Prince of Darkness
John Carpenter and Alan Howarth
" Welcome to religion "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
John Carpenter is surely a product of the 80's and it is a product which will not work in the new millennium. Carpenter's moody slow style is one that did its job in the eighties, creating wonderful scary effects in such classics as Halloween, The Fog and let's not forget his astonishing The Thing. But for Prince of Darkness (another battle between good and evil), he made not only a slow but scary zombie led movie, but he also created one of his cleverest creations. Bring a religious quality to the script, and construct one in the music as well.
The awkward "This is not a Dream" may appear to be an irrelevant and irritating dialogue track but the effect it will have for the fans is of significant meaning nonetheless. It is what gives the movie the defining last image climax, the reason to which all those fragmented pieces lie.
The score nonetheless begins with "Opening Credits" and Carpenter / Howarth's sound immediately sinks through. The ominous quality, the light tinkling, the samples of vocal choirs reflecting the religious matter (which is for Carpenter standards a work of genius). It will appear in the score enough. It may not be classy by which the standards of music are known today, but like Carpenter's movies it is about the mood and hypnotizing effect it builds upon.
In "The Underground Church (Film Version)" the mood becomes distinctly atmospheric, but the religious vocals surely sell them off pretty good. The tinkling version you heard appear so much in the Opening Credits were in fact a fragile version of a theme that in one category represents the love between the 2 leads. Carpenter has never been for sentimentality considering most of his characters always pay the price of death. So he can keep his themes fragile and light on emotion.
"Will no One Tell Us?" is the first in capturing brief scary sound designs, this for the beginning of evil trying to break free. In "The Team Assembles" Carpenter's hypnotic thumps begin to appear, considering the stakes have just been raised. And "Cross Bar" and "Susan's Intuition / We Were Salesmen" surely shows you why, the shattering scary sound design is enough to revive those goosebumps moments from the movie.
And now the nightmare has surely begun. In "Darkness Falls" the liturgical choir has never sounded any more demanding, and the threat any more real. The ending by the way is chaotic yet extremely fun. On the other hand "A Message from the Future" is hypnotizing and ethereal while "Hell Breaks Loose" has the familiar thumps as the religious choir spelling out danger.
The second CD opens with the brief dialogue sequence, heightened by the vocal effects later on in "Mirror Image / The Only Thing that Matters". The effects surely rain in "The Devil Awakens" and "Through the Mirror", having the delicate theme being played again underscoring the mourning before the unknowing begins to take effect.
With the bonus track, the representation of the original album, the "End Credit" (being a great representation of Carpenter's sound) and the song of zombie Alice Cooper, Prince of Darkness (2 CD's) is definitely the version the fans will want to get their hands on. It is indeed fair to say it outdoes the original album in presentation, but it doesn't out way it. You get more material but not really diversity which of course can work against you if you don't know Carpenter's style by now. That doesn't take away the mood is mucho important in Carpenter's music and their biggest treasure is the wonderful choral work that gives it a creepy, cool and religious effect.
Tracklisting
CD 1: 61.14
1. This is Not a Dream (0.51)
2. Opening Credits (9.17)
3. The Underground Church (Film Version) (4.03)
4. Love at a Distance (2.13)
5. Will no One Tell Us? (1.41)
6. The Team Assembles (9.13)
7. Translation (2.21)
8. Cross Bar (1.00)
9. Susan's Intuition / We Were Salesmen (2.33)
10. Psychokinesis (0.45)
11. Darkness Falls (8.24)
12. Bug Man (0.38)
13. A Message from the Future (8.11)
14. Hell Breaks Loose (9.57)
CD 2: 73.46
1. I Have a Message for You (0.19)
2. Mirror Image / The Only Thing that Matters (8.15)
3. The Devil Awakens (9.52)
4. Through the Mirror (5.24)
Bonus Track
5. The Underground Church (alternate version) (3.57)
Original Album
6. Opening Titles (4.13)
7. Team Assembly (4.31)
8. Darkness Begins (2.54)
9. A Message from the Future (5.23)
10. Hell Breaks Loose (4.25)
11. Mirror Image (6.47)
12. The Devil Awakens (8.53)
13. Through the Mirror (5.33)
14. End Credit (3.16)
15. Prince of Darkness: Alice Cooper (5.09)
The awkward "This is not a Dream" may appear to be an irrelevant and irritating dialogue track but the effect it will have for the fans is of significant meaning nonetheless. It is what gives the movie the defining last image climax, the reason to which all those fragmented pieces lie.
