StudioCanal, out now

John Carpenter’s 1987 horror tale of physics and satanism finally gets a UK Blu-ray release in a lovely new transfer supervised by cinematographer Gary Kibbe.

Prince of Darkness has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, not least because it ticks so many of the Carpenter boxes – Donald Pleasance, thudding soundtrack, base under siege – though the credibility of the bonkers plot about a container of fluorescent goo containing the Devil’s essence of evil is one to be sidestepped quickly. From Alice Cooper’s cameo as a murderous hobo (have you seen someone murdered by a bicycle before?) to the gory deaths and the seedy abandoned Los Angeles locations, this movie has always deserved a high-end release.

Unlike their other recent John Carpenter releases (The Fog, They Live, Escape from New York) there’s no 4-disc edition from StudioCanal including a 4K UHD disc and soundtrack. This two-disc Blu-ray set is still a worthy purchase though, disc one containing the crisp print and audio commentary from Carpenter and actor Peter Jason.

Disc two is all extras, the backbone being Malevolent: Unearthing John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, a new documentary with interviews from lots of cast and crew. An introduction by Carpenter originally recorded for a 2003 French DVD release is fun, as is his analysis of key scenes in the movie and a more up-to-date interview with Carpenter from 2013. As someone who has had the pleasure (?) of interviewing the man, my sympathy immediately goes out to anyone thinking they’ll crack him!

Sean Clark also hosts another of his Horror’s Halloween Hallowed Grounds segments – a tour of the film’s locations – and there’s also the expected trailer and behind-the-scenes photo gallery.

Verdict: As someone who has wanted a BluRay of this movie for so long, I’d have settled for a vanilla release. The fact it’s a new scan and we get a disc of extras makes for a must-buy. Just a shame there’s no sign of that 4K and soundtrack set. 9/10

Nick Joy