This review has potential spoilers. Suffice to say, it is still a very creepy film after nearly 30 years, and you need go no further than that.I read some of the negative reviews about this movie, and about the acting, and I just sort of shake my head. They are missing one of the key aspects upon which this movie stands: disbelief. And it's also the same reason why you can watch this film maybe 40 years later, and it would probably still creep the livin' h*ll out of you.Indeed, it starts a little slow. The music Carpenter adds for the non-dialog scenes builds a very thick sense of dread. But it's when they get the graduate students is where this film gets legs. The students and the professors, all of whom are very scientific and rational people, are asked to analyze something that only lives in what modern Man thinks is nothing more than Dark Age superstition. Yet, the green goo is there, in all of its horrible glory. Moreover, not only are they asked to PROVE that this is evil incarnate, but find a way to stop it. And their reactions reflect their basic struggle to come to grips of what they are seeing.And yet, Carpenter's sound track rolls on. It really does give you the creeps.And that's the genius of the film: the fact that the security of modern thinking has just been ripped away in one fell swoop, and you're staring straight into a chapter or two of Revelations of John, in the flesh. And you're trying to turn it all back with test tubes and computer print-outs. Even early in the film you get the impression that this isn't going to end well.And then there is the dream sequences that lengthen as the movie rolls. This is also key to the movie, for reasons that I won't explain because it is a potential spoiler.To that end, this is a film whose premise is to turn Christianity on its head. For those of faith, this is a bit of an issue. I personally put that aside - it's a horror film, and a flight of fancy. All in all, this film is best experienced in the dead of the night, in a darkened room, alone. That you'll get it.The last scenes in the movie are undoubtedly the best.

I guess when the creative juices are flowing, you've just got to roll with it. But this movie is beyond awful. The entire movie has this lame synth beat playing that kills any sense of tension. The characters are all boring, and the acting very wooden. The creature effects are awful too, with "super soakers" basically being the enemy's most lethal weapon. Also I have never heard so much exposition in a movie. Literally every other scene is a professor explaining what's happening, and what's about to happen. When you have to resort to that, the movie shouldn't even be made. Audiences she be able to understand just through a more fleshed out story and better film making.It's a decent concept, but when pen met paper I have no idea how someone okay'd this. I guess Carpenter just had that much sway at the time.Do yourself a favor and skip this pile of trash. This is the kind of trash that shows up on sci-fi or adult swim at 3am, but it's not even funny, or bad on purpose.

One of Carpenter's lesser known horror films, but also one of his best. Well, I liked it, but opinion is usually divided. Some love it, some hate it, I'm in the first half. PRINCE OF DARKNESS tells the story of Satan's return to Earth, and mixes religion with science in a brilliant way. As per usual in a Carpenter film, we get a varied group of characters who are likable and easy to identify with.Donald Pleasence heads the cast as a priest, and actually gets to battle Satan at the end. Just what I love to see. The other cast all do fine jobs, especially the Asian guy who I really felt for. The concept of Satan's return in a modern world is handled very well, and makes for a really riveting film. Unlike THE THING, Carpenter keeps the special effects to a minimum in the film, but the final scene is very good (I won't spoil it for you, but it involves Donald Pleasence and an axe, so it can't really fail).There are a couple of stupid things in the film, like some dated makeup, but it doesn't really detract from the story. The only flaw I could see was the fact that the final battle between good and evil wasn't handled too well, but instead became survivors vs. the monsters, which we have seen oh so many times. The way in which the possessed people can't be killed is very effective, bringing back memories of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.I liked the way one of the dead people, a black guy, kept on giggling all the time. Actually it reminded me of Dwight Frye as Renfield, from Universal's Dracula. The massing of insects on windows also favourably reminded me of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. Out of interest, '80s rock star Alice Cooper, who performed some of the soundtrack, also appears in the film as a tramp. Sadly he doesn't get killed. If you enjoy this film, Hammer's QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is a little similar in theme (and I find it a far-fetched coincidence that the writer here is created as Michael Quatermass). Well worth a watch.

Asked to investigate a giant canister of bright green fluid found in the basement of an abandoned church, a group of quantum physics students begins to suspect that the liquid may have diabolical origins in this John Carpenter horror movie. 'Prince of Darkness' is a fairly ambitious project as Carpenter attempts to mesh scientific reasoning (the Devil is referred to as some sort of anti-matter) and theology, however, the two realms of knowledge do not exactly go well hand-in-hand and much of the dialogue comes off as babble. The film has some great moments though when the characters stop talking and simply react to the bizarre things that begin to happen around them as they research and prod further into matters. In particular, the homeless folk outside begin behaving very strangely (could they be possessed?), led by Alice Cooper in a creepy performance. There is also something very Cronenberg-like to the way the liquid infects its first victim, who then transmits it to others in highly sexual ways; one of the infection sequences almost looks like it is about to turn into a lesbian love scene! The makeup special effects are quite creepy too and the film boasts a characteristically sinister, throbbing score cowritten by Carpenter himself. The film is very lacking in the character department, a humorous Dennis Dun aside, and as mentioned, the whole religion/science fusion does not really gel, but there is enough of interest here in between the chitchat. The film ends on a delightful note of uncertainty too.