Focus on Directors - John Carpenter

Rodney Petrie

Rodney Petrie

John Carpenter has made a career making genre films that have spanned decades from the 1970s to present day, with quite a few that have gone on to have a cult classic status associated with them. From the hit horror film Halloween to the psychological science fiction horror film The Thing to the action filled Escape from New York to the martial arts action fantasy adventure comedy Big Trouble in Little China and in my personal opinion one of his 1990s efforts, probably the best of that decade - In the Mouth of Madness.

There are many more films in John Carpenter's filmography that I consider to be awesome movies - Prince of Darkness, the film adaptation of Stephen King's Christine, Assault on Precinct 13, the cheesy but still cool Escape from LA, The Fog and They Live.

Many of his films were ahead of their time and so didn't make a huge impact at the box office at the time of release but became classics years down the line.

He has crafted his own scores for a lot of his films that are really effective, especially in his earlier movies.

What are some of the films directed by John Carpenter that you really enjoy?
 
So you want to talk about John Carpenter, as opposed to trumpeting the merits of other directors we admire?

I'm a fan of John Carpenter anyway, albeit, it's unfortunate that I'm unable to list any recent films which I've seen or been a fan of (Ghosts of Mars slipped right under my radar and The Ward simply didn't interest me, despite his name being on it and the gorgeous Amber Heard in the leading role).
That said, here are my personal favourites:

They Live
Simply one of the best independent productions of all time, it has the tongue-in-cheek edge which is very much a part of my own personality, that I hope to infuse in each of my films.

The Thing
Awesome. Would you like some more superlatives?

Assault on Precinct 13
Totally kick-arse without ever being completely absurd, this had cult status written all over from conception. It could so easily have been a steaming pile of turd, an unnerving show of violence, a disposable "pop corn" flick, or even a The Warriors wannabe, to hurt his name, but instead, delivered.
Damn, I even enjoyed the REMAKE - how many films can users here say that about?
 
This particular thread is to talk about John Carpenter's films as well as thoughts about him as a director, his directing style, themes and other things related to the filmmaker - but I will be creating more threads like this every so often that focus on a particular director ;)

The films In The Mouth of Madness, Vampires and Ghosts of Mars are completely different to one another but if I were to choose out of those three I would choose In the Mouth of Madness as the best. It was the final film in his apocalypse trilogy (The Thing, Prince and of Darkness being the first two).

I very much enjoyed watching They Live and loved the social themes prevalent in that, which are still really relevant today.

The Thing was such an experience to watch and I remember the first time I saw the film vividly. It instantly became one of my favourite films.

Interesting to note that Ghosts of Mars is basically a remake of Assault on Precinct 13.

What are your thoughts on Big Trouble in Little China? That is without a doubt a major indulgence for me, a film that I can watch on repeat viewings without tiring and always with a smile on my face.
 
I feel that it's one of those that I can love when it's made but doesn't stand up to the test of time.

Given the cult following the man has, I'm surprised that nobody else here has commented... I'll ease off and give them all a chance.
 
In The Mouth of Madness (easily my favorite Carpenter, followed by Prince of Darkness) was 1994, so I only disagree on a technicality. But then, he's only directed 5 films since then.

I'm actually not a fan of Halloween, despite being a horror fan...just don't care for straight-up slashers. I won't argue that it wasn't a brilliant and influential film though. Some of his better music too...most of the time, I'm left feeling that his scores might be improved by someone else.
 
First Goddamn week of winter.

Ah, the path of John Carpenter's career. Bit of a sad story to me. I consider "The Thing" to be one of the ten greatest films ever made. I'm not even limiting this statement to horror. For all genres... I'd say "The Thing" is as close to being a perfect film as any. And incidentally, I think horror is actually the most difficult genre for any one film to sustain its appeal. With the exception of Psycho, The Shining and The Exorcist, very few OLD horror films work on a new young audience. But, The Thing, with its stellar acting, excellent story and gorgeous camera work, still succeeds. Aside from the animation of the Blair Monster at the end, I believe the film is flawless.

