I have two John Carpenter movies on my Neglected Cinema’s list. Why two Carpenter movies? Primarily because I am a fan of his work, but also because if there is any list of the great modern-era directors that is underrated and underappreciated, John Carpenter should be on the top of it. His work is not only consistently good, but he is one of the few modern directors who really “get” horror. Not the “torture porn” that horror has been associated with in recent years, but genuine, “holy shit!” horror – films that get under the viewer’s skin. Films that, when they work, are deeply unsettling.
Carpenter has made some misteps and misfires with some of his movies… but which director hasn’t? He still has a pretty good batting average, and if you had to choose between a John Carpenter film and, say, one from Wes Craven… Well, give me John Carpenter every time. And when you have Carpenter writing, directng AND scoring a film? Well, I’m all in. And one such Carpenter film is Prince of Darkness.
I remember watching Prince of Darkness on opening day in theatres, 25 years ago (!)… and getting frightened out of my wits. It was the first Carpenter film I ever saw in theatres, and it’s the perfect medium for a Carpenter film. In the dark, alone… with that pounding music and dry directing style…. a style that today’s “found footage” horror filmmakers have a lot to thank for. The movie, especially the ending, rattled me. And it lingered.
But before we get to the ending, let’s cover the beginning. We get a prolonged credit sequence, intercut with scenes that set up plot of the movie. A priest passes away, and we soon find out that he is a keeper of secrets… including one very big one. Basically, Satan’s FATHER – “the anti-God” – is imprisoned in an ancient chamber in his church… and it’s time for him to come out.
The core supporting cast is a real highlight, with the great Donald Pleasence playing the priest who brings a group of science students together to monitor, and then try and stop, the Anti-God from breaking through to take over the Earth. The rest include a Big Trouble in Little China reunion of Dennis Dun and Victor Wong, who shine in the moments they are given. Alice Cooper plays one of the many homeless people who are possessed by you-know-who in his attempt to get out (and, looking at the film with today’s sensibiltes, having homeless people as “zombies” comes off as pretty darn insensitive, by the way). Some of the other actors, though… well, they provide servicable performances. Most are not on screen long enough to either shine or sufficiently annoy.
Jameson Parker is the hero/lead, and if there is any obvious weak link in this film, it’s him. He’s just… not Kurt Russell. I usually hate to compare actors, but when I look at Parker’s understated performance in the film… He’s just not got any screen presence at all. He’s a TV actor, on the big screen. And the movie suffers because of this.
Once all the characters are gathered together to study whatever is imprisoned in the basement of the church, it becomes your typical Hollywood “ten little Indians” plot… they start dropping like flies. Only, instead of the typical slasher movie death, most of them are taken over and become (like the homeless people outside) pawns of the Anti-God. Along the way there are plenty of creepy moments, and Carpenter uses bugs, maggots, cockroaches, and worms with great relish. If you have a low tolerance for such things, then you’ll probably not have a fun time at the movies here.
A great subplot of the movie involves everyone in the church having the same dream… which we are lead to belive is a transmission from the future, beamed into their subconscious, warning everyone of what is to come. Which dovetails nicely into the film’s ending… I won’t spoil it, but basically it’s a very bleak one, with one character basically setup to bring on the End Times… because he wants to save the woman he loves. It’s a dark joke, and typical Carpenter. We are our own worse enemy in Carpenter films, and any good that we have will inevitably be corrupted and destroyed. He is a nihilist, and an auteur with such an attitude hardly makes films destined for box office success… which makes me sad. Because Carpenter had… and has… a unique voice.
And we need more movies from people with unique voices.
Carpenter considers this movie a “spiritual sequel” to his previous film The Thing, and is the second of his “Apocalypse trilogy”… with the third film being In the Mouth of Madness, the aforementioned second Carpenter film on my Neglected Cinema list.
What can I say? I’m a sucker for apocalypses…
Here’s some spooky images from the film for ya:
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