20 Cult Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die

Prince Of Darkness is the second part of what director John Carpenter has dubbed his "Apocalypse Trilogy", which began with 1982's The Thing and ended with 1995's In The Mouth Of Madness. Though the three films are different stories and not directly connected, they all deal with a threat that could destroy humanity if allowed to go unchecked.

Poking around in a church cellar, a priest (Donald Pleasence) finds an otherworldly vial filled with slime. Frightened, he brings his discovery to a circle of top scholars and scientists, who eventually learn that the strange liquid is the essence of Satan. The slime then begins to seep out, turning some of the academics into zombified killers. As the possessed battle the survivors, student Kelly (Susan Blanchard) is infected by a large quantity of the liquid and becomes Satan personified.

Prince Of Darkness is an elegantly photographed, legitimately frightening tale that does not shirk away from its controversial concepts. The first half of this movie is pure horror gold. Ambient lighting, a tremendously creepy score, and a real sense of gloom and dread paint the backdrop for the deliberately paced second act and the ultimate climax. In short, it is without question one of Carpenter's most underrated films and one that doesn’t deserve to be forgotten.