Originally Posted by
Deacon Blackfire
Prince of Darkness is neck and neck with In the Mouth of Madness for most underrated John Carpenter film in my book. His writing for Prince of Darkness is billed to "Martin Quatermass" in reference to the Bernard Quatermass of Nigel Kneale's works and the influence of that excellent material (in particular Quatermass and The Pit) is evident in the film - metaphysical horror with a compelling conceit that blends scientific and religious concepts. In fact he also references Quatermass in In the Mouth of Madness, naming Sutter Cane's equivalent of Derry, Maine "Hobbs End" after the station in the Quatermass and the Pit film (Hobbs Lane in the serial).
The dream sequences in Prince of Darkness are terrific but I have to give a special shout out to the "pray for death" scene. I'm always reminded of the weird distorted vocals there when I listen to Ahead of Ourselves.