Hey there, horror fans.
After my abysmal lack of posting last week (sorry!) this week I’m back with another Director Spotlight. So grab the popcorn, sit back and let the terror unfold…
Born in 1948, John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor and composer. He developed a taste for low budget horror films early on and started filming horror shorts before he’d even started high school. He later attended the University of Southern California where he had his first taste of success with a short student film, Captain Voyeur.
With a back catalogue of work spanning most genres, Carpenter is most well known for his work on horror films and the most notable of these is Halloween (1978).
Over the years, he’s managed to make his name synonymous with the horror genre (possibly helped by him putting his name in front of each of his film titles). With his minimalist lighting and use of steadicam, his influence can be seen in many modern horror films. For example, The Purge takes plot inspiration from Escape From New York, with director James DeMonaco even stating that he plotted the sequel (The Purge: Anarchy) while listening to music from the film The Thing.
Most Notable Films
Halloween (1978)
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Tony Moran
Plot: After murdering his sister as at the age of 6, Michael Myers has been institutionalised for almost 15yrs. The night before Halloween, 1963, and he breaks out, heading for the only place he remembers – Home.
The Fog (1980)
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau, Janet Leigh
Plot: A small fishing town, built 100yrs ago on the site of an ancient leper colony, becomes engulfed in a killer fog. But it’s what’s in the fog that’s the problem.. Ghost Pirates! Sorry.. it’s ghost pirates!
(Note: Kudos for casting JLC again. She was quite the Scream Queen back in the day. I also like that Nancy Loomis pops up in this film as well. Also – I LOVE GHOST PIRATES!)
The Thing (1982)
Cast: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David
Plot: Scientists based in the Antarctic are interrupted by seemingly mad Norwegians. After a dog is killed, an alien life-form is unleashed that has the ability to take over other bodies.. and there’s no way of knowing who’s already been taken over..
(Note: Make sure to check out Kurt Russell’s awesome hat.)
Christine (1983)
Cast: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul
Plot: Arnie has fallen in love – with a car. As he busies himself with restoring “Christine”, his friends notice that the car isn’t the only thing changing and the results could be deadly.
(Note: This film isn’t great but gets included because it’s based on the book of the same name, written by my favourite author)
John Carpenters Vampires (1998)
Cast: James Woods, Daniel Baldwin, Sheryl Lee, Thomas Ian Griffiths
Plot: A vampire slayer is tasked with retrieving an ancient catholic relic, which has the power to make vampires survive in sunlight. He’s not the only one looking for it though. Can they find the relic before the vampires do?
(Note: I do not like James Woods. There, I said it.)
What’s your favourite John Carpenter film? Let me know in the comments.
Later xx
(All film images taken from IMDB)
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