John Carpenter
John Carpenter
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.
Known For Directing
Most Rating 2.4624
Birthday 1948-01-16
Place of Birth Carthage, New York, USA
Also Known As Martin Quatermass, Frank Armitage, John T. Chance, Rip Haight, John Howard Carpenter, ジョン・カーペンター, ジョン・ハワード・カーペンター, 존 카펜터, 约翰·卡朋特,
Halloween
1978

Halloween

The Silence of the Hams
1994

The Silence of the Hams

The Perfect Scary Movie
2005

The Perfect Scary Movie

The History of Metal and Horror
2021

The History of Metal and Horror

Scoring Resident Evil
2002

Scoring Resident Evil

Body Bags
1993

Body Bags

Carpenter on Quatermass
2014

Carpenter on Quatermass

In Search of Darkness: Part III
2022

In Search of Darkness: Part III

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
2009

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

Tales from the Script
2009

Tales from the Script

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
2008

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown

Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
2008

Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX

The Making of 'They Live'
1988

The Making of 'They Live'

Assault on Precinct 13
1976

Assault on Precinct 13

John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies
2004

John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies

Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
2008

Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
2006

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

The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
1998

The Thing: Terror Takes Shape

Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star
2010

Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star

The Original Monster Mash
2011

The Original Monster Mash

Studio 666
2022

Studio 666

Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge
2011

Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge

An Opera of Violence
2003

An Opera of Violence

Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest
2003

Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest

Bloodsucking Cinema
2007

Bloodsucking Cinema

Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?
2003

Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?

Halloween: Unmasked
1999

Halloween: Unmasked

Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
2006

Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon

Monsterland
2009

Monsterland

Stephen King's World of Horror
1986

Stephen King's World of Horror

Christine: Fast and Furious
2004

Christine: Fast and Furious

Christine: Finish Line
2004

Christine: Finish Line

Christine: Ignition
2004

Christine: Ignition

Nightmare Factory
2011

Nightmare Factory

It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned
2016

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

Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
2009

Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock

The Debra Hill Story

The Debra Hill Story

Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo'
2007

Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo'

Working with a Master: John Carpenter
2006

Working with a Master: John Carpenter

Why Horror?
2014

Why Horror?

The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
2012

The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie

Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
2008

Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro

The American Nightmare
2000

The American Nightmare

Halloween in Hollywood
2022

Halloween in Hollywood

Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror
2001

Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror

The Boy Who Could Fly
1986

The Boy Who Could Fly

Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars
2001

Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars

Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur
2017

Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur

Big John
2006

Big John

The Puppet Man
2016

The Puppet Man

Henchman: The Al Leong Story
2018

Henchman: The Al Leong Story

Take One: Fear on Film
1982

Take One: Fear on Film

Fear in the Dark
1991

Fear in the Dark

After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater
1995

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

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
2024

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters

Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
2000

Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre

Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures
2004

Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures

The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
2009

The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style

The Thing Expanded
2026

The Thing Expanded

Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties
2001

Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties

Stephen King's World of Horror
1989

Stephen King's World of Horror

In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
2008

In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy

Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
2017

Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions

Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'
2000

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

Horror Cafe
1990

Horror Cafe

Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story
2006

Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story

First Works
1989

First Works

Jean-Michel Jarre: A Journey into Sound
2015

Jean-Michel Jarre: A Journey into Sound

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror
2006

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror

John Carpenter: Live Retrospective
2018

John Carpenter: Live Retrospective

Masters of Horror
2002

Masters of Horror

Hollywood's Greatest Villains
2005

Hollywood's Greatest Villains

The Thing
1982

The Thing

In Search of Darkness
2019

In Search of Darkness

Dark Star
1974

Dark Star

Village of the Damned
1995

Village of the Damned

Memoirs of an Invisible Man
1992

Memoirs of an Invisible Man

Escape from New York
1981

Escape from New York

Big Trouble in Little China
1986

Big Trouble in Little China

Starman
1984

Starman

They Live
1988

They Live

The Fog
1980

The Fog

John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016
2016

John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016

Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'
2002

Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'

In Search of Tomorrow
2022

In Search of Tomorrow

Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog'
1980

Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog'

1982: Hollywood Summer
2019

1982: Hollywood Summer

The Rise of the Synths
2019

The Rise of the Synths

The Wages of Sin
2003

The Wages of Sin

AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star
2020

AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star

The Making of 'The Thing'
1982

The Making of 'The Thing'

In Search of Darkness: Part II
2020

In Search of Darkness: Part II

Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
2006

Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet

Halloween: The Inside Story
2010

Halloween: The Inside Story

Something to Do with Death
2003

Something to Do with Death

Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film
2000

Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film

Snake Plissken: Man of Honor
2005

Snake Plissken: Man of Honor

The Future of Fear
2011

The Future of Fear

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
1994

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994
2024

In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994

Scary Girl
2011

Scary Girl

Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators
2008

Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators

The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
2020

The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault

Bringing A Legend To Life
1979

Bringing A Legend To Life

Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story

Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story

Return to 'Escape from New York'
2003

Return to 'Escape from New York'

In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999
2025

In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999

I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not
2025

I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not

Carpenter
2026

Carpenter

John Carpenter: Live From Los Angeles - Halloween Night

John Carpenter: Live From Los Angeles - Halloween Night

Unmasking the Horror
1998

Unmasking the Horror