Prince of Darkness [Blu-ray]

For the diehard fans out there of John Carpenter and of particularly PRINCE OF DARKNESS, this review is for you. Chances are, this is as good as it is going to get for this film. Germany and Japan have had their own blu-rays, and neither seem to actually stand up to this. Remembering that this was (As they themselves said) Scream!Factory's most requested title, let't take a look. VIDEO: There has been some talk of edge enhancement. It doesn't seem that bad. Definitely not noticible to me anyway, and I've been watching the Universal DVD for the past eight years. What is noticible is that the increased color range and sharpening make a difference. Details are great, even if the anamorphic lenses used on the film blurred the edges of the frame a bit. But it does effect things like Alice Cooper's make up in the film. He's no longer a pasty white anylonger, more natural fleshtones are apparent. No one has heard, nor did Shout - mention that Carpenter or Gary B. Kibbe supervised this transfer so I guess it's really up to the consumer as to what they want. But such details. Audio: It's great. Noticible differences from previous DVD copies - the scene where the Priest is talking to his superiors in the court yard at the beginning has more audiable sprinkler sounds. Just great stuff. The soundtrack pops well. Extras This is what we've all come for, right? I really wish I knew what the making of this disc was like. Before this, if you wanted a really good disc of PRINCE OF DARKNESS, you either got the British DVD or if you really wanted the creme de la creme, the Caheirs du Cinema DVD of the film. Not every special feature in the world is included on this blu-ray. Maybe that's a good thing. The introduction and scene analysis features from the French DVD have been said to be lackluster. What Scream! self produced is great. Interestingly enough, Carpenter looks better than he did in other Scream! produced featurettes. And though some of what he says is repeated in the audio commentary (Taken from the European/Studio Cannal release), the repetition comes with greater details to his anecdotes. The Alice Cooper interview kind of sucks, certain questions didn't seem to have been answered, such as his song PRINCE OF DARKNESS - was it written for the film? We hear it in the film and it wasn't released officially on an album until 1988. The Robert Grasmere interview is full of great stuff. He remembers the film fondly and vividly, even bringing with him some props to show. Alan Howarths' interview plays more like an overview of his time working with Carpenter than about the POD score specifically. To bring this up, the alternate for TV edit of the begining. Yes, it comes with everything that the fabled TV edit is supposed to come with. They don't include things like Donald Pleasance actually reading the diary via ADR over the footage that is already there in the theatrical cut, but it's great stuff. Great stuff. A trailer is there, but it comes with two radio spots as well. Sweet. A TV spot has surfaced on youtube, but eh, make your own second disc for this release! Horror's haunted grounds is fun, though not really substantially. A fun piece. An obvious easter egg is a video from the 25th anniversary screening Q and A. It's okay. Nothing in depth. If you are a fan and want more, either wait for stuff to pop up on the internet to download or buy this release. And I do suggest you buy it. Sure, it doesn't have a booklet with some well written articles on the film (and they're out there), and it doesn't have the video of the premiere at Universal Studios (which could have been bought by Getty Images for $500), but it's great none the less. Buy it now. Don't need to be an alien from THEY LIVE to tell you that.

One of my favorites from John Carpenter. I was overwhelmed and excited how good Shout factory designed the steelbook to this film. I’m building a nice collection of all their designs for steelbooks. This one has a beautiful shine to it.

Cosmic horror at it's finest. This movie is one that forces the viewer to really think. To think on the "sub atomic level where reality collapses into ghosts and shadows". Suspend your disbelief and what you know to be true or real, and actually ponder on the possibility that there can be truth in what this movie presents. Do exactly this and this movie will captivate you forever, and will never get too boring or old to watch.

It’s not a bad movie. I just wish JC had made a sequel to The Thing instead. Alice Cooper does his usual thing, that’s kinda funny actually.

