John Carpenter
Highest Rated: 96% Halloween (1978)
Lowest Rated: 4% The Fog (2005)
Birthday: Jan 16, 1948
Birthplace: Carthage, New York, USA
For most of his life, John Carpenter had been directing films. Surrounded by artistic influences ever since he was young - his father was an accomplished violinist and his mother routinely took him to movies - Carpenter naturally made the transition from childhood experimenter, to film student, to finally, professional director. Unexpected, however, was his making one the most important horror films ever in "Halloween" (1978), a chilling tale of a serial killer terrorizing a small town that was shot for a mere $300,000 and became one of the most profitable films of all time. Without stars, special effects or visible gore - there was nary a drop of blood on screen - "Halloween" launched Carpenter's career, while spawning untold numbers of imitators, no less than six direct sequels, and one (awful) remake. Though he went on to direct other seminal films - "Escape from New York" (1981), "Christine" (1983) and "Big Trouble In Little China" (1986) - Carpenter was forever remembered for creating a new horror subgenre - the slasher flick - that has often been imitated, but never duplicated.
Photos
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
40% | 57% | Halloween Ends | Executive Producer | $64.0M | 2022 |
39% | 66% | Halloween Kills |
Executive Producer, Original Music |
$92.0M | 2021 |
79% | 72% | Halloween |
Executive Producer, Original Music |
$159.5M | 2018 |
33% | 26% | The Ward | Director | - | 2010 |
No Score Yet | 83% | Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown | Unknown (Character) | - | 2008 |
No Score Yet | 38% | Bloodsucking Cinema | Unknown (Character) | - | 2007 |
No Score Yet | 74% | Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film | Self | - | 2006 |
4% | 19% | The Fog |
Writer, Producer |
$29.5M | 2005 |
60% | 48% | Assault on Precinct 13 | Writer | $19.9M | 2005 |
20% | 38% | John Carpenter's Vampires: Los Muertos | Executive Producer | - | 2002 |
10% | 25% | Halloween: Resurrection | Writer | $30.3M | 2002 |
23% | 25% | John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars |
Director, Writer, Original Music |
$8.4M | 2001 |
67% | 74% | American Nightmare | Self | - | 2000 |
55% | 49% | Halloween H20: 20 Years Later |
Writer, Original Music |
$55.0M | 1998 |
43% | 47% | John Carpenter's Vampires |
Director, Original Music |
$20.2M | 1998 |
54% | 39% | John Carpenter's Escape From L.A. |
Director, Writer, Original Music |
$25.5M | 1996 |
30% | 27% | Village of the Damned |
Director, Original Music |
$8.6M | 1995 |
8% | 36% | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers | Original Music | $14.7M | 1995 |
59% | 73% | In the Mouth of Madness |
Director, Original Music |
$8.9M | 1995 |
67% | 39% | Body Bags | Director | - | 1993 |
26% | 32% | Memoirs of an Invisible Man | Director | $13.4M | 1992 |
39% | 53% | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | Original Music | $17.9M | 1988 |
86% | 80% | They Live |
Director, Screenwriter, Original Music |
$12.3M | 1988 |
62% | 61% | Prince of Darkness |
Director, Screenwriter |
$12.9M | 1987 |
74% | 82% | Big Trouble in Little China |
Director, Original Music |
$11.0M | 1986 |
86% | 70% | Starman | Director | - | 1984 |
70% | 64% | Christine |
Director, Original Music |
- | 1983 |
84% | 92% | The Thing | Director | - | 1982 |
50% | 28% | Halloween III: Season of the Witch |
Producer, Original Music |
- | 1982 |
33% | 63% | Halloween II |
Screenwriter, Producer, Original Music |
- | 1981 |
88% | 77% | Escape From New York |
Director, Screenwriter, Music |
- | 1981 |
75% | 65% | The Fog |
Director, Writer, Original Music |
$69.5K | 1980 |
60% | 65% | Elvis | Director | - | 1979 |
86% | 43% | Someone's Watching Me! | Director | - | 1978 |
96% | 89% | Halloween |
Director, Writer, Producer, Original Music, Non-Original Music |
$47.5M | 1978 |
96% | 80% | Assault on Precinct 13 |
Director, Screenwriter |
- | 1976 |
74% | 65% | Dark Star |
Director, Writer, Producer, Original Music |
- | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Last Foxtrot in Burbank | Film Editing | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet | 50% | Resurrection of Broncho Billy | Writer | - | 1970 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | 48% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Guest | 2023 |
18% | No Score Yet | John Carpenter's Suburban Screams | Director | 2023 |
63% | 85% | Masters of Horror | Director | 2005-2006 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Guest | 2001 |