Master of horror John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) directs
this terrifying battle between mankind and the ultimate evil.
A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient
canister in an abandoned church, but when they open it, they
inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all
of humanity. As the liquid turns their co-workers into zombies,
the remaining members realize they have released the most
unspeakable horror of them all. Terror s as the team must
fight to save the world from a devilish fury that has been
contained for over seven million years.
Starring Donald Pleasence (Halloween), Jameson Parker (Simon &
Simon), Lisa Blount (Needful Things), rock icon Alice Cooper
(Roadie) and Victor Wong and Dennis Dun (both from Carpenter’s
Big Trouble In Little China), this ingenious twist on classical
occultism (Science Fiction, Horror And Fantasy Film Review) will
e you witless!
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Though regarded by many as one of writer-director John
Carpenter's lesser efforts, Scream Factory gives Prince of
Darkness the deluxe with this Blu-ray presentation. As
with previous releases from the Shout! Factory imprint, the
supplemental features on Prince of Darkness are a mix of new
material recorded specifically for the disc and extras from
previous DVD releases. Chief among the latter is a commentary
track featuring Carpenter and veteran character actor Peter Jason
(Deadwood), who made his first of seven eventual collaborations
with the director on this picture. Carpenter is typically
phlegmatic if informative, discussing in detail the initial
concepts for the film, as well as its locations, special effects,
and his score with Alan Howarth. Carpenter is also quite frank in
his opinion of Darkness, which he seems to regard (like many
viewers) as somewhat incomprehensible (despite the fact that he
wrote it as Martin Quatermass). But his rapport with Jason is
enjoyable, and Carpenter provides even more detail on the film's
inception and execution in the ten-plus-minute interview segment
Sympathy for the Devil, which features, among other comments, the
scientific and philosophical origins of the project, as well as
his interest in retaining greater control over his work. Rocker
Alice Cooper, whose involvement with the film came through his
manager, executive producer Shep Gordon (whose company, Alive
Films, co-funded the picture as well as Carpenter's They Live and
Village of the Damned), is front and center in a lively
nine-minute interview piece that focuses on his love for horror
movies and his brief acting turn in the picture. Co-composer Alan
Howarth gets the spotlight in a ten-minute interview that
provides some in into his musical collaborations with
Carpenter, while actor/special effects supervisor Robert
Grasmere, who played the doubtful member of the investigative
team while also wrangling the massive canister, which apparently
leaked on a regular basis, earns his own interview. A segment of
Horror's Hallowed Grounds has host Sean Clark revisiting many of
the film's locations, including the church and control center
(now a movie theater).
The rest of the extras are an interesting mixed bag of
promotional material--numerous advertisements and promotional
stills, as well as a radio spot and theatrical trailer--and a
pair of rare items: the alternate opening from the TV broadcast
version, which s (in a very obtuse manner) that the
events in the film might be a dream, and an Easter Egg (easily
found on the bonus menu) that reveals a Q&A session with
Carpenter about the picture at a 2012 screening at Screamfest.
--Paul Gaita