John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated withhorror,action, andscience fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is generally recognized as a master of the horror genre.[1] At the2019 Cannes Film Festival, the French Directors' Guild gave him the Golden Coach Award and lauded him as "a creative genius of raw, fantastic, and spectacular emotions".[2][3] On April 3, 2025, he received astar on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[4]
Carpenter began making short horror films with an8 mm camera before he had even started high school.[14] Just before he turned 14 in 1962, he made a few major short films:Godzilla vs. Gorgo, featuringGodzilla andGorgo viaclaymation, and the sci-fi westernTerror from Space, starring the one-eyed creature fromIt Came from Outer Space.[15] He graduated from College High School, then enrolled at Western Kentucky University for two years as an English major and History minor.[10] With a desire to study filmmaking, which no university in Kentucky offered at the time, he moved to California upon transferring to theUSC School of Cinematic Arts in 1968. He would ultimately drop out of school in his final semester in order to make his first feature film.[16]
In a beginning film course atUSC Cinema during 1969, Carpenter wrote and directed an eight-minute short film,Captain Voyeur. The film was rediscovered in the USC archives in 2011 and proved interesting because it revealed elements that would appear in his later film,Halloween (1978).[17]
Carpenter's first major film as director,Dark Star (1974), was a science-fiction comedy that he co-wrote withDan O'Bannon (who later went on to writeAlien, borrowing freely from much ofDark Star). The film reportedly cost only $60,000 and was difficult to make as both Carpenter and O'Bannon completed the film by multitasking, with Carpenter doing the musical score as well as the writing, producing, and directing, while O'Bannon acted in the film and did the special effects (which caught the attention ofGeorge Lucas who hired him to work with the special effects for the filmStar Wars). Carpenter received praise for his ability to make low-budget films.[19]
Carpenter's next film wasAssault on Precinct 13 (1976), a low-budget thriller influenced by the films ofHoward Hawks, particularlyRio Bravo. As withDark Star, Carpenter was responsible for many aspects of the film's creation. He not only wrote, directed, and scored it, but also edited the film using the pseudonym "John T. Chance" (the name ofJohn Wayne's character inRio Bravo). Carpenter has said that he considersAssault on Precinct 13 to have been his first real film because it was the first film that he filmed on a schedule.[20] The film was the first time Carpenter worked withDebra Hill, who would collaborate with Carpenter on some of his most well-known films.
Carpenter assembled a main cast that consisted of experienced but relatively obscure actors. The two main actors wereAustin Stoker, who had appeared previously in science fiction, disaster, andblaxploitation films, andDarwin Joston, who had worked primarily for television and had once been Carpenter's next-door neighbor.[21]
The film received a critical reassessment in the United States, where it is now generally regarded as one of the bestexploitation films of the 1970s.[22]
Carpenter both wrote and directed the Lauren Hutton thrillerSomeone's Watching Me!. This television film is the tale of a single, working woman who, soon after arriving in L.A., discovers that she is beingstalked.
Halloween (1978) was a commercial success and helped develop theslasher genre. Originally an idea suggested by producerIrwin Yablans (titledThe Babysitter Murders), who thought of a film about babysitters being menaced by a stalker, Carpenter took the idea and another suggestion from Yablans that it occur during Halloween and developed a story.[23] Carpenter said of the basic concept: "Halloween night. It has never been the theme in a film. My idea was to do an old haunted house film."[24]
Film directorBob Clark suggested in an interview released in 2005[25] that Carpenter had asked him for his own ideas for a sequel to his 1974 filmBlack Christmas (written by Roy Moore) that featured an unseen and motiveless killer murdering students in a university sorority house. As also stated in the 2009 documentaryClarkworld (written and directed by Clark's former production designer Deren Abram after Clark's tragic death in 2007), Carpenter directly asked Clark about his thoughts on developing the anonymous slasher in Black Christmas:
...I did a film about three years later, started a film with John Carpenter, it was his first film for Warner Bros. (which picked up 'Black Christmas'), he asked me if I was ever gonna do a sequel, and I said no. I was through with horror, I didn't come into the business to do just horror. He said, "Well, what would you do if you did do a sequel?" I said it would be the next year, and the guy would have actually been caught, escape from a mental institution, go back to the house, and they would start all over again. And I would call it 'Halloween'. The truth is John didn't copy 'Black Christmas', he wrote a script, directed the script, did the casting. 'Halloween' is his movie, and besides, the script came to him already titled anyway. He liked 'Black Christmas' and may have been influenced by it, but John Carpenter did not copy the idea. Fifteen other people had thought to do a movie called 'Halloween,' but the script came to John with that title on it.
