The John Carpenter Appreciation Thread

[LMP]

Other than George Romero and the early horror directors, has there been a more influential horror director in film? Check out this selected filmography and try not to drool on yourself:

'76 - Assault on Precinct 13
'78 - Halloween
'80 - The Fog
'81 - Escape from New York
'82 - The Thing
'84 - Starman
'86 - Big Trouble in Little China
'88 - They Live

Sure he's done more, but those are fucking fun movies, plus he revived Kurt Russell's career from lame Di$ney child star to badass B-movie leading man. That's gotta count for something. Lo Pan agrees.

 

[Lancemc]

Not the biggest fan in the world, but he's delivers some classic, iconic films that we won't soon forget.

 

[LMP]

The Thing is probably my favorite horror movie of all-time. It takes its time to develop, then goes completely crazy in the last half.

The Blood Test scene is classic.

Hopefully Carpenter will make one last great film before his career ends.

 

[elevation2u]

did he do Into the Mouth of Madness?
that was so fucking terrible it was hysterical

Escape from New York is quite cheesy but it's entertaining as hell, it's the only movie of his that I own.

 

[LMP]

Yes, he did do that one.

 

[BonosBaby12]

Halloween is my favorite Sheer genius work on that film!

The Fog was good for it's time

 

[lazarus]

My favorite has long been Prince of Darkness, which received mixed reviews when it came out in 1987, right before They Live but after Big Trouble. It's one of those religious horror films, which tend to creep me out.

Almost the whole film takes place over one long night in a locked-up church, and it has the usual Carpenter atmosphere. There's a bit of The Thing in there, with different characters "taken over" by the antagonist (which in this film is a pretty heavy hitter--the title role).

There's a lot in here about faith, and the tug of war between science and religion. Parts of it are hokey and some of the acting subpar, but great ideas abound, and of course Carpenter's brilliant widescreen compositions as usual. He also does a neat thing using video (or some lower film stock) to create some shared dream sequences that areone of the creepier things I've ever seen.

AMAZING ending, too.

I understand the dislike for In the Mouth of Madness, but I thought it had a lot of great scenes. To me it's the last Carpenter film that was at least directed like someone who knew what he was doing.

As for all the earlier films, what more can I say? The guy is a towering figure in genre filmmaking, and I don't know that any other American director's 1980's filmography is as consistent. And while they are all clearly from the same creative mind, they're all unique films. Lemon, you also forgot 1983's Christine, which is one of the better Stephen King adaptations.

 

[LMP]

I've seen bits of Prince of Darkness, but not the whole thing, same with Christine. I've been meaning to check those out. Perhaps after my Hitchcock-athon.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Big Trouble In Little China is a masterpiece...

Kurt Russel should have won an Oscar for that role...

 

[LMP]

I made a reference to the blood test scene in The Thing today in school and no one got it.

Fucking dunces.