Prince of Darkness (1987)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1987
Running Times: 102 mins
Format: colour     35mm     Panavision (anamorphic)
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: Ultra Stereo

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Alive Films / Universal Pictures
Executive Producers: Andre Blay, Shep Gordon
Producer: Larry J. Franco
Unit Production Manager: Stratton Leopold
Production Coordinator: Marian Shambo

SCRIPT
Script: Martin Quatermass (real name: John Carpenter)

DIRECTION
Director: John Carpenter
1st Assistant Director: Larry J. Franco
2nd Assistant Director: Bruce Alan Solow

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Gary B. Kibbe
Camera Operator: Jud Kehl
2nd Camera  / Panaglide Operator: Christopher Squires
1st Assistant Camera: Joseph E. Thibo
2nd Camera 1st Assistant Camera: Casey Hotchkiss
2nd Assistant Camera: Frederick Hamm
Gaffer: Kenneth Spencer
Electricians: Charles Smock, Kevin Arnold
Best Boy Electric: Robert McCarthy
Key Grip: Charles Saldana
Grip: Danny Falkengren
Best Boy Grip: Ron Peebles
Dolly Grip: Kirk Bales
Stills: John R. Hamilton
Video Engineer: Ian Wayne
Lab: DeLuxe

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Steve Mirkovich
1st Assistant Editor: Timothy Alverson
Assistant Editor: Frederick Wardell
Apprentice Editor: Lee Grubin
Negative Cutter: Dode Weyant

MUSIC
Music: John Carpenter, Alan Howarth
Songs: Scott Bradley (Heavenly Puss); Alice Cooper and Kane Roberts (Prince of Darkness)
Song Performed By: Alice Cooper (Prince of Darkness)
Song Produced By: Michael Wagener (Prince of Darkness)

SOUND
Production Sound Mixer: Thomas Causey
Boom Operator: Joseph F. Brennan
Sound Re-Recording Mixers: David J. Hudson, Mel Metcalfe, Terry Porter
Dubbing Recordist: David Gertz
Supervising Sound Editors: Michael Hilkene, Val Kuklowsky
Sound Editors: Eric Lindemann, Frank Howard, Jeremy J. Gordon
Assistant Sound Editors: Charles Davis, John O. Wilde
Apprentice Sound Editor: Fran Kaplan
ADR Recordist: Laura Hekking
ADR Mixer: Doc Kane
Special Sound Effects Creators: Dane A. Davis, John P. Fasal
Foley Recordist: Bruce Bell
Foley Mixer: Greg Curda
Foley Artists: Jerry Trent, Joan Rowe

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Frank Carrisosa
Hair: Janis Clark
Costume Supervisor: Deahdra Scarano
Costumer: Mark Peterson

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Effects Associates Ltd
Special Effects Coordinator: Kevin Quibell
Effects Crewman: Burt Davidson

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Robert Grasmere
Matte Painter: Jim Danforth
Computer Effects Coordinator: Robert Grasmere Jr
Computer Programmer: Mike Berro
Computer Technical Consultant: Michael Nelson
Supervisor / Operator: Steve Patino

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Daniel A. Lomino
Set Decorator: Rick Gentz
Property Master: Kent H. Johnson
Assistant Property Masters: Audrey A. Johnson, Richard M. Kerns
Prop Shop Consultant: Craig Talmy
Shop Foreman: Randy Killen
Construction Coordinator: Larry Verne
Construction Foreman: Michael Wright
Paint Foreman: Ward Welton
Standby Painters: Claudia Gilligan, Anthony Tomeo
Labourer Foreman: Jeffrey Truby
Lead Man: Rick Caprarelli

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Sandy King
Production Accountant: Joy Ewing
Production Associates: Douglas A. Raine, Kent H. Johnson
Assistant to Producer: Sandra Holden
First Aid: Maurice Costello
Bug Wranglers: Gary Gero, Steven R. Kutcher
Craft Service: Rick Chavez
Transportation Coordinator: Eddie Lee Voelker
Transportation Captains: James E. Vargas, Mario Simon
Drivers: Bob Muehlig, Dennis Yank, Gordon Wiles II, Jim Huffey, John Pratt, Marty Huffey, Randy Cantor, Steve Brooks
Technical Advisor: Joseph R. Gonzales
Unit Publicist: Kimberley Coy

LOCATIONS
Locations: Los Angeles, California, USA
Location Manager: Ken Lavet

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Jeff Imada
Stunts: Christine Anne Baur, Simone Boisseree, Justin De Rosa, Ellarye, Debbie Evans, Randy Hall, Bob Herron, Wayne King, Mario Roberts

CASTING
Casting: Linda Francis
Extras Casting: Bess Gilbert
Casting Assistant: Melanie Massey

