Review of Prince of Darkness (1987) by Robin W — 22 Oct 2009

Having had this film described to me in the two words: "liquid Satan," I didn't have very high hopes. Imagine my surprise then, when I actually found myself liking "Prince of Darkness." It has its moments of being atmospheric, but the bulk of its appeal is cheese, and seeing how and when the members of the ridiculously large cast are going to get killed off. The concept is interesting, though never fully defined. (At one point after hauling electronic equipment into the old church, one of the characters asks: "So what are we doing here, exactly?" My friend and I said, almost in unison, that we'd like to know that too.) Characters and their relationships are never fleshed out, plot holes abound, and the overall story is muddy at best. All you really need to know is that in the basement of an old church (with requisite ever-burning candles), there's a tube filled with minty-fresh devil juice that can possess people, and is planning very bad things for the world.

And as nonsensical as that all sounds, if you just sit down and watch the rest of the movie unfold, chances are you'll find yourself warming to it. The cinematography is competent, the deaths are plentiful and largely worth seeing, and there's joke fodder galore. So if you're in the mood for something different than the usual slasher fare this Halloween, give "Prince of Darkness" a shot. It is, if nothing else, unique.