John Carpenter

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Known Credits

113

Gender

Male

Birthday

1948-01-16 (76 years old)

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

John Carpenter

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.

Known For

The Thing
8.1%

The Thing

Jun 25, 1982

Halloween
7.6%

Halloween

Oct 24, 1978

Escape from New York
7.1%

Escape from New York

May 23, 1981

They Live
7.3%

They Live

Nov 4, 1988

The Fog
6.7%

The Fog

Feb 8, 1980

Assault on Precinct 13
7.3%

Assault on Precinct 13

Oct 8, 1976

Starman
6.9%

Starman

Dec 13, 1984

Village of the Damned
6.1%

Village of the Damned

Apr 28, 1995

Dark Star
5.9%

Dark Star

Apr 1, 1974

Body Bags
6.2%

Body Bags

Aug 8, 1993

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Acting

Carpenter on Quatermass as Self
Hollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story
The Reality Trip as self
2023
Amityville: An Origin Story as Self
2022
In Search of Darkness: Part III as Self
2022
Halloween in Hollywood as Self
2022
Charles Band’s Full Moon Freakshow
2022
Studio 666 as Engineer
2022
In Search of Tomorrow as Self - Interviewee
2021
The History of Metal and Horror as Self
2020
In Search of Darkness: Part II as Self
2020
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star as Self
2019
The Movies That Made Us as Self (Archival Footage)
2019
The Rise of the Synths as Narrator (voice)
2019
1982: Hollywood Summer as Self
2019
In Search of Darkness as Self
2019
The Sound of Fear as Self
2019
Journey of the Mask as Self
2019
Back in Haddonfield: Making Halloween as Self
2019
The Original Scream Queen as Self
2019
The Legacy of Halloween as Self
2018
Henchman: The Al Leong Story as Self
2018
John Carpenter: Live Retrospective as Self
2017
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions as Self - Filmmaker
2017
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur as Self
2016
John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016 as Self - Keyboards
2016
It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned as Self
2016
The Puppet Man as The Taxi Driver
2015
Jean-Michel Jarre: The Rise of Electronic Music as Self
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
2015
Track Stories as Self
2014
Why Horror? as Self
2014
The Director's Chair as Self
2014
The Real History of Science Fiction as Self
2012
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie as Self
2011
Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge as Self/Host
2011
Nightmare Factory as Self
2011
The Original Monster Mash as Self
2010
Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star as Himself (voice)
2010
Halloween: The Inside Story as Self
2010
A History of Horror as  Self
2009
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock as Self
2009
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue as Self
2009
Monsterland as Self
2009
Tales from the Script as Self
2009
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style as Self
2008
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX as Self
2008
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy as Self
2008
Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro as Self
2008
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock as Self
2008
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown as Self
2007
Bloodsucking Cinema as Self
2007
Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo' as Self
2006
Big John as Self
2006
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet as Self
2006
Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story as Self
2006
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon as Self
2006
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film as Self
2006
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror as Self
2006
Working with a Master: John Carpenter as Self (archive footage)
2005
Hollywood's Greatest Villains as Self
2005
The Perfect Scary Movie as Self
2005
Snake Plissken: Man of Honor as Self
2004
Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures as Self
2004
100 Scariest Movie Moments as Self
2004
Christine: Ignition as Self
2004
Christine: Fast and Furious as Self
2004
Christine: Finish Line as Self
2004
John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies as Self
2003
The Wages of Sin as Self - Filmmaker
2003
An Opera of Violence as Self - Filmmaker
2003
Something to Do with Death as Self - Filmmaker
2003
Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest as Self
2003
Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer? as Self (voice)
2002
Scoring Resident Evil as Self (archive footage)
2002
Masters of Horror as Self
2002
Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog' as Self
2002
Through the Night with... as Self
2001
Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars as Self
2001
Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties as Self
2001
Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror as Self
2000
Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film as Self
2000
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre as Self
2000
The American Nightmare as Self
2000
Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven' as Self
1999
Halloween: Unmasked as Self
1998
The Thing: Terror Takes Shape as Self
1995
After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater as Self
1995
Village of the Damned as Man at Gas Station Phone
1994
The Silence of the Hams as Trenchcoat Man / Gimp
1993
Body Bags as Coroner
1992
Memoirs of an Invisible Man as Helicopter Pilot
1991
Fear in the Dark as Self
1990
Horror Cafe as Self
1989
First Works as Self
1989
Stephen King's World of Horror as Self
1988
They Live as Voice That Says 'Sleep'
1988
The Making of 'They Live' as Self
1986
The Boy Who Could Fly as The Coupe de Villes
1986
Big Trouble in Little China as Worker in Chinatown (uncredited)
1986
Stephen King's World of Horror as Self
1984
Starman as Man in Helicopter (uncredited)
1982
The Thing as Norwegian (video footage) (uncredited)
1982
The Making of 'The Thing' as Self
1982
Take One: Fear on Film as Self
1981
Escape from New York as Secret Service #2 / Helicopter Pilot / Violin Player
1980
The Fog as Bennett
1980
Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog' as Self
1978
Halloween as Paul (voice) / Michael Myers (uncredited)
1976
Assault on Precinct 13 as Gang Member (uncredited)
1974
Dark Star as Talby Voice
1958
The Rifleman
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Self

