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Prince of Darkness

  • 1987
  • R
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
49K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,956
1,020
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Trailer for Prince of Darkness
Play trailer1:51
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Horror

A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil forc... Read allA group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity.A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity.

  • Director
    • John Carpenter
  • Writer
    • John Carpenter
  • Stars
    • Donald Pleasence
    • Lisa Blount
    • Jameson Parker
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    49K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,956
    1,020
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writer
      • John Carpenter
    • Stars
      • Donald Pleasence
      • Lisa Blount
      • Jameson Parker
    • 335User reviews
    • 212Critic reviews
    • 50Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations

    Videos3

    Prince Of Darkness
    Trailer 1:51
    Watch Prince Of Darkness
    Prince of Darkness
    Trailer 1:52
    Watch Prince of Darkness
    Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary
    Clip 4:54
    Watch Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary

    Photos133

    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Donald Pleasence and Victor Wong in Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Alice Cooper in Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Donald Pleasence in Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Prince of Darkness (1987)
    Peter Jason in Prince of Darkness (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Donald Pleasence
    Donald Pleasence
    • Priest
    Lisa Blount
    Lisa Blount
    • Catherine Danforth
    Jameson Parker
    Jameson Parker
    • Brian Marsh
    Victor Wong
    Victor Wong
    • Prof. Howard Birack
    Dennis Dun
    Dennis Dun
    • Walter
    Susan Blanchard
    Susan Blanchard
    • Kelly
    Anne Marie Howard
    Anne Marie Howard
    • Susan Cabot
    • (as Anne Howard)
    Ann Yen
    Ann Yen
    • Lisa
    Ken Wright
    Ken Wright
    • Lomax
    Dirk Blocker
    Dirk Blocker
    • Mullins
    Jessie Lawrence Ferguson
    Jessie Lawrence Ferguson
    • Calder
    Peter Jason
    Peter Jason
    • Dr. Paul Leahy
    Robert Grasmere
    • Frank Wyndham
    Thom Bray
    Thom Bray
    • Etchinson
    Joanna Merlin
    Joanna Merlin
    • Bag Lady
    Alice Cooper
    Alice Cooper
    • Street Schizo
    Betty Ramey
    • Nun
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writer
      • John Carpenter
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Alice Cooper used the bike impalement trick in his stage shows prior to this movie. The bike he uses was his own personal prop.
    • Goofs
      Toward the end when Brian jumps out the window and the possessed people outside come towards him, it is clearly dawn and light outside. Shortly after, when the possessed is defeated and the mirror is broken by the priest, you can see them dispersing while it is night outside. Then Walter jumps out to get help and it is night as well. The next scene shows Walter with a blanket around him and is dawn again.
    • Quotes

      Voice: This is not a dream... not a dream. We are using your brain's electrical system as a receiver. We are unable to transmit through conscious neural interference. You are receiving this broadcast as a dream. We are transmitting from the year one, nine, nine, nine. You are receiving this broadcast in order to alter the events you are seeing. Our technology has not developed a transmitter strong enough to reach your conscious state of awareness, but this is not a dream. You are seeing what is actually occurring for the purpose of causality violation.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits last for nine minutes.
    • Alternate versions
      Television version is slightly reedited, suggesting that all that takes place in the film is just a dream that Jameson Parker's having:
      • after the opening credits there a new shot showing Parker's house from the outside (the theatrical version opens with a shot of Parker trying to perform a card trick).
      • at the beginning, after Parker watches on TV a program reporting the discovery of a new supernova, the narration goes on talking about the death of a millionaire and the discovery of a religious book in his library
      • all mentions of the dead priest, member of the Brotherhood of Sleep who took care of the church where the evil liquid is kept hidden, are deleted;
      • during the whole film, there are new inserted sequences showing Parker sleeping/dreaming in his bed
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Sicilian/Prince of Darkness/No Man's Land/The Glass Menagerie/The Whales of August (1987)
    • Soundtracks
      Prince of Darkness
      Written by Alice Cooper and Kane Roberts

      Performed by Alice Cooper

      Produced by Michael Wagener

      Courtesy of MCA Records

      (C) 1987 Ensign Music Corporation, Ezra Music Inc.

      Screen Gems Music - EMI Music Inc.

    User reviews335

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    slow, good, creepy quasi-intellectual horror
    I know more than one person who watched this film, claimed immediately after that it wasn't very scary and then called me a few hours later telling me that they were freaked out.

    Highlight: For me, the best concept in the film is the video-feed dream sequence. Oh man! It's creepy and exceedingly ominous and the shaky-cam newsreel quality gives it an extra punch.

    The plot: You don't have to be a genius to understand what is going on in this film, but you do need to pay attention. The supernatural physics is a little nonsensical, of the "Popular science" variety, but the basic premise is explained in layman terms.

    The characters: Actually, while the "science" is hocus-pocus, I really liked that the film's characters were mostly grad students. The actors do a great job of portraying annoyed, skeptical science grad students. Horror flicks are filled with numbskull undergrads, and it is nice to see the hidden sector of college life revealed in its nerdy glory.

    The skinny: I'd describe it as a Biblical/Lovecraft horror film. It's got the whole "evil universe" theme running alongside an effective "Hell breaks loose" plot.
    helpful•15
    3
    • clogsdon
    • Oct 21, 2005

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    FAQ21

    • How long is Prince of Darkness?Powered by Alexa
    • Who is the character shown in the main poster in IMDb?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 23, 1987 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Le prince des ténèbres
    • Filming locations
      • LA Artcore, 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(church)
    • Production companies
      • Alive Films
      • Larry Franco Productions
      • Haunted Machine Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,182,492
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,657,401
      • Oct 25, 1987
    • Gross worldwide
      • $14,182,579
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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