Prince of Darkness (1987)

 

Say what you will about John Carpenter, but the guy knows his atmosphere and every one of his projects has that certain aesthetic that singlehandedly places it in his universe. Oh, and let's not forget that he is responsible for some of the best horror/thriller films out there and also has a few of the biggest cult classics to his name. 

Did they all make him a metric shit ton of money? No, because a lot underperformed but they garnered steam on television and in the end, maybe his name will be longer remembered than those who made a lot of money yet brought nothing of artistic value to the table. 

'Prince of Darkness' really isn't his most accessible, but it is a film that thrives on interesting ideas and a rather peculiar concept. 

In a derelict church in Los Angeles a priest discovers that a secret society has kept a strange secret: a canister of a whirling green ooze that has been hidden away for thousands of years. Uncertain of what this object is, the priest decides to ask for help with a professor who specializes in physics and philosophy. The professor agrees to study this object over the course of a weekend with several of his students, who mostly are physicists, mathematicians and linguists. 

You might be thinking now: sounds like a party (sarcasm). But wait a little.

Soon things take a bizarre turn, as it transpires that the canister actually holds the essence of the son of Satan and he is actually taking form again in order to bring about the arrival of his father, an anti-God. Science and religion intertwine and cross swords and sceptics and believers find something here, yet one by one the people inside are killed or turned to zombie-like slaves to evil. There might even be one the perfect vessel for this being who has only been imprisoned for so long because an alien race locked him up in order for humanity to reach a level of technology capable of subduing or defeating it... 

While it is true that this is a horrorfilm that asks quite a lot of the viewer, not in the least thanks to some heady concepts and discussion about the nature of evil and good, complimented by metaphysics and religion, but there is still a lot of enjoyment to be had. For starters, the creepy atmosphere and haunting locale gives the entire project an eerie vibe that doesn't shake off easily. The fact that it's all sold by some solid performances does help, naturally. 

And who could say no to a film that features the incomparable Donald Pleasence as the priest or Alice Cooper as the silent yet imposing leader of the homeless people that stalk the students? 

Welcome to my nightmare, indeed.