CAST
Donald Pleasence (Father Loomis)
Jameson Parker (Brian Marsh)
Victor Wong (Professor Howard Birack)
Lisa Blount (Catherine Danforth)
Dennis Dun (Walter)
Susan Blanchard (Kelly)
Anne Marie Howard (Susan Cabot)
Ann Yen (Lisa)
Ken Wright (Lomax)
Dirk Blocker (Mullins)
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson (Calder)
Peter Jason (Dr Paul Leahy)
Robert Grasmere (Frank Wyndham)
Thom Bray (Etchinson)
Joanna Merlin (bag lady)
Alice Cooper (street schizo)
Betty Ramey (nun)
Jessie Ferguson (dark figure)

Photographic Doubling: Michelle Costello, Phronsie Franco, Rezza Badakhshan

PLOT SUMMARY

Father Loomis discovers a large metal cannister containing a swirling green liquid hidden in a vault beneath a Los Angeles church. The cannister has been in the care of a mysterious sect of the Catholic church, The Brotherhood of Sleep for centuries and now Loomis is its new caretaker. He calls in a group of science graduates and their lecturers to help him find out what the cannister really is and what it contains. They discover that it's seven million years old and houses the essence of the Anti-God, a Satanic being from another dimension out to destroy the world. For centuries, it's been safely locked away, the Catholic church's greatest secret - but now, with a unique alignement of the planets on its way, plagues of insects massing at the windows and a horde of demonic hobos laying siege to the church, the Anti-God is on the move, and preparing for the final showdown.

CAPSULE REVIEW

Though it alienated many with its enigmatic talk of tachyons, quantum mechanics and differential equations, Prince of Darkness is a superb, ambitious and rewarding horror film that deserves repeated viewing. It saw Carpenter back in familiar territory and was arguably his best film for some
years. Some of the theoretical science might seem a bit flaky at first, but, living in a world where Newton and Descartes have fashioned our common sense view of reality, the possibilities hinted at by the concepts of quantum science are daunting. For Prince of Darkness, Carpenter clearly did his research well and at least it all sounds plausible, which is more than can be said about most of the science in contemporary SF movies. Perhaps in years to come, Prince of Darkness will get the critical reappraisal it deserves.

AVAILABILITY

Germany
Theatrical Distributors: Senator Film
Laserdisc Distributor: Starlight (081 840-1)

Italy
Video Distributors: Vivivideo

UK
Video Distributors: Guild; 4 Front Video
Laserdisc Distributors: Pioneer (PLFEB 30361)

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Universal Pictures
Video Distributors: Anchor Bay Entertainment; MCA / Universal Home Video
Laserdisc Distributors: MCA / Universal Home Video (40761)
DVD Distributors: Image Entertainment (ID 4272 USDVD); Universal (21234)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: M

Canada
Rating: 18+

Finland
Rating: K-18

France
Rating: -12

Norway
Rating: 18

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 18 (theatrical and video (1988)); 15 (video (2000))

USA
Rating: R

West Germany
Rating: 18

AWARDS

1988
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA (Saturn Awards)
Best Music (John Carpenter) - nominated

TIMELINE

1987
October
23: USA - theatrical release

1988
March
11: Hong Kong - theatrical release

April
20: France - theatrical release
22: Finland - theatrical release

May
5: West Germany - theatrical release
6: Sweden - theatrical release
13: UK - theatrical release

April
12: Australia - theatrical release

1990
May
Day Unknown: Germany - laserdisc release (Starlight (081 840-1))

1998
April
29: USA - DVD release (Image Entertainment (ID 4272 USDVD))

1999
November
Day Unknown: Italy - shown at the Turin Film Festival

2003
October
7: USA - DVD release (Universal (21234))

POSTER TAGS

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

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

A Sötétség fejedelme - Hungarian title
Die Fürsten der Dunkelheit - West German title
Ksiaze ciemnosci - Polish title
Mörkrets furste - Swedish title
Pimeyden prinssi - Finnish title
Pimeyden valtias - Finnish title
Prince des ténèbres - French title
O Príncipe das Trevas - Portuguese title
El príncipe de las tinieblas - Spanish title
Il signore del male - Italian title

LINKS

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
Heavenly Puss (1949)
The Cat Above and the Mouse Below (1964)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Première April 1988 p.26 - French title
review (by Stella Molitor)

Studio April 1988 p.18 - French title
review (by Jean Witold)

BOOKS

Elliot's Guide to Films on Video p.621
credits, review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.291
credits, review

KEYWORDS

astral projection, churches, decapitations, demonic possession, the devil, insects, the occult, possession, priests, quantum physics, religion, scientists, students, sieges, vomiting, zombies

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009