Dir: John Carpenter, 1987
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093777/
Reviewed by: Whitney
Synopsis: A priest discovers an ancient relic, kept as an abandon church's secret, and calls upon a university professor and his novice, yet skilled, students to help solve the mystery behind the mystery of the tube filled with an unknown glowing green substance. Upon the night's investigation and properties that defy the laws of chemistry and physics, it is determined that the relic has demonic powers that control, not only a group of outside vagrants (one memorably stands out as a cameo by Alice Cooper), but also, eventually, the scientists. Could this vessel be linked to the devil himself? I'll let you decide that on your own, considering the title of the movie is Prince of Darkness.
Review: If you are expecting a movie about Ozzy, well you best hit the back button on your browser because this film comes to us via Mr. Carpenter and only includes one rock star. Hint: it's not Ozzy. John Carpenter really is a master of horror. The way he constructs films is with high suspense and a tinge of humor every now in then:
"Has anyone seen Susan?"
"Whose Susan?"
"Radiologist, glasses?"
This is an exchange that happens between nearly all of the cast in this movie as an on going gag. It's catchy to the point that I found myself quoting it allowed along with the characters each time it was reintroduced as dialogue.
The grotesque parts were comical, but restrained a little bit compared to, oh, say, Sam Raimi. (Oh, also, a side note: I've been watching quite a few movies where people spew on each other. It's kind of rad.) This was the first time that I had seen this movie and it didn't disappoint. By the shear number of characters, I knew that the body count would be high and, for a movie like this, that is exactly what I want. Singular characters in horror movies can get tiresome and droll, but if you have a cast with enough people that you can only focus on a character for a few minutes and likely never remember their names before they get slaughtered, well, that's perfect for someone with a similar ADHD condition as myself.
For '87, the effects are on par with other movies of the time. The make-up done on the woman who incubates Satan's sludge, if you will, is some of the better of the demonic possession variety in similar films. I must say, however, considering that most of the cast is supposed to be scientists, they really aren't that great at problem solving in practical, life and death situations. Even so, with horror films there is still an element of fun provoked by yelling, "get away from the door you idiot!" or "don't go up there!" or "dig faster!" This movie provides a lot of opportunity for that. Though I'm not going to have nightmares due to this film, I can see myself watching it for many Halloween seasons to come. I mean, common, Alice Cooper as a murdering, demonically possessed hooligan. I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!
I'd recommend watching this movie if: you like movies about possession and you're a fan of scary movies cut with a bit of comedy.
Rating: 8/10
Scare Scale: Occasional Jumpiness
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