I first saw John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness" when it came out in 1987, and I have to admit to walking out of the theater with mixed feelings. After his groundbreaking "Halloween", the competent and suitably creepy "The Fog", the incredible benchmark that was "The Thing", and the lively, unforgettable romp of "Big Trouble In Little China", I felt a little let down, somehow expecting something completely different. It's too bad that because of those expectations, I had completely missed the point. What I didn't appreciate at the time (along with many others, apparently) was that "Prince of Darkness", instead of being a straightforward "good vs. evil" balls-out experience like "The Thing", wasn't so much about high-end visual imagery or action, but rather something altogether different...a harrowing descent into a disquieting, pervasive atmosphere of approaching doom. Not that it didn't have it's fair share of striking visuals (although more economical in scope, because of the smaller budget, and made all the more impressive when one takes that into account), but that was never the point; simply put, this film was for many years an unrecognized and unheralded masterclass in mood and tone, possessing a subtle but powerful overarching sense of impending dread that few other films have been able to match. There are a number of reasons why this film is so effective, in spite of it's faults, and it's easy to forgive those shortcomings for the sake of the overall experience it offers. Other reviewers have covered various points in greater detail so I'll try to keep from being too redundant. First off, a minor note of viewer discretion: the story itself is based around the transposition of traditional western religion with theoretical quantum mechanics to offer up an alternative worldview of the nature and origin of Good and Evil, and while highly original and inventive, it may come across to some viewers as too severe in it's radical re-thinking and therefore requisite departure from traditional belief systems. Your mileage may vary on this, but speaking from a personal perspective I daresay that anyone who has even a nominal upbringing in a Judeo-Christian or Catholic environment could, depending on their tolerance level for this sort of thing, perhaps be challenged, possibly offended...or simply roll their eyes and shake their head in amusement at some of the audacious liberties taken here. You'll know it when you hear it, but in any case there's really nothing more threatening here than what one would find while watching any given episode of "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel, so anyone who's able to hang with those astro-nerds and their New Age revisionist "history-of-the-universe" shenanigans for the sake of entertainment value shouldn't have any problems. As for the aforementioned shortcomings: In laying the groundwork early on there are some expositional scenes concerning the science and theology where the character dialogue and delivery can at times come across as trying a little too hard to sell the story, and the admittedly complicated reasoning and explanations given may not always appear to gel with complete clarity, or are left purposely ambiguous and incomplete (viewers with short attention spans or an inability or unwillingness to process information may as well go elsewhere). However, given the ambitious and complex scope of the subject matter, trying to hammer out all of the possible intricacies involved or answer every conceivable question would have ruined the pacing and overall flow of the film, so it's hard to find too much fault there. There are a few instances of questionable character behavior, a few scenes that seem to have been included for effect but that don't quite make sense or add anything useful, and one or two questionable details of the story or setting (specifically in regard to the basement of the church where the ancient cylinder is kept) which could have benefitted from either a short additional scene or perhaps an extra line or two of dialogue to give a reason for their presence, because without that consideration they can come across as oversights or mistakes unless the viewer is willing to actively participate by coming up with their own interpretation or explanation. This may all sound like nitpicking but it really isn't...just mentioning the things that are there, but overall they're trifling, with nothing unforgivable or deal-breaking. The cast, with a few notable exceptions, were mostly unknown or little-known actors but whom I found to all be pleasantly suitable in their respective roles. By and large I've always enjoyed the casting in Carpenter's films; he has a knack for procuring competent, professional talent and getting the most out of them. Among the veteran actors participating here are Donald Pleasence ("Halloween"), Victor Wong and Dennis Dun (of "Big Trouble" fame), and a surprisingly solid Jameson Parker from the 80's TV series "Simon & Simon". A quick aside: over the years I have come to particularly appreciate his performance in this film more with each viewing and find myself wondering why he wasn't used in more films. He brings an understated gravitas and stalwart maturity to the role of Brian Marsh, and is one of the two heroic figures in the story. The other, Brian's tragically-fated love interest Catherine Danforth (played with subtle, quiet melancholy by the talented Lisa Blount), becomes with one desperate, selfless act the ultimate catalyst and tipping point of the scales in the seemingly hopeless conflict at the film's climax. Completely by design there's a definite delineation between Brian and Catherine and the rest of the team, and although the character development between them is necessarily abbreviated and mostly by way of inference, over the course of the film I found myself coming to care about these