“Prince of Darkness” looks like a solid, if not cultish horror film.
The year it was released? 1987. Prime era for the genre. The cast? A one Donald Pleasence of “Halloween” fame takes the lead. Oh, and we get a memorable ancillary performance from rock icon Alice Cooper.
Topping it all off, the film was written, directed, and co-scored by John Carpenter.
On paper, it looks like a winner. Even the plot is a banger. A cylinder of sentient green plasma housed in the catacombs of an LA monastery turns out to be a liquified form of Satan. It’s different, it’s creepy, and I’m on board.
But the incredibly slow pacing of the movie – of which the credits are still rolling 11 minutes into the 98-minute run time – makes it about as exciting to watch as a high school science class would be.
Weird Science
The legendary Donald Pleasence stars as a nameless priest who is dispatched by the Vatican to investigate the death of a fellow clergyman.
Donald Pleasence is a fixture of horror, starring in dozens of titles over a decades-long career. Most notably, he brought to life the character of Dr. Loomis in “Halloween” and its numerous sequels. I knew him first from an excellent non-horror episode of “The Twilight Zone.”
Whatever the role, Pleasence comes off as a kind and fatherly sort of man. The character he plays here is a devout student of theology, and well intentioned in his investigation, which leads to the mysterious and nefarious vat of green goo.
The priest teams up with Quantum Physics Professor, Howard Birack (Victor Wong), and two of his students; Brian (Jameson Parker) and Catherine (Lisa Blount).
Alice Cooper plays a zombie-like cult person, whose sheer looks are perfectly creepy in a way natural to the musician. Character actor Dirk Blocker has a cool name, so I mention him here.
The acting is fine if not pedestrian by all, save for Pleasence who is commanding on screen.
Horror Filmmaking, 101
John Carpenter is as synonymous with the horror genre as Freddy Kreuger, Jamie Lee Curtis, or Found Footage. I have only watched five of his movies, all of which are horror, with several classics still left in my to-do box.
I appreciate his talent with the genre. “Halloween” and “The Thing” are outstanding films that hold up as must-watch horror decades after their releases. “Christine” was fine.
“Prince of Darkness” reminded me of “In the Mouth of Madness” in that it looked better on paper than it was. It’s a cool idea but the slow pacing and monotonous scenes had my attention zoning out.
I liked the music, which Carpenter co-scored. But it’s constant. It never stops. It was like watching an hour-and-a-half music video.
Horror elements and makeup were impressive, but a bit overly gross at times. And if you’re squeamish about bugs, this film is overloaded with them.
A Big Letdown
“Prince of Darkness” is a boring slog. Its high concept premise and star power of Donald Pleasence fight to keep it decent, but I won’t recommend it. Some mediocre horror films are at least fun to watch. This one doesn’t pass the test.
