Prince of Darkness

Prince of Darkness
by John Carpenter

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DVD Reviews of Prince of Darkness

DVD Review: Don't drink the water!
Summary: 5 Stars

Something of unfathomable evil resides in the basement of a decrepit church in downtown Los Angeles, an object of such vast terrors that the mere thought of its existence makes one's flesh crawl and soul shudder. For Father Loomis (Donald Pleasence), the secrets of this object suddenly intrude on his consciousness when the last member of an enigmatic secret society called the Brotherhood of Sleep dies. Loomis finds the man's diary and learns part of the truth concerning this object. In order to discover more, the priest writes a letter to renowned quantum physicist Professor Howard Birack of the Doppler Institute in an effort to secure his services. Wong readily complies, bringing with him several of his best graduate students. Accompanying the good professor are a few other specialists, namely in the fields of chemistry and ancient languages. None of the students know exactly what is going on at first until the truth makes itself known in particularly gruesome ways.

It turns out that the evil object in question is a dark canister containing some inky substance in a perpetual state of flux. Ominous clues about this fluid pop up with frightening regularity. One of the students learns there is a lock on the inside of the canister, certainly one of the last places such a device would be under normal circumstances. Moreover, a computer scan of the fluid reveals a plethora of unknown mathematical equations. The ancient language student studies a massive tone found in the canister's chamber and makes frequent heart stopping pronouncements about what she finds. The secrets uncovered about the canister are shocking, providing an entirely alternate account of Satan, Jesus Christ, and the nature of evil. Additionally, the dark fluid looks as though it is about to wake up somehow, an awakening with dire results for the hapless band of students roaming around the abandoned church. To make matters worse, a gang of zombie-like homeless people gathers in silence around the outside of the building. Anyone who attempts to leave the church dies especially gruesome deaths, such as the disbelieving student who disintegrates into a mass of roaches or another escapee who meets his bloody end with a bicycle. The situation inside isn't much better as the fluid infects several students who then promptly murder their companions. The ultimate evil is horribly close to spreading into the outer world, and it is up to this unlikely band of heroes to save the planet.

"Prince of Darkness" works because it is an attempt at a cerebral foray into the world of horror. Perhaps some people will not appreciate the heavy reliance on physics here, but I found it quite refreshing when mixed with some nice, down to earth gore effects. The performances worked as well, especially Donald Pleasence as the frightened Father Loomis (perhaps he is the twin brother of Pleasence's character in "Halloween," Dr. Sam Loomis?) and Victor Wong as the incredulous professor. The conversation these two have about the underlying scientific principles of the object is massively entertaining even if it is complete malarkey (actually, I don't know if this stuff is malarkey or not since I know nothing about quantum physics). As for the students, we spend most of the time learning about the burgeoning relationship between Brian Marsh (Jameson Parker) and Catherine Danforth (Lisa Blount). I always frown on the obligatory love interest elements of a horror movie, and I did the same here even though it is necessary for us to care about Danforth due to her heroism at the end of the film. But, if I had to list just one factor I liked best about the film, it would definitely be the weird dream about the dark figure emerging through that doorway that everyone in the church seems to have at one point or another. This creepy effect takes on an even greater sense of dread when we learn about its possible origins.

"Prince of Darkness" is definitely an oddity as far as horror pictures go, but it is a must see for John Carpenter fans as well as those viewers who appreciate films that require you to think. The DVD release could have possessed some decent extras, but at least the picture quality is good. The movie may be a little off putting at first due to heavy scientific themes and occasional bouts of confusion. Give it a chance, though, because you may be presently surprised with the results.

Description of Prince of Darkness