Top 10 John Carpenter Films
John Carpenter is one of the most interesting/influential filmmakers of our time but he is not as commercially popular as the other great filmmakers we have seen but why not?. You can certainly make a case that he has made as much of a positive impact to film as the other greats, He furthered and mastered the horror genre and films on a lower budget but maybe this top 10 list can explain.
10. Ghost Of Mars (2001)
A group of police officers in the future on mars are ordered to pick up a prisoner but when they get there they discover the colony has been taken over by demon like species and now they have to team up with the prisoner to fight for survival. Considered by many to be Carpenter’s worst film I strongly disagree with that statement. Yes the rock themed score and constant flashbacks that do not advance the story and killing Pam Grier off are a problem but other than that I believe this is an interesting experiment which has not been done since Prince Of Darkness from Carpenter. Originally supposed to be another installment in the Escape/Snake Plisken world but that was eventually scrapped but Ghost Of Mars certainly isn’t a bad back up option and is not just a top 10 Carpenter film but also he most underrated.
9. Prince Of Darkness (1987)
A group of scientists students are brought to a old church to experiment a canister of a green liquid which could be Satan’s spirit. I mentioned that Ghost Of Mars was Carpenter’s most experimental film after Prince Of Darkness, this is a very interesting concept which is summed up with Carpenter’s ability of mood around his films. Prince Of Darkness certainly takes a while to get going but when it does it’s Carpenter near his best with great practical effects and as I mentioned the mood/atmosphere that gets you sucked in, It is also great to see Donald Pleasance in another Carpenter film.
8. Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)
A group of individuals at a police station on the last night before it is closing down get caught in an attack from street gang members. Assault On Precinct 13 is Carpenter’s 2nd feature film with a low budget of $100,000 and the start of his iconic run from 1976 to 1988. With that low budget Carpenter put on a low budget masterclass. Assault On Precinct 13 should be a simple story and has no right to be as good as it turned out but the tension of the score which you will see me mentioning a few more times at least in this top 10 and most importantly the simplicity of the characters. There are parts of the film where its the attack on the Precinct then a break for the characters to get to know each other better but quickly then the Precinct gets attacked again. It isn’t Carpenter’s best low budget showing but it is certainly a fantastic showing.
7. In The Mouth Of Madness (1994)
Sam Neil plays an insurance investigator who has been asked to find a disappearing best selling author Sutter Kane but on the journey Kane’s mystery inside his books start to get to society and Sam Neil himself. Carpenter’s films post his great 76 to 88 run have mainly mixed reviews such as Ghost Of Mars and Escape From LA but In The Mouth Of Madness most people would agree that this is his best film post 1988. It is again another simple story of how fiction can affect people’s minds as you see Sam Neil’s character slowly unfolding into the world/mindset that Sutter Kanes books have affected his other readers.
6. They Live (1988)
Roddy Piper is a lone wonderer with nothing in life but he discovers a pair of sunglasses showing the world of what it really is, a corrupt mess and he has to fight to free humanity. Similar to Prince Of Darkness it takes a while to get going as it really shows Roddy Piper’s Character as someone who has no meaning in his life until he finds that pair of sunglasses. Another film with great effects and a western influence with the score Roddy Piper is not a natural actor but is perfectly cast in They Live. Carpenter’s main message with this film was the time in America under Reagans reign.
5. The Fog (1980)
The people of San Antonio Bay are getting ready to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of The Bay but no one knows that 100 years ago people died during the making of town and now the ghosts are appearing from the sea and through The Fog to get revenge. The Fog is the perfect example of a “simple” horror film. It is a film carried again by Carpenter’s ability to drive the mood through the screen and the character’s easy to understand and cleverly written. During the film it cuts to 4 different duos respective which all end up being tied in with each other by the end. Initially Carpenter wasn’t impressed with his efforts after this was filmed and wished he re did certain scenes but I’m very glad he didn’t as this his one of his best and it was Jamie Lee Curtis breakout not the other Carpenter film she was involved in.
4. Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
Truck Driver Jack Burton played by the great/underrated Kurt Russell gets dragged into the underworld in chinatown where has to battle a sorcerer Lo Pan while helping well trying to help his friend get back his girlfriend who Lo Pan has kidnapped and has planned to marry. Big Trouble is definitely Carpenter’s fastest paced film but was a big flop and to be honest I’m not sure why I think people might of expected a different film but the film we got no one is complaining now. It has everything, action, likeable and funny characters from Dennis Dun to Kim Catrall and it is maybe Kurt Russell’s best performance (other than Death Proof of course). The secret ingredient is that Kurt Russell is really the sidekick but has the confidence even tho he has done absolutely nothing until the end of the film. A lot of fans have wanted a sequel but I think the reviews and the film being a big flop have stopped that from happening which is for the best as I don’t feel like we need a sequel.
3. Halloween (1978)
15 years after he brutally murdered his older sister, Michael Myers has escaped and has returned to Haddonfield to kill!. If I have to show what a perfect piece of filmmaking is Halloween 1978 is definitely up there. Carpenter’s film before Assault On Precinct 13 only had a $100,000 budget as I’ve mentioned but Halloween only had a $300,000 and it is not only Carpenter’s biggest hit (by far) it is also one of greatest horror films ever made and a masterpiece of filmmaking. I’ve mentioned that Carpenter’s best ability is the atmosphere with the music to make you feel scared not getting scared from unnecessary jump scenes you see in other horror films. Halloween and Michael Myers have taken a bit of the hit over the years with all the Medicore/bad sequels other than 4 of course but if you watch Carpenter’s original as a standalone it is one of the best horror films ever made and the Michael Myers character is the most intimidating villains you will ever see.
2. Escape From New York (1981)
Snake Plisken(Kurt Russell) is a former war hero now arrested and sentenced to a life sentence but the President has been taken by the gangs of new york which has been turned into a prison, Snake has to find the President within 24 hours and he will be pardon if he fails he is dead. Escape From New York is the first biggish budget Carpenter had gotten and also the first collaboration between him and Kurt Russell. What makes this film so fun is the unanswerable question’s during Snakes mission. Why do they all keep thinking he’s dead? What did Snake do to get into prison? How do Snake and Brain know each other? Aswell as the effects and setting of New York as a prison is really well done especially as they found a burnt down bit of land in ST Louis to do the majority of the filming. Escape From New York was Kurt Russell’s breakout from a Disney star to a film star in Hollywood as he is very much a Clint Eastwood type of character in this which makes sense as the reason Carpenter got into filmmaker in the first place was to make westerns but unfortunately he never did one but with certain characters like Russell and Lee Van Cleef in Escape From New York and his music especially in They Live and Vampires you can definitely see the Western influence. James Cameron also worked on the special effects which is another reason why the effects are so impressive.
- The Thing
A group of researchers take in a dog which has been chased by a duo of Norwegians but unaware that the dog can imitate other life forms the research team try to fight off The Thing but can they trust each other in the process?. The Thing like Big Trouble In Little China was a big flop and critics disliked it when it came out as they compared it to ET which was a massive blockbuster of course. Over the years The Thing has come around and the majority of horror fans including myself would argue this is the one of the greatest horror films ever for me it is the greatest. The second of the Carpenter and Russell pairing with a group of a strong cast including Keith David who was also a big part of They Live. The Thing is a masterclass in atmosphere with the non Carpenter score surprising but he allowed the great Erno Morricone to score which is simple but as affective as a score you will ever get. But equally as impressive as the score is the practical effects which still hold up as one of the best today. The Thing is definitely my favourite horror film, One of the greatest films ever made and most people would agree that it is John Carpenter’s best film.
John Carpenter certainly had has an amazing career which still is technically not over even tho the last film he did was The Ward in 2010 and before that it was Ghost Of Mars in 2001. If Carpenter decided not to do any more films I would perfectly fine with that as it seems like he lost the passion and the studios gave up on him after the 80s but there is no question the impact that John Carpenter has had on the film industry including that iconic 76 to 88 run which is one of the best runs you will see also including Escape From New York and The Thing back to back which is nuts.
My profile on Letterboxd for anyone interested https://boxd.it/3lgSj
