PRINCE! No…not that Prince.
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Bow Chicka Bow Wow, said the moustache.
John Carpenter has directed three films which he groups together into a rough package called “The Apocalypse Trilogy”. The Thing, Prince of Darkness and In The Mouth of Madness comprise this group. Today, we’ll be talking about the middle child.
First, the look of the film. Standard Carpenter that we all know and love. Lots of Steadicam, anamorphic widescreen, and lots of long shots. Hey, he found what works, and he’s stuck to it. Add into the normal Carpenter mix one of his largest ensembles, including his favorite, Donald Pleasance (who manages to immediately add gravity to any piece of shit movie he’s in…except that Dracula adaptation. Put the food down, man!).
I’ll be honest with you. This is not one of Carpenter’s best outings. It’s certainly not his worst, but I can say this for Prince of Darkness: It’s one of the moodiest, most atmospheric of his films. The Vatican has found the trapped son of the Devil (in what appears to be a whirling food processor filled with the contents of a large frog) in a church in California. This might sound familiar, as almost the same thing occurs in Vampires, but we’ll get to that movie later. Pleasance asks an old college professor buddy(Victor Wong) of his to debunk the canister, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. That science will not be able to explain away what he has been told is the ultimate evil. Enlisting the aid of several doctoral candidate students, including Jameson Parker (AJ of Simon and Simon fame) he begins a series of scientific tests. All of which, to absolutely no one’s surprise awakens whatever is sleeping in the pea soup…sorry, LIQUID OF EEEEEVIL within. The local bums, led by, of all people, Alice Cooper, barricade the scientists within the church so that Scratch’s will be done.
All of the people in the church begin to experience the same dream. A darkened figure, arms outstretched, telling them that the dream is a tachyon communique from the future (No shit.) As silly as that sounds, it is the shared dreams that make this film creepy. And, that’s where I’ll leave it. This one is worth watching. It has all the Carpenter mainstays. The right soundtrack, decent acting (mostly), restrained gore…the only thing really missing from this one is the fun. Sure, there’s spitting, self mutilation, and a chick getting hit over the head with bricks…but not a lot of glee involved.
Also, Jameson Parker is rockin’ one HELL of a pornstache in this movie. That alone should secure the price of a rental!
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