John Carpenter (“Escape From New York”, “Ghosts Of Mars”) directs “Prince Of Darkness”, a really good little sci-fi/horror that is pretty unsettling in its own way. Although some Carpenter’s movies have developed quite a following, this one still seems to have gone under most people’s radars and that’s a shame because it’s one of his better films.

In “Prince Of Darkness”, a mysterious container filled with green goo is discovered in an abandoned church used by a secretive religious sect. A research team led by a Catholic priest (Donald Pleasance “You Only Live Twice”) and a university science teacher (Victor Wong “3 Ninjas Kick Back”) try to determine just exactly what it is.

Donald Pleasance is really good as the priest character. Victor Wong is okay as Professor Birack. Some of the other members of the research team are a little poor and I really did not care for the weak performance from Jameson Parker (“Jackals”). Alice Cooper (“Wayne’s World”) makes an appearance as a homeless man. Throughout the movie, homeless people gather outside the church but they are not as normal as they first appear. Some have criticised the effects for the creature that appears briefly near the end but I think the effects are fine considering how little of the creature you actually see.

“Prince Of Darkness” certainly takes some crazy twists and turns when it comes to the science and the theology and while that is fine, the movie really succeeds because it manages to maintain the tension and the disturbing atmosphere. The best scenes are arguably the dream sequence where it looks like an old VHS recording. I still prefer “Halloween” and “In The Mouth Of Madness” but this is good addition to Carpenter’s library. Fans of sci-fi/horror movies should keep an eye out for “Prince Of Darkness”.