Prince of Darkness (1987)
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A group of quantum physics students and a priest must confront a sentient, ancient liquid that contains the embodiment of Satan.
The story
After the death of a member of a secret order of the Catholic Church, a priest discovers a key leading to a mysterious cylinder hidden beneath a Los Angeles monastery. He enlists a group of quantum physics students to analyze the object. The team discovers the cylinder contains a sentient, evolving substance that is growing in influence. As they begin their investigation, the monastery is surrounded by hostile individuals, and the team must determine the nature of the substance before it escapes and poses a threat to the world.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows a priest and a team of quantum physics students investigating a 7-million-year-old cylinder containing a sentient liquid. They discover the liquid is a vessel for Satan, who seeks to free his father, the Anti-God, from a parallel realm of anti-matter. The liquid begins to possess team members, and the monastery is besieged by a horde of homeless people. The survivors experience shared dreams of a shadowy figure. During the climax, Satan successfully reaches through a mirror to grasp the hand of the Anti-God. Catherine sacrifices herself to tackle Satan into the portal, while the priest shatters the mirror, sealing the entities on the other side. The film ends with Brian experiencing a final dream of Catherine's disfigured body before he reaches toward his own mirror.
- First release year
- 1987
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Carpenter
- Writers
- John Carpenter · writer
- Cast and characters
- Donald Pleasence · Priest; Victor Wong · Professor Howard Birack; Jameson Parker · Brian Marsh; Lisa Blount · Catherine Danforth; Dennis Dun · Walter Fong; Susan Blanchard · Kelly; Anne Howard · Susan Cabot; Ann Yen · Lisa; Ken Wright · Lomax; Dirk Blocker · Mullins; Jessie Lawrence Ferguson · Calder; Peter Jason · Dr. Paul Leahy
- Genres
- supernatural horror; horror
- Themes
- religious horror; scientific investigation of the paranormal; human nature
- Tone and mood
- claustrophobic; eerie
- Premise and plot tags
- possession; quantum physics; ancient evil; tachyons
- Franchise connections
- Apocalypse Trilogy
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its "handful of chillingly clever ideas", but believed it did not emulate the same successful horror as Carpenter's previous films. It later developed a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 60% · review count: 48; Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100 · review count: 10; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Music · 1988 · nomination; Critics Award · Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival · 1988 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was inspired by research into theoretical physics and atomic theory.; The character names and institution were a tribute to writer Nigel Kneale.; Alice Cooper appeared in a supporting role and provided a song for the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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