Empire of the Dark


Empire of the Dark is a 1991 American fantasy action horror film written, co-produced, directed and edited by Steve Barkett, who also stars in the film. Barkett plays Richard, an ex-police officer who seeks to avenge the apparent death of his former lover, whom he witnessed be ritually sacrificed two decades prior by Satan worshipper Arkham after entering a portal to Hell.

Cast

Animator Jim Danforth appears as one of Satan's henchmen.

Production

Empire of the Dark was shot on 35 mm film.
Barkett described the film to Tulsa World:
It's really very much a Sleeping Beauty story, combined with Bela Lugosi's White Zombie and a lot of other stuff. It's the toughest movie, and the most expensive movie, I've ever made, and it's been a tough sell.

Home media

The film was released on VHS by the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based distributor VCI Home Video in 1997; VCI later re-released the film on DVD and later a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack containing a 4K transfer and extras.