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PRINCE OF DARKNESS Starring Jameson Parker, Donald Pleasance, Victor Wong and Alice Cooper
The 1980s was a busy period for director John Carpenter. It is also during this time that he made some of his most memorable films. In between making Big Trouble in Little China and They Live, Carpenter made Prince of Darkness, his masterpiece about the dark battle between good and evil.
A team of graduate students studying theology team up with a Catholic priest and science professors to investigate a strange happening at an abandoned church. A large and mysterious vortex of green light confined in an ancient glass container swirls on the altar. In addition to this discovery, a bizarre, recurring and common nightmare plagues the group. The group decides to spend the weekend at the church in order to study it and uncover the mystery. One of the group accidentally frees the strange liquid, and becomes possessed by evil. Simultaneously, the ultimate evil is unleashed upon the Earth, trapping the group inside the church as roving zombies surround the building. The zombified member of the group goes on to infect the others, as only a few remain to stop the arrival of Satan himself.....
Although seemingly obscure, Carpenter's Prince of Darkness is a solid story based on a vivid and dark scenario. The film purveys a constant atmosphere of doom. Dark settings, unnatural ambience and eerie imagery combine to make The Prince of Darkness virtually required viewing for any horror fan. Prince of Darkness is presented in anamorphic widescreen at a ratio of 2.35:1. The picture is near-perfect. Bright colors, solid contrast and absolute black-levels are part of a very pleasing overall image.
There are three audio tracks available on this disc, including English, French and Spanish languages. Each track is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 surround sound. The overall quality of the surround track is high. Carpenter's musical score echoes as its full range can be heard. The odd and foreboding sound effects/voice effects are ever-present to the ear as the acoustics of the soundtrack shine through the carefully equalized levels.
The only extra feature on this DVD is the theatrical trailer, presented full-frame. The print source of the trailer appears to be in fair shape, with little or no re-mastering. The trailer seems to give away too many of the film's key sequences; however, given the unique and bewildering nature of the film, a person who has not yet seen the movie probably would not even realize it.
A great movie with a great presentation, John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness remains one of the creepiest, yet most unnoticed horror films of the 1980s.
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