Donald Pleasence

Lisa Blount

Victor Wong Chi-Keung

Jameson Parker

Dennis Dun

Susan Blanchard

Anne Marie Howard

Ann Yen

Ken Wright

Dirk Blocker

Jessie Lawrence Ferguson

Peter Jason

Robert Grasmere

Thom Bray

Joanna Merlin

Alice Cooper

Betty Ramey

Gary B. Kibbe

Shep Gordon

Steve Mirkovich

John Carpenter

Larry Franco

Alan Howarth

Andre Blay

Linda Francis

Randy Hall

Wayne King

Mario Roberts

Justin De Rosa

Charles Davis

Ellarye

Debbie Evans

Simone Boisseree

Christine Anne Baur

Daniel A. Lomino

Rick Gentz

Ken Lavet

Sandy King

Melanie Massey

Marian Shambo

Stratton Leopold

Bob Herron

Anthony Tomeo

John P. Fasal

Dode Weyant

Kirk Bales

Val Kuklowsky

Rick Caprarelli

Danny Falkengren

Michael Wright

Deahdra Scarano

Mark Peterson

Frederick Hamm

Francisco X. Pérez

John O. Wilde

Kevin Arnold

Janis Clark

Greg Curda

Bruce Bell

Thomas Causey

Ken Spencer

Kevin Quibell

Frederick Wardell

Joseph E. Thibo

Eric Lindemann

Larry Verne

Rob McCarthy

Charles Saldaña III

Bess Gilbert

Laura Hekking

Audrey A. Johnson

Richard M. Kerns

Claudia Gilligan Ivanjack

John R. Hamilton

Jud Kehl

Doc Kane

Dane A. Davis

David J. Hudson

Joy Ewing

Casey Hotchkiss

Kent H. Johnson

Ron Peebles

Charles Smock

Joseph F. Brennan

Frank Howard

Jeff Imada

Joan Rowe

Michael Hilkene

Kimberley Coy

Rick Chavez

Timothy Alverson

Jeremy J. Gordon

Mel Metcalfe

Terry Porter

Jerry Trent

Horror

Prince of Darkness

Universal Pictures

Alive Films

Larry Franco Productions

Carolco Pictures

United States of America

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

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.