two and what happens to them, and it is this connection which further gives the end of the film a singularly potent, unforgettable gut-punch which will stay with the viewer long after the credits have ended. As far as the visual presentation goes the production design, locations, sets and cinematography are all well-conceived and melded together with optimal consistency and meticulous attention to detail, and it really shows throughout. This is a great looking film, with keen aesthetics that complement the subject matter admirably. The special effects and makeup appear to be almost exclusively practical in nature, with only a smattering of digital effects added in post-production, but this is purely speculation on my part. To go in expecting a top-shelf visual effect extravaganza such as that which was present in "The Thing", well...it isn't here. This film only had one-fifth of the budget as that one to work with, so no dice on that count. What is here on full display, however, is a prime example of making the very most of what you do have to work with and doing it in a way that overcomes budgetary restraints with ingenuity, imagination, craft and technique. I found the visual effects throughout to be unpretentious yet ultimately satisfying and dramatic in the best workmanlike sense, punching well above their weight class without taking over, while also being finely-tailored and in keeping with the overall look and tone of the film. The lighting, camera angles and set pieces are all capably fitted together and executed with a master's flair, and the unorthodox (albeit somewhat risky) technique Carpenter employed to create the mirror scene during the final, climactic confrontation near the end of the film was an inventive stroke of pure genius. As many others have stated, perhaps the single most defining factor contributing to the overall atmosphere of "Prince of Darkness" is the somewhat minimalistic, yet supremely effective score. Written by Carpenter (and later mastered, I believe, with his multi-film collaborator Alan Howarth) while watching the finished film on a tv set (remember those?), the pulsing synthesizer begins at the opening credits and immediately becomes the organic heartbeat of the film, rising and falling and undulating throughout with a life all it's own. For the most part the music is understated, even approaching ambience at times, and is brought to the fore as punctuation only during certain scenes, but this to great effect, and seldom has any soundtrack exuded such a disquieting, profound undercurrent of brooding menace as is on display here. When given free rein as he was on this project, Carpenter is a true auteur in the sense of creating films that are unmistakably his, down to the scoring and sound design, and in this area he excels much more often than not. I believe his most beautiful work (to my ears, at least) was in "Village of the Damned", and the most well-known being the classic, instantly recognizable theme from "Halloween", but I'll contend that the score from "Prince of Darkness" is by far the most fitting and effective of any of his films. In particular, the passage flowing through the final mind-wrenching epilogue into the end credits will chill your bones to the marrow and haunt your dreams. Final Thoughts: When everything is said and done it really all comes down to the storytelling, through either narrative or presentation (hopefully both), and the ability to create and maintain a consistent integrity of characterization, mood and atmosphere that will make or break any film, especially when it comes to suspense and horror. Although having pretty much moved on in my viewing habits as I've gotten older, I have sampled quite a fair number of newer efforts and in doing so have noticed a dramatic shift in the genre, namely that over the years so much in the horror film industry has gone the way of the mean-spirited and ugly; wherein the classic archetype of ordinary people forced by circumstances beyond their control to push back against the darkness has been replaced with a certain all-encompassing, corrosive ambiguity in which quite often there are no longer any clear protagonists and antagonists, and indeed very little discernable difference between good and evil anymore, and old-school storytelling, filmmaking craft and ingenuity have been usurped by little more than alarmingly ubiquitous grotesquery, obscenely graphic portrayals of sadistic cruelty and torture, cheap jump scares, darting figures in the foreground or background, lazy sound design and editing, uninspired and unimaginative directing and lastly, uninformed and derivative storylines populated with shallow and wholly unsympathetic characters who are impossible for the viewer to engage with because writers and filmmakers today either don't know how to invest them with any sense of genuine humanity, or else don't think it's important enough to bother with. To put a fine point to it, the only useful purpose I can find anywhere for the overwhelming majority of this myriad of post-millennial failures is to serve as a contrast and reminder of just how much better many of the older films really were, and still are. So there it is...that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'll finish up by saying that for whatever it's worth I consider "Prince of Darkness" to be one of the very last genuine accomplishments in horror cinema before everything started to go south just a few short years later, and arguably one of the finest. They simply don't make films like this anymore, and if you're someone who likes the genre and somehow missed out on it, go watch it one dark, stormy evening...you won't be disappointed. If you're one of the many who have seen it, go watch it again...you won't be disappointed either; it holds up remarkably well and is one of the few films that somehow seems to get better with each viewing.