The film was written by Carpenter and Debra Hill with Carpenter stating that the music was inspired by bothDario Argento'sSuspiria (which also influenced the film's slightly surreal color scheme) andWilliam Friedkin'sThe Exorcist.[24]
Carpenter again worked with a relatively small budget, $300,000.[26] The budget was so small the actors provided their own costumes.[27] The film grossed more than $65 million initially, making it one of the most successfulindependent films of all time.[28]
Carpenter has describedHalloween as "true crass exploitation. I decided to make a film I would love to have seen as a kid, full of cheap tricks like a haunted house at a fair where you walk down the corridor and things jump out at you".[29] The film has often been cited[by whom?] as anallegory on the virtue of sexual purity and the danger of casual sex, although Carpenter has explained that this was not his intent: "It has been suggested that I was making some kind of moral statement. Believe me, I'm not. InHalloween, I viewed the characters as simply normal teenagers."[23]
In addition to the film's critical and commercial success, Carpenter's self-composed "Halloween Theme" became recognizable apart from the film.[30]
In 1979, Carpenter began what was to be the first of several collaborations with actorKurt Russell when he directed the television filmElvis.
Carpenter followed up the success ofHalloween withThe Fog (1980), a ghostly revenge tale (co-written by Hill) inspired by horror comics such asTales from the Crypt[31] and byThe Crawling Eye, a 1958 film about monsters hiding in clouds.[32]
CompletingThe Fog was an unusually difficult process for Carpenter. After viewing a rough cut of the film, he was dissatisfied with the result. For the only time in his filmmaking career, Carpenter had to devise a way to salvage a nearly finished film that did not meet his standards. In order to make the film more coherent and frightening, Carpenter filmed additional footage that included new scenes.[citation needed]
Despite production problems and mostly negative critical reception,The Fog was another commercial success for Carpenter. The film was made on a budget of $1,000,000,[33] but it grossed over $21,000,000 in the United States alone. Carpenter has said thatThe Fog is not his favorite film, although he considers it a "minor horror classic".[32]
The Thing is a graphic, sinisterhorror film;[35] in a 1999 interview, Carpenter said audiences rejected it for its nihilistic, depressing viewpoint at a time when the United States was in the midst ofa recession.[36] When it opened, it was competing against the critically and commercially successfulE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ($619million), a family-friendly film released two weeks earlier that offered a more optimistic take on alien visitation.[37][38][39]
The impact on Carpenter was immediate – he lost the job of directing the 1984 science fiction horror filmFirestarter because ofThe Thing's poor performance.[40] His previous success had gained him a multiple-film contract at Universal, but the studio opted to buy him out of it instead.[41] He continued making films afterward but lost confidence, and did not openly talk aboutThe Thing's failure until a 1985 interview withStarlog, where he said, "I was called 'a pornographer of violence'... I had no idea it would be received that way...The Thing was just too strong for that time. I knew it was going to be strong, but I didn't think it would be too strong... I didn't take the public's taste into consideration."[42]
WhileThe Thing was not initially successful, it was able to find new audiences and appreciation onhome video, and later on television.[43]
In the years following its release, critics and fans have reevaluatedThe Thing as a milestone of the horror genre.[44] A prescient review byPeter Nicholls in 1992, calledThe Thing "a black, memorable film [that] may yet be seen as a classic".[45] It has been called one of the best films directed by Carpenter.[46][47][48]John Kenneth Muir called it "Carpenter's most accomplished and underrated directorial effort",[49] and criticMatt Zoller Seitz said it "is one of the greatest and most elegantly constructed B-movies ever made".[50]Trace Thurman described it as one of the best films ever,[51] and in 2008,Empire magazine selected it as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time,[52] at number 289, calling it "a peerless masterpiece of relentless suspense, retina-wrecking visual excess and outright, nihilistic terror".[53] It is now considered to be one of the greatest horror films ever made.[49][54]
Carpenter's next film,Christine, was the 1983 adaptation of the Stephen Kingnovel of the same name. The story concerns a high-school nerd named Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) who buys a junked 1958Plymouth Fury which turns out to have supernatural powers. As Cunningham restores and rebuilds the car, he becomes unnaturally obsessed with it, with deadly consequences.Christine did respectable business upon its release and was received well by critics. He said he directed it because it was the only thing offered to him at the time.[55]
