31 Days of Halloween: Be Baptize by the Prince of Darkness (1987)
By Joey Click
31 Days of Halloween gets religious as we take a look at the extremely underrated 1987 horror film, John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness.
With 31 Days of Halloween on its way to a close, and since it’s Prince of Darkness’ 30th birthday, we’re taking a look at the underrated John Carpenter flick. Church is in…
“It’s your disbelief that powers him. Your stubborn faith in, in..”.— Father Loomis
A Prince With A Plan
After working with studios for his past few films, including Big Trouble in Little China and Starman, John Carpenter is looking for more freedom. Missing control he had earlier in his career, the filmmaking maverick needs some space to create — to get some cooks out of his cinematic kitchen.
Choosing a contract with emerging production company Alive Pictures, the director now needs to produce material. But little did anyone know, the angle of death was plotting his next move. And sooner than earth is ready, a powerful new prince is about to step onto the throne…
A Prince Comes Alive
— Courtesy of Alive Pictures
It is evil. It is real. It is awakening.
The film is Prince of Darkness. Debuting exactly 30 years ago today, the film reunites Carpenter with frequent collaborator Donald Pleasence. With Big Trouble’s Dennis Dun and Victor Wong joining the cast, Carpenter’s ninth feature is one of his strangest to date.
The film follows a priest, a professor of theology and his pupils as they try and stop Satan from taking over the world. After finding a strange cylinder containing a powerful green liquid, the group begins to divided. And soon, it becomes crystal clear some of the group is no long human.
When A Prince Preaches
More from John Carpenter
- 31 Days of Horror: Christine- Two masters of horror deliver an underrated classic
- Where can I stream the original Halloween and all of its sequels?
- John Carpenter to ring in 2021 with more ‘Lost Themes’
- John Carpenter: When will Blumhouse’s The Thing be released?
- John Carpenter to receive Fantasia’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Mixing the filmmaker’s appetite for destruction with theological ideologies, Prince of Darkness is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Using film as a platform for discussion, much like his other Alive movie, They Live, this movie is the work of a man trying to figure out what this life is all about — the why of it all.
While this is enough food for thought, the film is also sharply written with high intensity situation and enjoyable, often hilariously real, characters. Once we get to the abandon church and the “Prince” begins taking over the crew, the interactions are priceless.
A Prince’s Legacy
Since it’s release, John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness has become some what of a fan favorite. Originally making $14 million on a budget of $45 million, a small success, legions of horror fans are now finding the film, feverishly liking it more and more with each viewing.
Effectually the sum of its parts, like most great cinema, Prince of Darkness succeeds in showing that with some creativity, a little technical skill and a dash of faith, nothing is beyond our reach. Only, if we reach too far, we could run into the royal abyss.
Next: Interview: Dee Wallace talks her career and horror