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Prince of Darkness

Play trailer Poster for Prince of Darkness R 1987 1h 42m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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59% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Poking around in a church cellar, a priest (Donald Pleasence) finds an otherworldly vial filled with slime. Frightened, he brings his discovery to a circle of top scholars and scientists, who eventually learn that the strange liquid is the essence of Satan. The slime then begins to seep out, turning some of the academics into zombified killers. As the possessed battle the survivors, student Kelly (Susan Blanchard) is infected by a large quantity of the liquid and becomes Satan personified.
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Prince of Darkness

Prince of Darkness

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Critics Consensus

Prince of Darkness has a handful of chillingly clever ideas, but they aren't enough to put John Carpenter's return to horror at the same level as his classic earlier outings.

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Critics Reviews

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Phil Hoad Guardian 10/25/2018
4/5
Close to a decade's experience in horror pays off, with Carpenter working the audience with jump-scares and revolting demises like an old pro. Go to Full Review
Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times 10/05/2018
John Carpenter seems to be hovering between cold-eyed mechanical fear-making and horror camp. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune 10/05/2018
''Prince of Darkness'' is a real tour de force, and a welcome return. Go to Full Review
Terry Lawson Dayton Daily News Mar 4
There are a few fleeting moments at the outset of Prince of Darkness where we actually imagine we might be challenged or at least stimulated a bit. Go to Full Review
Richard Freedman Newark Star-Ledger Jan 12
1.5/4
Watching it, you sometimes get the feeling you're taking simultaneous makeup courses in Idiot Biology and Theology 1010 from a prof who mumbles a lot. Go to Full Review
Alan Jones Radio Times Dec 17
2/5
Director John Carpenter takes one of his sporadic delves into Nigel Kneale sci-fi/horror territory with tedious results. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Kia B Oct 16 A horror with a mystery. John Carpenter doesn't disappoint. See more matthias S @Thescreenasvor 1d I’m always a John Carpenter fan, and *Prince of Darkness* really delivers that signature atmosphere and eerie vibe he does so well. The film has this slow, creeping tension that pulls you in, and when the scares hit, they actually land—some genuinely great jumpscares in here. I’m also a total sucker for practical effects, and this movie uses them in such a gritty, effective way. It’s not perfect—pacing can drag a bit—but honestly, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Solid 3.5 stars for me, just for the mood alone. See more ELB E @Mulholland Feb 14 John Carpenter's 'The Thing' remains one of the best horror films ever made. I had hoped to have a similar response to 'Prince of Darkness,' especially due to some of the member reviews that praised it as being the best thing Carpenter has ever done. Nope. I found this exceedingly stupid and tedious. The only interesting thing I found about 'Prince of Darkness' was Alice Cooper's cameo as a zombified citizen. See more redla w @Redla Feb 5 While the first half of the movie does a decent job building tension and makes some interesting parallels between science and religion, i felt like the seond half failed to hold up. The acting felt unconvincing at times and the characters were very slow to react and also failed to take any serious measures, given the dangers of the evil they were dealing with. The movie also reaches for a grand cosmic scale, hinting at supernovas and ancient entities, yet the action felt somewhat limited and underwhelming. A lot of the mistery and atmosphere is also lost as we get a constant look at the transformation, especially after the sun comes up and the practical effects become more obvious. Of course, i am aware of the movie's age, and it does have some great scenes but John Carpenter already proved he can do much better with "The Thing", which in my opinion still easily holds up today. With better acting and a slightly different setting, this movie could have easily been an absolute classic. See more Gabriel T @GabrielFagundes Jan 31 It took quite a good time to get on track, so it's a bit boring and plain until the last third of it, but it manages to deliver good tension-packed moments at the ending. A bit outdated, but it still has a good idea behind it See more Craig W. @CJWolfe27 Oct 21 I really enjoyed this, a must watch if you’re a John Carpenter fan See more Read all reviews
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Prince of Darkness

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Movie Info

Synopsis Poking around in a church cellar, a priest (Donald Pleasence) finds an otherworldly vial filled with slime. Frightened, he brings his discovery to a circle of top scholars and scientists, who eventually learn that the strange liquid is the essence of Satan. The slime then begins to seep out, turning some of the academics into zombified killers. As the possessed battle the survivors, student Kelly (Susan Blanchard) is infected by a large quantity of the liquid and becomes Satan personified.
Director
John Carpenter
Producer
Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter
John Carpenter
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Alive Films
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 21, 1987, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 6, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.9M
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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