Camera

1968
Good Morning, Dan as Camera Operator

Creator

Directing

2023
John Carpenter's Suburban Screams as Director
2010
The Ward as Director
2006
Pro-Life as Director
2005
Cigarette Burns as Director
2005
Masters of Horror as Director
2001
Ghosts of Mars as Director
1998
Vampires as Director
1996
Escape from L.A. as Director
1995
Village of the Damned as Director
1995
In the Mouth of Madness as Director
1993
Body Bags as Director
1992
Memoirs of an Invisible Man as Director
1988
They Live as Director
1987
Prince of Darkness as Director
1986
Big Trouble in Little China as Director
1984
Starman as Director
1983
Christine as Director
1982
The Thing as Director
1981
Escape from New York as Director
1980
The Fog as Director
1979
Elvis as Director
1978
Someone's Watching Me! as Director
1978
Halloween as Director
1976
Assault on Precinct 13 as Director
1974
Dark Star as Director
1969
Captain Voyeur as Director

Production

Blumhouse's The Thing as Executive Producer
Escape from New York as Executive Producer
2023
John Carpenter's Suburban Screams as Executive Producer
2022
Halloween Ends as Executive Producer
2021
Halloween Kills as Executive Producer
2018
Halloween as Executive Producer
2018
Halloween as Producer
2005
The Fog as Producer
2002
Vampires: Los Muertos as Executive Producer
1993
Body Bags as Executive Producer
1986
Black Moon Rising as Executive Producer
1984
The Philadelphia Experiment as Executive Producer
1982
Halloween III: Season of the Witch as Producer
1981
Halloween II as Producer
1974
Dark Star as Producer
1969
Captain Voyeur as Producer

Sound

Death of a Unicorn as Original Music Composer
2023
Halloween: The Boogeyman as Music
2023
John Carpenter's Suburban Screams as Main Title Theme Composer
2022
Halloween Ends as Original Music Composer
2022
Firestarter as Original Music Composer
2022
Studio 666 as Music
2021
Halloween Kills as Music
2018
Halloween as Original Music Composer
2016
The Puppet Man as Music
2002
Vampires: Los Muertos as Music
2001
Ghosts of Mars as Original Music Composer
1998
Vampires as Music
1996
Escape from L.A. as Original Music Composer
1995
Village of the Damned as Original Music Composer
1995
In the Mouth of Madness as Original Music Composer
1993
Body Bags as Original Music Composer
1989
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Main Title Theme Composer
1988
They Live as Original Music Composer
1988
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers as Main Title Theme Composer
1987
Prince of Darkness as Original Music Composer
1986
Big Trouble in Little China as Original Music Composer
1983
Christine as Original Music Composer
1982
Halloween III: Season of the Witch as Original Music Composer
1982
The Thing as Original Music Composer
1981
Halloween II as Original Music Composer
1981
Escape from New York as Original Music Composer
1980
The Fog as Original Music Composer
1978
Halloween as Original Music Composer
1976
Assault on Precinct 13 as Original Music Composer
1974
Dark Star as Original Music Composer
1970
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy as Music

Writing

Escape from New York as Original Film Writer
Untitled "Halloween" Reboot as Characters
2022
Halloween Ends as Characters
2021
Halloween Kills as Characters
2021
Prince of Darkness as Original Film Writer
2018
Halloween as Characters
2013
Halloween: Harvest of Souls, 1985 as Characters
2007
Halloween as Original Film Writer
2005
The Fog as Original Film Writer
2005
Assault on Precinct 13 as Original Film Writer
2002
Halloween: Resurrection as Characters
2001
Ghosts of Mars as Writer
1999
Silent Predators as Teleplay
1998
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later as Characters
1996
Escape from L.A. as Screenplay
1996
Escape from L.A. as Characters
1995
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers as Characters
1991
Blood River as Writer
1990
El Diablo as Writer
1989
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Characters
1988
They Live as Screenplay
1987
Prince of Darkness as Screenplay
1986
Black Moon Rising as Screenplay
1986
Black Moon Rising as Story
1981
Halloween II as Screenplay
1981
Escape from New York as Screenplay
1980
The Fog as Screenplay
1979
Better Late Than Never as Writer
1978
Someone's Watching Me! as Writer
1978
Halloween as Screenplay
1978
Zuma Beach as Writer
1978
Eyes of Laura Mars as Screenplay
1978
Eyes of Laura Mars as Story
1976
Assault on Precinct 13 as Writer
1974
Dark Star as Screenplay
1970
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy as Writer
1969
Captain Voyeur as Writer
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