10.0
10.0
Fear in the Dark
1991
as Self
John Carpenter
Also known as: John Howard Carpenter, John Chance, John T. Chance...
Directing
Born:January 16, 1948(age 78)
Birthplace:Carthage, New York, USA
Nationality:United States
Height:5'11" (180 cm)
Education:University of Southern California, USC School of Cinematic Arts, Western Kentucky University
N/A
CommunityBiography
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.
Notable Works
HalloweenThe FogThe ThingEscape from New YorkChristineThey LiveIn the Mouth of MadnessVampiresBig Trouble in Little ChinaPrince of Darkness
Filmography (131 movies)
10.0
10.0
John Carpenter: Live Retrospective
2018
as Self
10.0
10.0
Hollywood's Greatest Villains
2005
as Self
9.5
9.5
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
2018
as Self
8.7
8.7
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
2024
as Self
8.5
8.5
Horror Cafe
1990
as Self
8.1
8.1
The Thing
1982
Director
8.0
8.0
Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest
2003
as Self
8.0
8.0
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star
2020
as Self
8.0
8.0
Stephen King's World of Horror
1989
as Self
8.0
8.0
Jean-Michel Jarre: A Journey into Sound
2015
as Self
7.8
7.8
Christine: Finish Line
2004
as Self
7.8
7.8
Christine: Fast and Furious
2004
as Self
7.8
7.8
Big John
2006
as Self
7.7
7.7
Masters of Horror
2002
as Self
7.7
7.7
In Search of Darkness: Part II
2020
as Self
7.6
7.6
In Search of Darkness
2019
as Self
7.6
7.6
Christine: Ignition
2004
as Self
7.6
7.6
The Rise of the Synths
2019
as Narrator (voice)
7.6
7.6
Halloween
1978
Director
7.5
7.5
Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story
2006
as Self
7.5
7.5
The Perfect Scary Movie
2005
as Self
7.5
7.5
In Search of Darkness: Part III
2022
as Self
7.4
7.4
The Wages of Sin
2003
as Self - Filmmaker
7.4
7.4
The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
1998
as Self
7.3
7.3
Cigarette Burns
2005
Director
7.3
7.3
The Making of 'The Thing'
1982
as Self
7.3
7.3
Halloween: The Inside Story
2010
as Self
7.3
7.3
Nightmare Factory
2011
as Self
7.3
7.3
They Live
1988
Screenplay
7.3
7.3
Assault on Precinct 13
1976
Director
7.3
7.3
In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994
2024
as Self
7.2
7.2
Big Trouble in Little China
1986
Director
7.2
7.2
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
2008
as Self
7.2
7.2
In the Mouth of Madness
1995
Director
7.1
7.1
Escape from New York
1981
Screenplay
7.0
7.0
Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
2008
as Self
7.0
7.0
Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars
2001
as Self
7.0
7.0
Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?
2003
as Self (voice)
7.0
7.0
The Puppet Man
2016
as The Taxi Driver
7.0
7.0
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
2006
as Self
7.0
7.0
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
2008
as Self
7.0
7.0
Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures
2004
as Self
7.0
7.0
Take One: Fear on Film
1982
as Self
6.9
6.9
Starman
1984
Director
6.9
6.9
Christine
1983
Director
6.8
6.8
The American Nightmare
2000
as Self
6.8
6.8
Elvis
1979
Director
6.8
6.8
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror
2006
as Self
6.8
6.8
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
2009
as Self
6.8
6.8
Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'
2000
as Self
6.8
6.8
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
2006
as Self
6.8
6.8
Prince of Darkness
1987
Screenplay
6.7
6.7
The Fog
1980
Director
6.6
6.6
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
2008
as Self
6.6
6.6
Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror
2001
as Self
6.6
6.6
Halloween II
1981
Screenplay
6.6
6.6
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
2009
as Self
6.6
6.6
Halloween
2018
Executive Producer
6.5
6.5
Tales from the Script
2009
as Self
6.5
6.5
In Search of Tomorrow
2022
as Self - Interviewee
6.5
6.5
Monsterland
2009
as Self
6.4
6.4
Halloween Kills
2021
Executive Producer
6.3
6.3
Vampires
1998
Director
6.3
6.3
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy
1970
Writer
6.3
6.3
Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge
2011
as Self/Host
6.2
6.2
Someone's Watching Me!
1978
Director
6.1
6.1
Body Bags
1993
Executive Producer
6.1
6.1
Village of the Damned
1995
Director
6.1
6.1
The Philadelphia Experiment
1984
Executive Producer
6.1
6.1
Halloween Ends
2022
Executive Producer
6.0
6.0
Working with a Master: John Carpenter
2006
as Self (archive footage)
6.0
6.0
An Opera of Violence
2003
as Self - Filmmaker
6.0
6.0
1982: Hollywood Summer
2019
as Self
6.0
6.0
Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film
2000
as Self
6.0
6.0
Dark Star
1974
Screenplay
6.0
6.0
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
2017
as Self - Filmmaker
6.0
6.0
Scary Girl
2011
6.0
6.0
Something to Do with Death
2003
as Self - Filmmaker
5.9
5.9
Why Horror?
2014
as Self
5.9
5.9
Stephen King's World of Horror
1986
as Self
5.9
5.9
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
2000
as Self
5.9
5.9
Escape from L.A.
1996
Director
5.9
5.9
Studio 666
2022
as Engineer
5.9
5.9
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
1992
Director
5.8
5.8
Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'
2002
as Self
5.8
5.8
Eyes of Laura Mars
1978
Screenplay
5.8
5.8
The Ward
2010
Director
5.6
5.6
Halloween: Unmasked
1999
as Self
5.6
5.6
El Diablo
1990
Writer
5.5
5.5
Pro-Life
2006
Director
5.5
5.5
Black Moon Rising
1986
Screenplay
5.5
5.5
John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies
2004
as Self
5.3
5.3
Vampires: Los Muertos
2002
Executive Producer
5.2
5.2
After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater
1995
as Self
5.2
5.2
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
1982
Producer
5.2
5.2
Ghosts of Mars
2001
Director
5.2
5.2
Captain Voyeur
1969
Producer
5.0
5.0
Bloodsucking Cinema
2007
as Self
5.0
5.0
The History of Metal and Horror
2021
as Self
4.9
4.9
The Silence of the Hams
1994
as Trenchcoat Man / Gimp
4.8
4.8
Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog'
1980
as Self
4.6
4.6
Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star
2010
as Himself (voice)
4.6
4.6
The Fog
2005
Producer
4.5
4.5
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
2006
as Self
4.5
4.5
Zuma Beach
1978
Writer
4.4
4.4
Scoring Resident Evil
2002
as Self (archive footage)
3.8
3.8
Blood River
1991
Writer
The Thing Expanded
TBA
as Self
Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties
2001
as Self
First Works
1989
as Self
It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned
2016
as Self
John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016
2016
as Self - Keyboards
Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo'
2007
as Self
The Future of Fear
2011
as Self
Carpenter on Quatermass
2014
as Self
Snake Plissken: Man of Honor
2005
as Self
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
2009
as Self
The Original Monster Mash
2011
as Self
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
2008
as Self
Halloween in Hollywood
2022
as Self
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur
2017
as Self
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators
2008
as Self
The Making of 'They Live'
1988
as Self
The Debra Hill Story
TBA
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
2012
as Self
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
1994
as Self
Bringing A Legend To Life
1979
as Himself
Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story
TBA
as Self
Carpenter
2026
as Self (archive footage)
Better Late Than Never
1979
Writer
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