31 Days of Horror Blu-rays: Prince of Darkness (1987)

"A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity. As the liquid turns their co-workers into zombies, the remaining members realize they have released the most unspeakable of horrors, Satan himself, thus paving the way for the return of his father-the all-powerful anti-God. Terror mounts as the last two members of the team must fight to save an innocent world from a devilish fury that has festered for over seven million years. "

Prince of Darkness may just be my favorite John Carpenter flick; it's definitely not his best cinematic offering, but there's just something about it that works for me on every level. This is classic Carpenter from start to finish; the atmosphere, the music, the son of Satan swirling around in a giant jar... and Donald Pleasance! POD has one of the most interesting plots I've seen in a Horror flick, and maybe that's why I love it so much. It's creepy, well made, and creepy. Also, creepy.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary with John Carpenter.
• Sympathy For The Devil – An all-new Interview with Writer/Director John Carpenter.
• Alice at the Apocalypse - An all-new interview with Actor & Rock Legend Alice Cooper.
• The Messenger – All-new interview with Actor & Special Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Grasmere.
• Hell On Earth – A look at the film's score with Co-Composer Alan Howarth.
• Horror's Hallowed Grounds with host Sean Clark.
• Alternate Opening from TV Version.
• Original Theatrical Trailer.

My personal favorite John Carpenter film (not sure why, I've just always loved it to pieces), Prince of Darkness is maybe his most under-appreciated film. Something about it has always just struck me as brilliant, and the way that Scream Factory has cleaned it up for this disc makes it feel even more so. Halloween and The Thing are probably Carpenter's best work, but don't sleep on this one. It's a classic in its own right.