After the commercial disappointment of action–comedyBig Trouble in Little China (1986), Carpenter struggled to secure high-profile film offers and resumed making lower budget films such asPrince of Darkness (1987). Some of these films, includingThey Live (1988), later developed cult followings, but Carpenter did not regain the same level of mainstream industry attention.[59]
Carpenter's 1990s films, includingMemoirs of an Invisible Man (1992) andVillage of the Damned (1995), did not achieve the same initial commercial success of his earlier work. Carpenter madeBody Bags, a television horror anthology film in collaboration withTobe Hooper andIn the Mouth of Madness (1995), aLovecraftian homage that was not successful commercially or with critics,[60] but now has a cult following.[61]Escape from L.A. (1996), the sequel of the cult classicEscape from New York, received mixed reviews but has also gained a cult following since its release.[62][63]Vampires (1998) featuredJames Woods as the leader of a band of vampire hunters in league with the Catholic Church.[citation needed]
In 2001, his filmGhosts of Mars was released but was not successful. During 2005, there were remakes ofAssault on Precinct 13 andThe Fog, the latter being produced by Carpenter himself, though in an interview he defined his involvement as, "I come in and say hello to everybody. Go home."[citation needed]
Carpenter served as director for a 2005 episode ofShowtime'sMasters of Horror television series, one of the 13 filmmakers involved in the first season. His episode, "Cigarette Burns", received generally positive reviews from critics and praise from Carpenter's fans. He later directed another original episode for the show's second season in 2006 titled "Pro-Life".[citation needed]
2010s:The Ward, focus on music and return toHalloween
The Ward, Carpenter's first film sinceGhosts of Mars, premiered atToronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2010, before a limited release in the United States in July 2011. It received generally poor reviews from critics and grossed only $5.3 million worldwide against an estimated $10 million budget. As of 2025, it is the most recent film he directed.[citation needed]
Carpenter narrated the video gameF.E.A.R. 3, while also consulting on its storyline.[65] On October 10, 2010, Carpenter received the Lifetime Award from the Freak Show Horror Film Festival.[66]
Carpenter returned, as executive producer, co-composer, and creative consultant, on the 11th entry of theHalloween film series, titledHalloween, released in October 2018. The film is a direct sequel to Carpenter's original film, breaking the continuity of earlier sequels. It was his first direct involvement with the franchise since 1982'sHalloween III: Season of the Witch.[71]
2020s:Halloween sequels,Toxic Commando,Suburban Screams, and Hollywood Walk of Fame
In October 2023, he directed an episode of thePeacock streaming seriesSuburban Screams while also composing the series theme music and serving as an executive producer.[76][77]
Carpenter's films are characterized by minimalist lighting and photography,panoramic shots, use ofsteadicam, and scores he usually composes himself.[80] With a few exceptions,[a] he has scored all of his films (some of which he co-scored), most famously the themes fromHalloween andAssault on Precinct 13. His music is generally synthesized with accompaniment from piano and atmospherics.[81]
Carpenter is known for his widescreen shot compositions and is an outspoken proponent ofPanavisionanamorphic cinematography. With some exceptions,[b] all of his films were shot in Panavision anamorphic format with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, generally favoring wider focal lengths.The Ward was filmed inSuper 35, the first time Carpenter has ever used that system. He has stated that he feels the35 mm Panavision anamorphic format is "the best movie system there is" and prefers it to bothdigital and3D.[82]
In a 2016 interview, Carpenter stated that it was his father's work as a music teacher that first sparked an interest in him to make music.[83] This interest was to play a major role in his later career: he composed the music to most of his films, and the soundtrack to many of those became "cult" items for record collectors. A 21st-Century revival of his music is due in no small amount to the Death Waltz record company, which reissued several of his soundtracks, includingEscape from New York,Halloween II,Halloween III: Season of the Witch,Assault on Precinct 13,They Live,Prince of Darkness, andThe Fog.[84]
Carpenter was an early adopter ofsynthesizers, since his film debutDark Star, when he used anEMS VCS3 synth. His soundtracks went on to influence electronic artists who followed,[85][86] but Carpenter himself admitted he had no particular interest in synthesizers other than that they provided a means to "sound big with just a keyboard". For many years he worked in partnership with musicianAlan Howarth, who would realize his vision by working on the more technical aspects of recording, allowing Carpenter to focus on writing the music.[83]
