Most of us know John Carpenter for giving us classic films like The Thing and Halloween, among others, but 1987’s Prince of Darkness remains one of his often overlooked films. Prince is the second film in what Carpenter calls his apocalypse trilogy which also includes The Thing and and In the Mouth of Madness. The story revolves around a research team that, with the help of a priest, must study a canister stored in an abandoned church. The canister is full of a strange liquid that may be Satan himself. While conducting the research odd things begin to happen and the team finds themselves trapped inside the church surrounded by a mass of zombies. Over the course of the night they must fight against dark forces for the fate of the world. The cast is full of Carpenter regulars including Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, and Donald Pleasence. Also present is Jameson Parker, best known for his role as A.J. Simon in “Simon and Simon“, and Alice Cooper as one of the zombies. The film is definitely a hodgepodge of ideas and theories that end up a bit of a muddled mess, but Carpenter’s atmosphere and pacing keep this film afloat making it a very creepy experience. The film’s effects are a bit dated. Particularly the scene in which the character of Frank Wyndham warns the trapped research crew to “pray for death” as he opens his coat to reveal a swarm of beetles. Ultimately, the film’s successes are greater than its failures and it remains a film that is certainly worth watching especially for fans of horror.

Film flaws and other oddities:
1. We see the new moon very close to the sun (though showing far too much crescent for such a small angle). A few scenes later, Brian Marsh is looking at a full moon, then a few more scenes later, we see the new moon again near the sun. That night, we see the full moon again.
2. The scene in which Donald Pleasence’s Priest character throws the axe at the mirror we never see him pick up the axe.
3. The student radiologist Susan Cabot says she has been “carbon dating the corrosion on the lid” of the cylinder, and “we’re talking about 7 million years”. Carbon dating is used to determine the age of materials, usually organic, containing carbon, not metal corrosion substances, and is only useful for about 60,000 years.
4. The theme of science and religion working together is an odd one for John Carpenter to explore as he is devout atheist.
5. Executive Producer Shep Gordon is also Alice Cooper’s manager. Cooper recorded a song for the film that can briefly be heard through Etchinson’s headphones but it was not actually released until nearly 2 years later.
6. Cooper’s character impales Etchinson with a device usually used in his stage show.