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.

A priest (Donald Pleasence) shows a hidden container in the basement of an L.A. church to theoretical physics Prof. Howard Birack (Victor Wong). The professor recruits his students Brian Marsh (Jameson Parker),Catherine Danforth (Lisa Blount),Walter (Dennis Dun) and others, to examine scientifically the container. Theology student Lisa (Ann Yen) translates a mysterious text which has differential equations long before calculus was invented. The container has a lock that can only be opened from the inside. There are strange people lurking outside and soon the scientists are trapped inside the church with Satanic forces hunting them. Radiologist Susan Cabot is the first to be possessed by the liquid squirting into her mouth. The group is receiving a message from the future in their dreams.

This is a well made B-movie horror. The casting of Alice Cooper is a little on the nose. It's not filled with jump scares. It's filled with a creepy feel where the supernatural is something with a scientific explanation but we're not advanced enough. It's a great conceit. This is very memorable horror film with John Carpenter throwing in some very interesting moves.

When the guardian priest of an abandoned church in Los Angeles dies, Father Loomis (Donald Pleasance) finds a diary and a key, opens the door of the basement and finds a cylinder with a gruesome green fluid. The priest contacts Professor Howard Birack (Victor Wong) in the local university and he invites a team of students to research the findings and translate manuscripts. The group discovers that the liquid is the essence of evil, actually Satan's remains, and has been kept locked in the church for centuries. Their research awakes the son of the Devil and when the student Susan Cabot (Anne Marie Howard) gets close to the container, she drinks a jet of the green liquid, transforming in a living dead. Susan spreads the liquid among her friends, increasing the army of evil zombies. While the group is attacked inside the church by the zombies, derelicts surround the church trapping them inside, and Satan tries to bring his father to the world.

"Prince of Darkness" is one of the creepiest movies of John Carpenter. The claustrophobic tale is original, with a dark atmosphere and even twenty years later is still very impressive. The special effects and make-up are scary and the music score of his authorship is also excellent. Alice Cooper is amazing in the role of an insane homeless killer. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Príncipe das Sombras" ("Prince of Darkness")

Note: On 11 Sep 2020. I saw this film again.