A true legend. By far my favorite film maker of all time. At least once a month I have to have a Carpenter marathon. Whether it’s a Horror marathon, or an Action marathon, I have to get my Carpenter fix. Master of the DIY philosophy, John rocks many hats, and surrounds himself with a loyal crew creating insanely unique films as well as paying hommage to classics he grew up watching. Impossible for me to look back on my childhood and not think about the films I grew up watching. John’s films play a major role in my childhood.
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 was my introduction to Carpenter. It’s uncommon that I start with the first films they did, but in this case that was our first handshake. This was around the time HBO was new. For all you old school cats, remember when you use to get the HBO guide in the mail? Had the list of all the movies they were showing that month, with cool pics of the highlighted ones. Well…Assault was one of the highlighted ones. As a kid I wasn’t into the beginning slow pace of the film (which now are my favorite types of films). Once Frank Doubleday shoots poor little pigtail Kim Richards, my mouth dropped and I was in. From then on it was non stop, and til this day is in my top 10 favorite films of all time.
I will get to Halloween later. Honestly, I hadn’t seen the original until I was almost in High School. Growing up in the 80’s, I caught all the sequels before I even saw the original.
THE FOG was the next one I caught. Again, brought to me by HBO. My intro to this film were clips shown on a documentary called Terror in the Aisles. Not really big on supernatural films (and still aren’t), I fell in love with this film. The way it was filmed, the locations, and of course the score. John could do a movie about a guy sitting in a chair for 2 hours. But his score would still creep me out. This was also the first music score soundtrack I ever bought. I listened to it so much my mother was beginning to worry. Hehe.
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK: By this time I was a Carpenter fan. Just watched it again yesterday and it never loses it’s edge. I always called Carpenter the Led Zeppelin of movies. You never knew what the next movie was gonna be like. But you know it will be your new favorite movie. A lot darker than it’s credited for. If a remake is ever made today, I’m sure the new cynical movie style today would just make this a depressing experience. Carpenter is the master of taking a grim story in a grim environment and making it into an adrenaline roller coaster ride. He makes it fun to watch.
THE THING: Being too young to see it in theaters, I was completely captivated by the poster. The poster told me that this was gonna be the scariest movie that year. When I was a kid, I had an incredible imagination. If I hadn’t seen the movie yet, I would go out into the front yard with toy guns and create my own movie based off the poster. Of course, when I finally saw the film I was way off. Even today, this movie blows me away, and appears to have a second life with the retro crowd. Just recently saw it at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento, Ca I’m still shocked this movie didn’t do as well as it should’ve. But then again, in 1982 E.T. was released, and was pretty much the THRILLER of movies, destroying the competition.
CHRISTINE: I’m a huge fan of Stephen King. It’s rare that a director can adapt a Stephen King novel and make it they’re own. Along with Carpenter, Cronenberg, De Palma, and Kubrick are the only ones that have managed to pull it off. Christine is an under rated film. It’s not just about a killer car (which sounds cheesy as hell), but the real story is about a mentally isolated teen rebelling against everyone that’s trying to keep him down. The only support and love he feels is with his car. Carpenter rocked this, and I consider it to be a true classic.
STARMAN: I love Starman. Not his most popular film, I consider this a way more human story than his previous films. Already having the same opinions about people that the movie displays, I could relate to it, and still watch this movie when I want to mix it up.
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA: The first Carpenter film I saw in theaters. What’s not to love about this film. Many Carpenter films usually have some sort of social commentary mixed with it without being preachy. This was just a balls to the walls good time. Throwing everything at us and the kitchen sink. Watch this once a month, I still crack up over the same lines, and still get excited over the same scenes I did when I was a kid. Unlike Hollywood today, John makes movies fun. Period.
THEY LIVE: Saw this in theaters as well. This was my favorite film that year, and is still one of my favorites. At that time, I was a huge wrestling fan, and was excited to see Roddy Piper in this. Something you don’t see in movies these days is the build up. Taking the time to develop the main characters, and allowing us into their world before the shit hits the fan. John does this in every movie incredibly well. This was a true statement on the 80’s culture and how shallow and blind we’ve all become. That something worth doing is worth overdoing. Sometimes a youngster will ask me what the 80’s were like. I always tell them to watch THEY LIVE. That pretty much sums it up.
HALLOWEEN: I grew up on the sequels. I hated the sequels. As a result, I was completely turned off by watching the original. Based off the weak franchise, I didn’t get the Halloween appeal. Finally, around 89 I decided to watch it. It made me angry. The sequels completely destroyed a masterpiece. I held out for so long because the sequels were so weak. This was the first to teach me that less is more. Up to this point, I saw a lot of blood and guts films. John showed me that the right villain just following teenagers around can be 20 times more scary, if done right. And of course, the score. Not to devalue the film itself, but the score is about 70% of the film. Without the score, I’m sure the movie wouldn’t have worked. As much as I love this film, I can only watch it once a year. Halloween night of course.
PRINCE OF DARKNESS: Another HBO experience. This movie doesn’t get nearly enough credit. Being a metal head, I was already hooked knowing Alice Cooper was in it. Dude..he impales a guy with a bike. What more do you need? It took a few viewings for me to really understand the film. Now it gets monthly rotations in my home (be sure to pick up the Scream Factory blu-ray. Great extras).
IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS: No bullshit. This is a horror masterpiece. A true horror film. Shows images you can’t unsee. Not unlike Jacob’s Ladder, it takes the concept of reality, and fucks it up to the point where it can make a well rounded person insane. By far, one of John’s best films. I was working at Tower Records at the time, and scored the screener (a promotional copy before VHS release). Even with the obnoxious writing across the screen, it still scared the shit out of me. I had room mates walk by the TV in passing, and got scared off this. That’s the best compliment I can give.
GHOSTS OF MARS: Not my favorite film. Took a little while to grow on me. The acting just didn’t impress me. All the actors talked the same, and acted the same. Noone stuck out, and none of the characters had any individual qualities. After a few viewings, GHOSTS has become more fun to watch, and I just rock it Thrill ride style now.
VAMPIRES: Not a huge vampire fan. After NEAR DARK I believed noone could top that. I guess if anyone could change it up, it would be Carpenter. Love this movie. Kind of like the western of vampire films. Great casting, great story, and one hell of a thrill ride. Next to Near Dark, this is my favorite vampire film.
My attraction and obsession to John’s films is that they’re honest. He’s not trying to keep up with trends. He’s telling the stories he wants to tell. No matter what’s going on in movies at that time, he’ll throw something out there and it always sticks out. So I’m sure the question is: why did you write about him when this is dedicated to the talent that doesn’t get enough credit? Because he doesn’t get enough credit. To Horror fans, he’s fucking Steven Spielberg. To the common movie goer, he’s a stranger. I work around a lot of youngsters, and most of them don’t know who he is. But they’ve heard of his movies. Hopefully time will tell. He needs to be included with Hitchcock, Hawks, Coppola, Scorsese, etc. He’s that important to movies. Without him, the 80’s would’ve been way different, and I doubt I would love movies the way I love them today. He also gives the best interviews. Check out: Nightmares in Red, White and Blue, Going to Pieces, Director’s Chair (with Robert Rodriguez). He’s incredibly humble, and has lot to say about the country, society and the human race. Shows us that his movies are a lot deeper than he gets credited for.
Can’t thank you enough John. Without you, I wouldn’t be the fan I am today.
– G.R.E.E.N.B.A.N.K.
MORBID MOVIE MEMOIRS: VHS GENERATION 