So here's what's sad to me...

Universal was releasing this movie the same summer as ET. While the majority of America was ready to gush over the heartwarming story of a benevolent Spielberg alien, these same audiences were NOT willing to embrace the story of an EVIL alien. Actually, worse than that factor, Carpenter had just snuck a peak at a secret Universal study that showed horror films had lost their appeal by 70% in the past 6 months. Seventy percent! Panicking, he went to the head of the studio and begged them to change the name of "The Thing" and to delay its release until well after of the ET wave had receded. No such luck. Universal went ahead as scheduled.

And "The Thing" went nowhere. Reviews were dismal. Box office was worse. And Carpenter got fired off his next gig. Talk about depressing! He would eventually force his way back into the studio system... but my friends and I have a theory... that despite his quantity of productions he never really recovered from the summer of '82. I think he KNEW that he had created his opus with The Thing and to have it pissed upon must have torn his heart out.

I know some folks admire the Prince of Darkness. I respect this opinion, but personally I see the Prince of Darkness as extremely poor directorial work in comparison to The Thing. Maybe the concept of the PoD attracts folks, I guess. I dunno. To each his own. I personally don't see Carpenter's work ever having attained the same genius he demonstrate earlier in his career. So sad.

He really blasted open a tremendous mode of expression with Halloween. His understanding of POV shots -- I mean watch as the kid looks down at the knife so the film crew had enough time to bloody up the sister -- is breathtaking. He helped launch an entire genre. Say what you want about slasher flicks, I consider many of them to be extremely visceral. These were films that made audiences feel something. Critics don't lend this genre much respect, but a well crafted horror film can emotionally impact someone far more than the average drama. I mean, sheesh, you go home and you can't sleep! That's art, baby!


Shanked
 
Gonzo_Entertainment said:
I'd be in the group that thinks he did some great work (especially The Thing), but basically hasn't made a good film in 20 years.
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"Cigarette Burns" for the Masters of Horror series was well done. I rather like VAMPIRES and the vastly underrated MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN, both of which I've seen several times. Admittedly, Carpenter's best work was in the 70's and 80's.




Carpenter's music was a huge influence on the non-musician that I was:

Alan Howarth and John Carpenter scoring HALLOWEEN 3.

CarpenterHowarth5.jpg



My setup pictured HERE that would have never existed had it not been for Carpenter.

http://www.midnightsunent.com/OASYSsetup.jpg


JoshL said:
most of the time, I'm left feeling that his scores might be improved by someone else.
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It was the Simplicity and Power of Carpenter's music that drew me, and many others, to it. Having someone else score (as Alan Howarth, Shirley Walker, Ennio Morricone and Cody Carpenter have done) would be missing the mood for a lot of it. Some of the "stingers" and synth beds added to THE THING score are clearly Carpenter.

If you haven't heard the score to ESCAPE FROM LA (awful movie, but fantastic score) you should. Carpenter's themes and Shirley Walker's finesse really come across in the early tracks. The later tracks are more Walker's orchestral style and they aren't the same without the catchy Carpenter synth bass lines.

Here's the revamped theme.

Check out the Submarine music at the 3:00 minute mark.


Few men have influenced the industry as John Carpenter....


1970 - As a USC student, he won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, for THE RESURRECTION OF BRONCO BILLY, which he was co-writer, film editor and music composer.

1974 - Started DARK STAR as a student film and finished it for a theatrical release, after seeing what fellow alum George Lucas did with THX-1138. Budget was $60,000.

1976 - Made ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, which became a commercial/critical European success and pretty much launched his career. A loose remake of RIO BRAVO, Carpenter also edited the film under the pseudonym "John T. Chance" (the name of John Wayne's character in Rio Bravo). Budget was $100,000.

1978 - Made HALLOWEEN for just $320,000. The movie became the highest grossing independent film of all time, until THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT broke that record. What followed was a wave of slasher movies, produced by people looking to cash in on the phenomenon.

