Prince of Darkness poster

1987·102 min·Released

Prince of Darkness

“Before man walked the earth...It slept for centuries. It is evil. It is real. It is awakening.”

Horror

A priest discovers an ancient canister containing a strange liquid in an abandoned church. When a group of graduate students and scientists are tasked with studying it, they unknowingly unleash an evil force waiting to destroy all of humanity.

6.8(1,161 votes)

Popularity3

Videos

"Prince Of Darkness" movie trailer [1987]

Cast & Crew

Donald Pleasence

Donald Pleasence

Priest

Lisa Blount

Lisa Blount

Catherine Danforth

Victor Wong

Victor Wong

Prof. Howard Birack

Jameson Parker

Jameson Parker

Brian Marsh

Dennis Dun

Dennis Dun

Walter

Susan Blanchard

Susan Blanchard

Kelly

Anne Marie Howard

Anne Marie Howard

Susan Cabot

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

No editorial yet

Guides and articles for this movie will appear here after content sync.

John Chard

Written on 10/15/2015

Then it really is Old Scratch knocking at the door. Something of the forgotten John Carpenter movie, Prince of Darkness shows both the good and bad side of the supremely talented director. The story is a beaut, a bit skew-whiff, but unmistakably Carpenter territory as Satan exists in some sort of parallel universe. How he manifests himself is narratively a bit tricky, but still it makes for good horror, especially as the old religious angle finds Carpenter - in the guise of Donald Pleasence - chortling away to himself in a way that Old Nick has been prone to do. Cue bugs, green goo, zombies and a centuries old sect determined to keep Satan out of our world. The scares are many, atmosphere bubbling away (in time with another of Carpenter's pulse beat synth musical scores), while the finale has a genuine surprise up its sleeve. Unfortunately the cast are playing second fiddle to the supernatural strengths, working from a script that doesn't sit at one with the screenplay, rendering the characters as uninvolving fodder. Yet be that as it may, it's still a film of delights, enough in fact to make it a top end entry on Carpenter's CV. 7/10

CinemaSerf

Written on 11/9/2022

When an elderly priest passes away, one of his colleague discovers a mysterious green liquid hidden in a cylinder deep beneath a long-abandoned church. Rather misguidedly, as it turns out, he invites a group of enthusiastic students to come and investigate it's properties. Big mistake! It was hidden deep in the bowels of this crypt for a very good reason, and once they release it they discover that the Satanic horror they face might just be the tip of the iceberg! Donald Pleasence is strong here as the priest who realises, all too late in the day, that they are facing a terror that could jeopardise the very future of humanity... Christianity at any rate! Can he galvanise his now panic-stricken helpers to reverse the effects of the deadly gloop before they all become zombified servants of evil? The dialogue maybe isn't so hot, especially as hysteria begins to set in amongst the petrified, but the pace is great and the effects have held up remarkably well as this solid and quite menacing story builds to a genuinely exciting conclusion. The supporting cast deliver well, too and John Carpenter and Alan Howarth manage a score that adds quite a bit of peril to the accruing sense of danger the former creates throughout this rather superior drama. It's short, taut, and well worth a watch.

patient1

Written on 10/17/2025

Such an interesting film, grew up minutes from the church this was filmed at. It’s where the Pope used to stay when he came to Los Angeles, California. This was really quite unnerving when it came out, as we saw it in the movie theater, and it had people gasping and leaving the theater. I knew I was in for a good time when that started happening. I’ve loved this film ever since, raised my 3 kids on John Carpenter films, and am hoping to do the same for ALL OF my grandchildren as well.

Media

Bong Joon Ho Reveals the John Carpenter Film That Terrified Him!

Bong Joon Ho Reveals the John Carpenter Film That Terrified Him!

"Prince Of Darkness" movie trailer [1987]

"Prince Of Darkness" movie trailer [1987]

Prince Of Darkness ≣ 1987 ≣ Trailer

Prince Of Darkness ≣ 1987 ≣ Trailer

Ti West on PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Ti West on PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Prince of Darkness (1987) trailer

Prince of Darkness (1987) trailer