John Carpenter

John Carpenter

Biography: 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.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: January 16, 1948

Deathday: N/A

Popularity:

21.65

Known For

Halloween
Halloween

1978-10-24

The Silence of the Hams
The Silence of the Hams

1994-03-11

The Perfect Scary Movie
The Perfect Scary Movie

2005-10-29

The History of Metal and Horror
The History of Metal and Horror

2021-09-17

Scoring Resident Evil
Scoring Resident Evil

2002-11-15

Body Bags
Body Bags

1993-08-08

Carpenter on Quatermass
Carpenter on Quatermass

In Search of Darkness: Part III
In Search of Darkness: Part III

2022-11-25

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

2009-08-06

Tales from the Script
Tales from the Script

2009-01-10

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown

2008-07-24

Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX

2008-10-07

The Making of 'They Live'
The Making of 'They Live'

1988-01-01

Assault on Precinct 13
Assault on Precinct 13

1976-10-08

John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies
John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies

2004-03-23

Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock

2008-10-07

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film

2006-10-13

The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
The Thing: Terror Takes Shape

1998-09-08

Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star
Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star

2010-10-26

The Original Monster Mash
The Original Monster Mash

2011-10-08

Studio 666
Studio 666

2022-02-24

Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge
Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge

2011-10-31

An Opera of Violence
An Opera of Violence

2003-11-18

Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest
Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest

2003-08-05

Bloodsucking Cinema
Bloodsucking Cinema

2007-10-26

Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?
Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?

2003-03-07

Halloween: Unmasked
Halloween: Unmasked

1999-09-13

Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon

2006-11-14

Monsterland
Monsterland

2009-03-29

Stephen King's World of Horror
Stephen King's World of Horror

1986-01-01

Christine: Fast and Furious
Christine: Fast and Furious

2004-09-28

Christine: Finish Line
Christine: Finish Line

2004-09-28

Christine: Ignition
Christine: Ignition

2004-09-28

Nightmare Factory
Nightmare Factory

2011-10-27

It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned
It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned

2016-04-12

Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock

2009-11-24

Hollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story
Hollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story

Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo'
Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo'

2007-01-01

Working with a Master: John Carpenter
Working with a Master: John Carpenter

2006-03-28

Why Horror?
Why Horror?

2014-10-03

The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie

2012-11-06

Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro

2008-10-07

The American Nightmare
The American Nightmare

2000-09-11

Halloween in Hollywood
Halloween in Hollywood

2022-10-01

Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror
Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror

2001-04-15

The Reality Trip
The Reality Trip

The Boy Who Could Fly
The Boy Who Could Fly

1986-08-15

Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars
Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars

2001-12-04

Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur

2017-05-12

Big John
Big John

2006-12-11

The Puppet Man
The Puppet Man

2016-01-22

Henchman: The Al Leong Story
Henchman: The Al Leong Story

2018-12-15

Take One: Fear on Film
Take One: Fear on Film

1982-01-01

Fear in the Dark
Fear in the Dark

1991-10-29

After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater
After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater

1995-09-29

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters

2024-10-31

Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre

2000-10-01

Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures
Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures

2004-10-30

The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style

2009-11-03

The Thing Expanded
The Thing Expanded

Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties
Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties

2001-09-04

Stephen King's World of Horror
Stephen King's World of Horror

1989-01-01

In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy

2008-10-07

Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions

2017-08-06

Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'
Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'

2000-05-13

Horror Cafe
Horror Cafe

1990-04-11

Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story
Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story

2006-11-14

First Works
First Works

1989-10-10

Jean-Michel Jarre: The Rise of Electronic Music
Jean-Michel Jarre: The Rise of Electronic Music

2015-09-19

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror

2006-07-26

John Carpenter: Live Retrospective
John Carpenter: Live Retrospective

2018-10-31

Masters of Horror
Masters of Horror

2002-11-06

Hollywood's Greatest Villains
Hollywood's Greatest Villains

2005-12-01

The Thing
The Thing

1982-06-25

In Search of Darkness
In Search of Darkness

2019-05-01

Dark Star
Dark Star

1975-01-15

Village of the Damned
Village of the Damned

1995-04-28

Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Memoirs of an Invisible Man

1992-02-28

Escape from New York
Escape from New York

1981-05-23

Big Trouble in Little China
Big Trouble in Little China

1986-05-30

Starman
Starman

1984-12-13

They Live
They Live

1988-11-04

The Fog
The Fog

1980-02-07

John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016
John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016

2016-06-02

Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'
Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'

2002-08-27

In Search of Tomorrow
In Search of Tomorrow

2022-02-19

Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog'
Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog'

1980-01-01

1982: Hollywood Summer
1982: Hollywood Summer

2019-09-06

The Rise of the Synths
The Rise of the Synths

2019-11-15

The Wages of Sin
The Wages of Sin

2003-11-18

AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star

2020-07-14

The Making of 'The Thing'
The Making of 'The Thing'

1982-06-09

In Search of Darkness: Part II
In Search of Darkness: Part II

2020-10-06

Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet

2006-11-14

Halloween: The Inside Story
Halloween: The Inside Story

2010-10-25

Something to Do with Death
Something to Do with Death

2003-11-18

Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film
Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film

2000-10-28

Snake Plissken: Man of Honor
Snake Plissken: Man of Honor

2005-06-06

Biography: 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper
Biography: 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper

2021-04-25

The Future of Fear
The Future of Fear

2011-11-25

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

1994-05-22

In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994
In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994

2024-11-24

Scary Girl
Scary Girl

2011-10-31