John Carpenter
Directing • Born 1948-01-16
Biography
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.
Filmography
124 credits
Halloween
Movie • 1978
Paul (voice) / Michael Myers (uncredited)
The Silence of the Hams
Movie • 1994
Trenchcoat Man / Gimp
The Perfect Scary Movie
Movie • 2005
Self
The History of Metal and Horror
Movie • 2021
Self
Scoring Resident Evil
Movie • 2002
Self (archive footage)
Body Bags
Movie • 1993
Coroner
Carpenter on Quatermass
Movie • 2014
Self
In Search of Darkness: Part III
Movie • 2022
Self
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
Movie • 2009
Self
Tales from the Script
Movie • 2009
Self
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
Movie • 2008
Self
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
Movie • 2008
Self
The Making of 'They Live'
Movie • 1988
Self
Assault on Precinct 13
Movie • 1976
Gang Member (uncredited)
John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies
Movie • 2004
Self
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
Movie • 2008
Self
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
Movie • 2006
Self
The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
Movie • 1998
Self
Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star
Movie • 2010
Himself (voice)
The Original Monster Mash
Movie • 2011
Self
Studio 666
Movie • 2022
Engineer
Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge
Movie • 2011
Self/Host
An Opera of Violence
Movie • 2003
Self - Filmmaker
Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest
Movie • 2003
Self
Bloodsucking Cinema
Movie • 2007
Self
Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?
Movie • 2003
Self (voice)
Halloween: Unmasked
Movie • 1999
Self
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
Movie • 2006
Self
Monsterland
Movie • 2009
Self
Stephen King's World of Horror
Movie • 1986
Self
Christine: Fast and Furious
Movie • 2004
Self
Christine: Ignition
Movie • 2004
Self
Christine: Finish Line
Movie • 2004
Self
Nightmare Factory
Movie • 2011
Self
It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned
Movie • 2016
Self
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
Movie • 2009
Self
The Debra Hill Story
Movie
Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo'
Movie • 2007
Self
Working with a Master: John Carpenter
Movie • 2006
Self (archive footage)
Why Horror?
Movie • 2014
Self
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
Movie • 2012
Self
Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
Movie • 2008
Self
The American Nightmare
Movie • 2000
Self
Halloween in Hollywood
Movie • 2022
Self
Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror
Movie • 2001
Self
The Boy Who Could Fly
Movie • 1986
The Coupe de Villes
Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars
Movie • 2001
Self
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur
Movie • 2017
Self
Big John
Movie • 2006
Self
The Puppet Man
Movie • 2016
The Taxi Driver
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
Movie • 2018
Self
Take One: Fear on Film
Movie • 1982
Self
Fear in the Dark
Movie • 1991
Self
After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater
Movie • 1995
Self
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
Movie • 2024
Self
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
Movie • 2000
Self
Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures
Movie • 2004
Self
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
Movie • 2009
Self
The Thing Expanded
Movie • 2026
Self
Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties
Movie • 2001
Self
Stephen King's World of Horror
Movie • 1989
Self
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
Movie • 2008
Self
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
Movie • 2017
Self - Filmmaker
Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'
Movie • 2000
Self
Horror Cafe
Movie • 1990
Self
Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story
Movie • 2006
Self
First Works
Movie • 1989
Self
Jean-Michel Jarre: A Journey into Sound
Movie • 2015
Self
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror
Movie • 2006
Self
John Carpenter: Live Retrospective
Movie • 2018
Self
Masters of Horror
Movie • 2002
Self
Hollywood's Greatest Villains
Movie • 2005
Self
The Thing
Movie • 1982
Norwegian (video footage) (uncredited)
In Search of Darkness
Movie • 2019
Self
They Live
Movie • 1988
Voice That Says 'Sleep' (voice) (uncredited)
Starman
Movie • 1984
Man in Helicopter (uncredited)
Escape from New York
Movie • 1981
Secret Service #2 / Helicopter Pilot / Violin Player
Big Trouble in Little China
Movie • 1986
Worker in Chinatown (uncredited)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Movie • 1992
Helicopter Pilot
Dark Star
Movie • 1974
Talby Voice
The Fog
Movie • 1980
Bennett
Village of the Damned
Movie • 1995
Man at Gas Station Phone
John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016
Movie • 2016
Self - Keyboards
Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'
Movie • 2002
Self
In Search of Tomorrow
Movie • 2022
Self - Interviewee
Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog'
Movie • 1980
Self
1982: Hollywood Summer
Movie • 2019
Self
The Rise of the Synths
Movie • 2019
Narrator (voice)
The Wages of Sin
Movie • 2003
Self - Filmmaker
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star
Movie • 2020
Self
The Making of 'The Thing'
Movie • 1982
Self
In Search of Darkness: Part II
Movie • 2020
Self
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
Movie • 2006
Self
Halloween: The Inside Story
Movie • 2010
Self
Something to Do with Death
Movie • 2003
Self - Filmmaker
Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film
Movie • 2000
Self
Snake Plissken: Man of Honor
Movie • 2005
Self
The Future of Fear
Movie • 2011
Self
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Movie • 1994
Self
In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994
Movie • 2024
Self
Scary Girl
Movie • 2011
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators
Movie • 2008
Self
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
Movie • 2020
(archive footage)
Bringing A Legend To Life
Movie • 1979
Himself
Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story
Movie
Self
Return to 'Escape from New York'
Movie • 2003
Himself
In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999
Movie • 2025
Self
I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not
Movie • 2025
Self (archive footage)
Carpenter
Movie • 2026
Self (archive footage)
John Carpenter: Live From Los Angeles - Halloween Night
Movie
Self
The Director's Chair
TV • 2014
Self
The Rifleman
TV • 1958
Through the Night with...
TV • 2002
Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self - Guest
A History of Horror
TV • 2010
Self
100 Scariest Movie Moments
TV • 2004
Self
Amityville: An Origin Story
TV • 2023
Self
The Movies That Made Us
TV • 2019
Self (Archival Footage)
Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow
TV • 2022
John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A.
TV • 2024
Self
The Real History of Science Fiction
TV • 2014
Self
Track Stories
TV • 2015
Self
100 Years of Horror
TV • 1996
Self - Interview
Crossbow
TV • 1987