from Carpenter, it has his trademark minimalist musical tone set throughout, like the throbbing of a heartbeat. It also has his weird bent on conflict through identity issues, people are taken over and used to attack the others. And of course there is the shocking image of a bad guy standing in full view in the shadows, unmoving ala Halloween. A disparate group of grad students including physicists, language people, biologists, etc. are brought together to an abandoned church to investigate a mysterious cylinder which may well contain Satan. About to be loosed, he seeks his father an `anti-God'. An interesting take on the theory of opposites in the universe, never mind that the dogma of an omni-powerful monotheistic God makes that possibility moot. Carpenter staple Donald Pleasance plays the latest in the line of priests to learn about the monstrous lie propagated by the church that evil is not in fact a sleeping physical entity. Cat and mouse games ensue in the church as the group gets trapped by homeless people under the power of Satan. Recommended.Movie Review: "Maybe he's anti-God. Bringing darkness instead of light."
Summary: 4 Stars
Cool movie. Not a lot of action but the creepy images and satanic themes make it worth watching a few times, plus you got a good cast (see below).
Satan is held captive in liquid form in a big icky looking canister in the basement of an abandoned church. Scientists are asked by the Church to stay the weekend and study the canister. Naturally all hell breaks loose and insects start doing unpleasant things, homeless people eat maggot covered turds then stab scientists and scientists turn into wide-eyed, puking demons.
As far as Carpenter films go this is the middle of the road. Not as good as BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA or THE THING, but way better than ESCAPE FROM L.A. or GHOSTS OF MARS.
The picture on the DVD is good, but the extras are insulting. Click on "Bonus Material" and you get a trailer (boring) and recommendations to watch other Carpenter films! That's it. What a rip-off!
Father Loomis - Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN, SHADOWS AND FOG)
Brian Marsh - Jameson Parker ("Simon & Simon", CURSE OF THE CRYSTAL EYE)
Prof. Howard Birack - Victor Wong (BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, TREMORS)
Walter - Dennis Dun (BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, THE LAST EMPEROR)
Dr. Paul Leahy - Peter Jason (ARACHNOPHOBIA, THEY LIVE)