Prince of Darkness (1987) (John Carpenter's)

Though mostly thought of as a horror film, this was John Carpenter's science fiction explanation for God and the Devil.  Donald Pleasence stars as a priest who invites a scientific team consisting of a professor (Victor Wong) and his college students to investigate a very strange object in the basement of an abandoned L.A. church. The object is a large clear cylinder containing a swirling green liquid. To make a long story short, this liquid is Satan - not what we generally think of as Satan but an other-dimensional being which is the offspring of the even more powerful Anti-God. Wild, eh? The conflict in the story is that Satan plans to guide his all-powerful father to Earth, via mirrors, which serve as inter-dimensional transport. The liquid infects several members of the team, turning them into zombie-like servants who naturally will kill the other team members.

Much of this is horrific, but there are also intriguing hypothesis on the nature of the universe and the possibility that transmissions from the future are trying to warn the besieged survivors of what is to come, and  that they must somehow prevent the entry of the Anti-God into our dimension. Students are played by Jameson Parker, Lisa Blount, Dennis Dun and Dirk Blocker, among others. Peter Jason, Carpenter's stand-by actor, also plays an older researcher. Famed rock star Alice Cooper has a small role as the leader of a gang of demonic vagrants who besiege the church. It's scary and unsettling, but also intriguing. BoG's Score: 7.5 out of 10