 If THE THING if Carpenter's best film, then PRINCE OF DARKNESS is his most Carpenter film. It's John with nearly complete creative control and, for better and worse, it shows. After his previous film, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, faced studio rewrites and initial critical failure (a running theme with his filmography), he strove for something more independent, with less studio interference. Enter PRINCE OF DARKNESS, a film he conceived while reading about quantum physics (as one does). Having penned the script himself (under the pen name "Martin Quatermass"), the film was co-produced by Larry Franco Productions and Alive Films (with whom Carpenter would go on to release THEY LIVE the following year). It's entirely possible this one may have slipped through your cracks, and you're not alone. But it's a damn shame because PRINCE OF DARKNESS kicks major ancient evil ass. Before we go any further, I know you're itching for some Cooper facts. It's why you're here after all. In case you're unfamiliar, Alice is in fact a minor character in PRINCE OF DARKNESS, playing one of the possessed derelicts outside the church and primary location of the movie. Here's some trivia. Executive Producer Shep Gordon also managed Cooper at the time, which how his rock star client came to be involved. He's officially credited as "Street Schizo," which sounds like it would be one of his albums or at least a B-side. He also contributed to the soundtrack. The song, named (oddly enough) "Prince of Darkness," can be heard in the background of one scene only. I'm not going to tell you which. You should watch this film for a number of reasons, this being one of them. It could probably be turned into a drinking game, though not a very exciting one. When the song in question arrives, take several shots to make up for its rarity throughout the running time. Back to the film, though. The plot's a bit contrived but in a nutshell: a priest (played by a hamming-it-up Donald Pleasance) enlists the help of a quantum physics professor (played by an equally-hamming-it-up Victor Wong) and a dozen other academics in studying a mysterious canister of green ooze that looks like it would be the best Kool-Aid flavor ever. Through some investigation of ancient texts and painfully dated computers, it's revealed that this isn't just lime-flavored fruit water but Satan himself. The canister's eventually opened and it affects a good portion of the team, turning them into possessed minions that have gained super strength and now walk slower than most grandparents. If the plot doesn't immediately wow you, don't worry. This is a Carpenter film (the most Carpenter film if you remember from thirty seconds ago) and, as if often the case with his work, it's less about the plot and the characters and more about the experience. This thing's dripping with atmosphere. The soundtrack is chill-inducing. Synth-laden and brooding, just the opening credit sequence alone (which lasts for nearly ten minutes and must be some sort of record) is enough to let you know that this is going to be a dreadful ninety minutes. The characters are all likeable even if we aren't given much to work with. In some ways, PRINCE OF DARKNESS is similar to THE THING, in that we've got a motley cast of people trapped in a single location and we're given just enough traits and quirks through their reaction to the central conflict to route for them. And those wide shots. They're everywhere. It's like Carpenter entered a contest and won a lifetime supply and you know what? Fine by me. It only adds to the film's general eerie tone and hallucinatory imagery. It's funny: these Carpenterisms (definitely not a made-up word) are the reason the film was panned by critics upon its initial release. No character development. Too cheesy. Way out there. But like many of his other now-classic films, PRINCE OF DARKNESS was given a second life on home video, which eventually gave way to a cult following. That's not to say it's received the recognition it deserves. Talk to anyone about his catalogue and you're going to hear all about the mind-blowing the effects in THETHING, how those ghost pirates in THE FOG led to nightmares, and of course how HALLOWEEN helped usher in the slasher boom. And that's not to say those statements aren't valid. I agree with all three. But I also agree that PRINCE OF DARKNESS is one of his most consistent entries a decades-spanning career. From the atmosphere to the heady concepts, the nightmare-fueling imagery to the claustrophobic cinematography, PRINCE OF DARKNESS deserves to be mentioned in the same conversation as his other classics. And maybe, as more time passes, the fondness I hold will spread like the puke green devil ooze it represents.  BIO: Patrick Lacey was born and raised in a haunted house. He currently spends his nights and weekends writing about things that make the general public uncomfortable. He lives in Massachusetts with his Pomeranian and his muse, who is likely trying to kill him. Follow him on Twitter (@patlacey), find him on Facebook, or visit his website at https://patrickclacey.wordpress.com/.  
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