Regista, compositore, maestro del cinema, è stato definito in molti modi nel corso della sua lunga carriera. Di sicuro John Carpenter, nell'arco di 20 anni, ha contribuito a rifondare temi e stilemi del cinema horror e non, regalandoci cult, opere seminali e veri e propri capolavori come quelli ripubblicati in queste edizioni blu-ray doppio disco a dir poco straordinarie. Qualità video e audio al top e contenuti extra a go go! Manca il doppiaggio in italiano ma in questo caso ne faccio volentieri a meno.. Straconsigliato a tutti i veri fan! Amazon mi ha abituato alle consegne in anticipo, ha effettuato la consegna con ben 2 giorni di anticipo! Non 5 ma 10 STELLE!!

Superbe film d’épouvante par le maître du genre , Blue ray 4K exellent

...mi ha portato male: Infatti non era la versione francese, ma una zona 1 non riproducibile dal mio lettore. Restituito.

Coming in between "The Thing" and "In the Mouth of Madness" as John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy, Prince of Darkness represents Carpenter's most thoughtful horror film, with creepy and interesting ideas to spare, shocking philosophically and viscerally in equal doses. The plot has it's own joys and if you're avoiding it because you dislike religious-based horror or expect an Exorcist knock-off, you have got it all wrong. This is science-fiction/religious horror and it bears little resemblance to the Judeo-Christian myth. Enough about that - you must see it. This Scream Factory disc includes amazing picture and sound (this score begged for 5.1 surround sound), the same John Carpenter/Peter Jason commentary (fairly average for Carpenter's tracks, which means it's a solid 3/5) that's on the UK Studio Canal DVD (missing the opening remark about the "Studio Canal Plus logo" which is irrelevant as said logo is replaced by the original Universal logo here), a good solid interview with Mr Carpenter, another with a effects guy who also acted in the film, another with Alice Cooper (who acts here and recorded a song for it, briefly heard in the film), one with Alan Howarth (who collaberated on most of John Carpenter's scores between Halloween II/The Fog to They Live), the trailer and radio spots, the alternate opening sequenced edited for American TV which hilariously speeds up the footage to fit it between commercial breaks and attempts to tone down severely anything that might be construed as anti-religious. There's also the customary "Horror's Hallowed Grounds", which is funnier than usual (I still kind of find the host annoying, but these are really fun features) and an easter egg from the 25th anniversary screening of the film which features some of Carp's funniest answers to questions. This is THE version of the film to own. I find it VERY unlikely it will be topped by anyone for years and years to come.

今回このアメリカ版ブルーレイセットは今までのスタジオ・カナル版DVDのマスターとは全く異なる高画質です！通常のブルーレイしか持っていないのでUHDの画質は確認出来ないのが残念です。それでも通常ブルーレイでも4Kマスターの様なのでとても良いです。WOWOWで放送された5.1サラウンドが貧弱な音だったのに比べ、今回の商品はどちらのディスクもドルビーアトモス収録されており音楽もパワーアップ！特典映像は2013年に発売されたアメリカ版ブルーレイとほぼ同じ様ですが、それでも日本版ブルーレイよりは多い筈。日本語字幕はないけど綺麗な映像と低音の響きを楽しめるのは今の所この商品だけです！カ－ペンタ－ファンの皆様はお見逃しなく。