1979 - Carpenter revives the career of Disney kid star, Kurt Russell, by casting him in the TV movie, ELVIS. The ratings were so high that networks jumped at producing more movies "in house."

1981 - Carpenter turns the Disney/Elvis kid into the ultimate bad boy - Snake Plisken, in ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. The futuristic tale started yet another wave of movies trying to cash in on ESCAPE's success. The man knows how to start a trend!


While THE THING was not a theatrical hit, it became a huge hit on video. The movie has stood the test of time and remains a minor masterpiece, particularly Rob Bottin's unsurpassed makeup FX.


As stated, THEY LIVE, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, STAR MAN and many others have made for some cool movies.

Carpenter once said that all the remakes of his movies was the closest thing to "getting paid for doing nothing." :lol:
 
Haha, good point, Steve. I should clarify "the same audiences were not willing to embrace what they thought was the story of an evil alien."

I guess the intentions of the creature are not exactly fleshed out in the 1982 version. So its disposition is up for debate. But, for the most part, the movie isn't exactly showing a scene with Kurt Russell and Keith David lip-synching into wooden spoons while they dance with a smiling martian and sing "What a Feeling."

Shanked
 
The Thing, They Live, Big Trouble in Little China, Starman, Christine, The Fog, Escape From New York would be my top favorite Carpenter films. The others are okay to good, too. I haven't seen all of them.

I'm definately a fan and greatful for his films, so I hate to say anything negative about them. I also think it's great that he can score his on films. But, I have to say that more than once, at least thinking that he'd scored this or that one, when his synth score kicked in I found myself groaning (at least figuratively) and thinking, Damn it, why can't you just get someone else to do a proper score for you?

I guess the stand-out score would be the one for The Thing. Looks like Ennio Morricone did that one.

John Carpenter's one of the greats.
 
The soundtrack for Christine is pretty cool. I was driving yesterday and while in the car listened to the score for Halloween - simple but effective score that one.
 
Some time back I was writing movie reviews for a magazine called "Sex and Guts" that Lydia Lunch and Gene Gregorits put out. Wrote a BRUTAL review of of the Vampires movie that had Jon Bon Jovi in it. The only affiliation JC had with it was putting his name above the title (which is one reason I was so harsh).
 
richy said:
I'm definately a fan and greatful for his films, so I hate to say anything negative about them. I also think it's great that he can score his on films. But, I have to say that more than once, at least thinking that he'd scored this or that one, when his synth score kicked in I found myself groaning (at least figuratively) and thinking, Damn it, why can't you just get someone else to do a proper score for you?

I guess the stand-out score would be the one for The Thing. Looks like Ennio Morricone did that one.
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It's true he did have Morricone come up a with a score for The Thing, but he didn't use a lot of it. Moreover, he ended up utilizing some of his own compositions -- the traditional synth style you mentioned. If you listen to a copy of the soundtrack (hard to find, but doable), you'll hear some CRAZY STRANGE music that simply isn't in the movie at all. I mean LOTS of it. And it's really melodic. Was really odd to hear. Didn't fit what I'd come to understand as the essence of The Thing.

Carpenter banged out the score for Halloween in a ridiculously short amount of time. I think that tune, with its visceral tie in to the tempo of a human pulse, is quite effective. However, I do agree with some critics who feel Carpenter uses the "spare" score a little too often in his movies. Too much synth, too often. Yes, I agree.

Shanked
 
For the record, Halloween 3 is the only one I've liked. But, again, not a fan of slashers and the movie is just too weird not to love! Six more days to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!

I also love Carpenter's concept for the Halloween series...unrelated horror films that take place on Halloween. Not Michael Meyers over and over and over and over....
 
I've been listening to Halloween Main theme music since a year after I watched that movie. What's in it? Just a piano, some soft pads, and done... a great expression of cinematic nature of the art.
 
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