Born
16 January 1948 (78)
Place of Birth
Carthage, New York, USA
Also known as
Martin Quatermass, Frank Armitage
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 1...
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.
Carpenter
2026
The Thing Expanded
2026
In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999
2025
I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not
2025
In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994
2024
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
2024
In Search of Darkness: Part III
2022
Halloween in Hollywood
2022
Studio 666
2022
In Search of Tomorrow
2022
The History of Metal and Horror
2021
In Search of Darkness: Part II
2020
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star
2020
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
2020
The Rise of the Synths
2019
1982: Hollywood Summer
2019
In Search of Darkness
2019
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
2018
John Carpenter: Live Retrospective
2018
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
2017
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur
2017
John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016
2016
It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned
2016
The Puppet Man
2016
Jean-Michel Jarre: A Journey into Sound
2015
Carpenter on Quatermass
2014
Why Horror?
2014
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
2012
The Future of Fear
2011
Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge
2011
Scary Girl
2011
Nightmare Factory
2011
The Original Monster Mash
2011
Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star
2010
Halloween: The Inside Story
2010
The Ward
2010
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
2009
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
2009
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
2009
Monsterland
2009