The renewed interest in John Carpenter's music thanks to the Death Waltz reissues andLost Themes albums prompted him to, for the first time ever, tour as a musician.[87] As of 2016[update], Carpenter was more focused on his music career than filmmaking, although he was involved in 2018'sHalloween reboot, and its sequels.[88]
Carpenter narrates the documentary filmThe Rise of the Synths, which explores the origins and growth of thesynthwave genre, and features numerous interviews with synthwave artists who cite him and other electronic pioneers such asVangelis,Giorgio Moroder andTangerine Dream as significant influences.[89][90] The retro-1980ssynthwave bandGunship are featured in the film; Carpenter narrated the opening to their track entitled "Tech Noir".[91]
Carpenter is featured on the track "Destructive Field" on his godsonDaniel Davies' albumSignals, released February 28, 2020.[92]
His third solo albumLost Themes III: Alive After Death was launched on February 2, 2021. A new (digital) single was released on October 27, 2020, titledWeeping Ghost, followed in December 2020 by another new track from the forthcoming album, titledThe Dead Walk.[93] Two tracks that also appear on the album,Skeleton andUnclear Spirit, were released in July 2020. On the album, Carpenter collaborated again with his son Cody and his godson Daniel Davies.[94][95] In August 2023, a fifth collaboration with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies was announced for Sacred Bones Records, titledAnthology II: Movie Themes 1976–1988, and was released on October 6, 2023.[96]
A fourthLost Themes album was announced in March 2024, subtitled "Noir". It was again recorded in collaboration with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies. It was released on May 3 on Sacred Bones Records. The album was preceded by the single and official video "My Name is Death".[97][98][99]
Carpenter met actressAdrienne Barbeau on the set of his television filmSomeone's Watching Me! (1978). They married on January 1, 1979, and divorced in 1984. During their marriage, she appeared in his filmsThe Fog andEscape from New York.[100] They have one son,Cody Carpenter (born May 7, 1984), who became a musician and composer. Cody's godfather is English-American musicianDaniel Davies, whose own godfather is Carpenter.[101]
Carpenter married film producerSandy King in 1990. She produced his filmsIn the Mouth of Madness,Village of the Damned,Vampires, andGhosts of Mars. She was earlier thescript supervisor forStarman,Big Trouble in Little China,Prince of Darkness, andThey Live, as well as an associate producer of the latter.[102] She co-created (withThomas Ian Griffith)[103] the comic book seriesAsylum, with which Carpenter is involved.[104]
Carpenter has called his political views "inconsistent" and has said that he is against authority figures while also in favor ofbig government, admitting that this set of views "doesn't make any sense". When asked if he considered himself alibertarian-liberal, he simply responded "kinda".[111] He has been an outspoken critic ofDonald Trump and has blamed modern problems in the United States on unrestrainedcapitalism.[112]
Carpenter holds acommercial pilot's license and flies helicopters. He has included helicopters in his films, many of which feature him in a cameo role as a pilot.[citation needed]
Carpenter is the subject of the documentary filmJohn Carpenter: The Man and His Movies, andAmerican Cinematheque's 2002 retrospective of his films. Moreover, during 2006, the United States Library of Congress deemedHalloween to be "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in theNational Film Registry.[113]
Hans Zimmer cited Carpenter as an influence on his compositions.[171] The 2016 filmThe Void is considered by many critics and fans to be heavily influenced by several of Carpenter's films.[172]
^Kleber, John E., ed. (1992). "Carpenter, John Howard".The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors:Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter.Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0-8131-1772-0.
^Q & A session with John Carpenter and Austin Stoker at American Cinematheque's 2002 John Carpenter retrospective, in theAssault on Precinct 13 2003 special edition DVD.
^Production Gallery (included in the 2003 special edition Region 1 DVD ofAssault on Precinct 13). 2003.
^Marshall, Neil (Director) (2008).Doomsday (Unrated DVD).Universal Pictures.Feature commentary with director Neil Marshall and cast members Sean Pertwee, Darren Morfitt, Rick Warden and Les Simpson.
Bauer, Erik (January 1999)."John Carpenter on The Thing".creativescreenwriting.Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. RetrievedJanuary 27, 2018.
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