Hosted by the Catholic Studies Unit and Religion and Popular Culture Unit
When Satan wakes up in the basement of a Catholic church, Catholic theologians and quantum physicists must team up to prevent the apocalypse! John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (1987) is a cult Catholic supernatural horror classic: campy, cerebral, and, surprising as it may sound, timely. The second entry in Carpenter’s renowned “apocalypse trilogy” is set in the ruinous landscape of Reagan-era Los Angeles and poses a question facing our field today: When endings arrive, are our institutions adequate to the task? Following the film screening, the co-authors of Body & Blood: Catholic Horror in America (NYU Press, 2026) will lead a discussion situating the film in the longer history of Catholic horror in America.