John Carpenter
An American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction. Most films in Carpenter's career were initially commercial and critical failures, with the notable exceptions of Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), and Starman (1984). However, many of Carpenter's films from the 1970s and the 1980s have come to be viewed as cult classics, and he has been acknowledged as an influential filmmaker. Cult classics that Carpenter directed include: Dark Star (1974), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Thing (1982), Christine (1983), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Prince of Darkness (1987), They Live (1988) and In the Mouth of Madness (1995). His films are characterized by minimalist lighting and photography, static cameras, use of steadicam, and distinctive synthesized scores. Carpenter is also notable for having composed or co-composed most of the music of his films; some of them are now considered cult as well, with the main theme of Halloween being considered a part of popular culture. His music is generally synthesized with accompaniment from piano and atmospherics. He released his first studio album Lost Themes in 2015, and also won a Saturn Award for Best Music for Vampires (1998). Carpenter is an outspoken proponent of widescreen filming, and all of his theatrical movies (with the exception of Dark Star and The Ward) were filmed anamorphic with a 2.35:1 or greater aspect ratio. The Ward was shot in Super 35, the first time Carpenter has ever used that system. Carpenter has stated he feels that the 35mm Panavision anamorphic format is "the best movie system there is", preferring it over both digital and 3D film. Many of Carpenter's films have been re-released on DVD as special editions with numerous bonus features. Carpenter has been the subject of the documentary film John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies, and American Cinematheque's 2002 retrospective of his films. Moreover, in 2006, the United States Library of Congress deemed Halloween to be "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 2010, writer and actor Mark Gatiss interviewed Carpenter about his career and films for his BBC documentary series A History of Horror. Carpenter appears in all three episodes of the series. He was also interviewed by Robert Rodriguez for his The Director's Chair series on El Rey Network. Many filmmakers have been influenced by Carpenter, including James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight was heavily influenced by The Thing), Guillermo del Toro, Robert Rodriguez, Edgar Wright, Danny Boyle, Nicolas Winding Refn, Bong Joon-ho, among others. The video game Dead Space 3 is said to be influenced by Carpenter's The Thing, The Fog and Halloween, and Carpenter has stated that he would be enthusiastic to adapt that series into a feature film.
Born: 16 January 1948
Played In
Carpenter
Self (archive footage)
The Thing Expanded
Self
In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999
Self
I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not
Self (archive footage)
John Carpenter: Live From Los Angeles - Halloween Night
Self
In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994
Self
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
Self
John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A.
Self
Amityville: An Origin Story
Self
In Search of Darkness: Part III
Self
Halloween in Hollywood
Self
Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow
Studio 666
Engineer
In Search of Tomorrow
Self - Interviewee
The History of Metal and Horror
Self
In Search of Darkness: Part II
Self
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star
Self
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
(archive footage)
The Movies That Made Us
Self (Archival Footage)
The Rise of the Synths
Narrator (voice)
1982: Hollywood Summer
Self
In Search of Darkness
Self
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
Self
John Carpenter: Live Retrospective
Self
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
Self - Filmmaker
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur
Self
John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016
Self - Keyboards
It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned
Self
The Puppet Man
The Taxi Driver
Jean-Michel Jarre: A Journey into Sound
Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
Track Stories
Self
Carpenter on Quatermass
Self
Why Horror?
Self
The Director's Chair
Self
The Real History of Science Fiction
Self
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
Self
The Future of Fear
Self
Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge
Self/Host
Scary Girl
Nightmare Factory
Self
The Original Monster Mash
Self
Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star
Himself (voice)
Halloween: The Inside Story
Self
A History of Horror
Self
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
Self
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
Self
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
Self
Monsterland
Self
Tales from the Script
Self
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
Self
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
Self
Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
Self
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
Self
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators
Self
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
Self
Bloodsucking Cinema
Self
Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo'
Self
Big John
Self
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
Self
Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story
Self
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
Self
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
Self
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror
Self
Working with a Master: John Carpenter
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood's Greatest Villains
Self
The Perfect Scary Movie
Self
Snake Plissken: Man of Honor
Self
Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures
Self
100 Scariest Movie Moments
Self
Christine: Fast and Furious
Self
Christine: Ignition
Self
Christine: Finish Line
Self
John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies
Self
Return to 'Escape from New York'
Himself
An Opera of Violence
Self - Filmmaker
The Wages of Sin
Self - Filmmaker
Something to Do with Death
Self - Filmmaker
Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest
Self
Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?
Self (voice)
Scoring "Resident Evil"
Self (archive footage)
Masters of Horror
Self
Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'
Self
Through the Night with...
Self
Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars
Self
Scoring 'Ghosts of Mars'
Self
Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties
Self
Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror
Self
Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film
Self
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
Self
The American Nightmare
Self
Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'
Self
Halloween: Unmasked
Self
The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
Self
Unmasking the Horror
100 Years of Horror
Self - Interview
After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater
Self
Village of the Damned
Man at Gas Station Phone
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Self
The Silence of the Hams
Trenchcoat Man / Gimp
Body Bags
Coroner
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Helicopter Pilot
Fear in the Dark
Self
Horror Cafe
Self
First Works
Self
Stephen King's World of Horror
Self
They Live
Voice That Says 'Sleep' (voice) (uncredited)
The Making of 'They Live'
Self
Crossbow
The Boy Who Could Fly
The Coupe de Villes
Big Trouble in Little China
Worker in Chinatown (uncredited)
Stephen King's World of Horror
Self
Starman
Man in Helicopter (uncredited)
The Thing
Norwegian (video footage) (uncredited)
The Making of 'The Thing'
Self
Take One: Fear on Film
Self
Escape from New York
Secret Service #2 / Helicopter Pilot / Violin Player
The Fog
Bennett
Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog'
Self
Bringing A Legend To Life
Himself
Halloween
Paul (voice) / Michael Myers (uncredited)
Assault on Precinct 13
Gang Member (uncredited)
Dark Star
Talby Voice
The Rifleman
The Debra Hill Story
Self
Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story
Self