The score nonetheless begins with "Opening Credits" and Carpenter / Howarth's sound immediately sinks through. The ominous quality, the light tinkling, the samples of vocal choirs reflecting the religious matter (which is for Carpenter standards a work of genius). It will appear in the score enough. It may not be classy by which the standards of music are known today, but like Carpenter's movies it is about the mood and hypnotizing effect it builds upon.
In "The Underground Church (Film Version)" the mood becomes distinctly atmospheric, but the religious vocals surely sell them off pretty good. The tinkling version you heard appear so much in the Opening Credits were in fact a fragile version of a theme that in one category represents the love between the 2 leads. Carpenter has never been for sentimentality considering most of his characters always pay the price of death. So he can keep his themes fragile and light on emotion.
"Will no One Tell Us?" is the first in capturing brief scary sound designs, this for the beginning of evil trying to break free. In "The Team Assembles" Carpenter's hypnotic thumps begin to appear, considering the stakes have just been raised. And "Cross Bar" and "Susan's Intuition / We Were Salesmen" surely shows you why, the shattering scary sound design is enough to revive those goosebumps moments from the movie.
And now the nightmare has surely begun. In "Darkness Falls" the liturgical choir has never sounded any more demanding, and the threat any more real. The ending by the way is chaotic yet extremely fun. On the other hand "A Message from the Future" is hypnotizing and ethereal while "Hell Breaks Loose" has the familiar thumps as the religious choir spelling out danger.
The second CD opens with the brief dialogue sequence, heightened by the vocal effects later on in "Mirror Image / The Only Thing that Matters". The effects surely rain in "The Devil Awakens" and "Through the Mirror", having the delicate theme being played again underscoring the mourning before the unknowing begins to take effect.
With the bonus track, the representation of the original album, the "End Credit" (being a great representation of Carpenter's sound) and the song of zombie Alice Cooper, Prince of Darkness (2 CD's) is definitely the version the fans will want to get their hands on. It is indeed fair to say it outdoes the original album in presentation, but it doesn't out way it. You get more material but not really diversity which of course can work against you if you don't know Carpenter's style by now. That doesn't take away the mood is mucho important in Carpenter's music and their biggest treasure is the wonderful choral work that gives it a creepy, cool and religious effect.
Tracklisting
CD 1: 61.14
1. This is Not a Dream (0.51)
2. Opening Credits (9.17)
3. The Underground Church (Film Version) (4.03)
4. Love at a Distance (2.13)
5. Will no One Tell Us? (1.41)
6. The Team Assembles (9.13)
7. Translation (2.21)
8. Cross Bar (1.00)
9. Susan's Intuition / We Were Salesmen (2.33)
10. Psychokinesis (0.45)
11. Darkness Falls (8.24)
12. Bug Man (0.38)
13. A Message from the Future (8.11)
14. Hell Breaks Loose (9.57)
CD 2: 73.46
1. I Have a Message for You (0.19)
2. Mirror Image / The Only Thing that Matters (8.15)
3. The Devil Awakens (9.52)
4. Through the Mirror (5.24)
Bonus Track
5. The Underground Church (alternate version) (3.57)
Original Album
6. Opening Titles (4.13)
7. Team Assembly (4.31)
8. Darkness Begins (2.54)
9. A Message from the Future (5.23)
10. Hell Breaks Loose (4.25)
11. Mirror Image (6.47)
12. The Devil Awakens (8.53)
13. Through the Mirror (5.33)
14. End Credit (3.16)
15. Prince of Darkness: Alice Cooper (5.09)