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.
109 movies · 14 shows
The Thing Expanded
2026·8.5
In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999
2025·7.0
I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not
2025·6.8
John Carpenter: Live From Los Angeles - Halloween Night
2025·0.0
In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994
2024·7.9
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
2024·8.2
In Search of Darkness: Part III
2022·7.5
Halloween in Hollywood
2022·1.0
Studio 666
2022·5.9
In Search of Tomorrow
2022·6.6
The History of Metal and Horror
2021·5.0
In Search of Darkness: Part II
2020·7.7
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #4: Follow Your Own Star
2020·8.0
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
2020·0.0
The Rise of the Synths
2019·7.6
1982: Hollywood Summer
2019·6.0
In Search of Darkness
2019·7.5
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
2018·7.0
John Carpenter: Live Retrospective
2018·9.3
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
2017·6.0
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur
2017·0.0
John Carpenter: Live At Primavera Sound 2016
2016·0.0
It Takes a Village: The Making of Village of the Damned
2016·0.0
The Puppet Man
2016·7.0
Jean-Michel Jarre: A Journey into Sound
2015·8.0
Carpenter on Quatermass
2014·0.0
Why Horror?
2014·5.9
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
2012·7.0
The Future of Fear
2011·0.0
Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge
2011·6.2
Scary Girl
2011·6.0
Nightmare Factory
2011·7.3
The Original Monster Mash
2011·0.0
Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star
2010·4.8
Halloween: The Inside Story
2010·7.3
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
2009·0.0
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
2009·6.8
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
2009·6.6
Monsterland
2009·6.5
Tales from the Script
2009·6.5
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
2008·6.6
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
2008·0.0
Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
2008·7.0
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
2008·6.8
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators
2008·0.0
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
2008·7.3
Bloodsucking Cinema
2007·5.7
Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo'
2007·0.0
Big John
2006·7.8
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
2006·7.0
Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story
2006·7.5
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
2006·4.5
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
2006·6.8
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror
2006·6.9
Working with a Master: John Carpenter
2006·6.0
Hollywood's Greatest Villains
2005·9.5
The Perfect Scary Movie
2005·7.7
Snake Plissken: Man of Honor
2005·10.0
Hollywood's Creepiest Creatures
2004·7.0
Christine: Ignition
2004·8.0
Christine: Fast and Furious
2004·8.0
Christine: Finish Line
2004·7.6
John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies
2004·5.5
Return to 'Escape from New York'
2003·8.0
An Opera of Violence
2003·6.8
The Wages of Sin
2003·7.5
Something to Do with Death
2003·6.3
Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest
2003·6.7
Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?
2003·7.5
Scoring "Resident Evil"
2002·4.9
Masters of Horror
2002·7.8
Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'
2002·6.3
Red Desert Nights: Making Ghosts of Mars
2001·7.6
Scoring 'Ghosts of Mars'
2001·0.0
Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties
2001·7.0
Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror
2001·6.8
Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film
2000·7.0
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
2000·6.1
The American Nightmare
2000·6.8
Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'
2000·7.0
Halloween: Unmasked
1999·5.8
The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
1998·7.4
Unmasking the Horror
1998·10.0
After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater
1995·5.8
Village of the Damned
1995·6.1
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
1994·9.0
The Silence of the Hams
1994·4.9
Body Bags
1993·6.2
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
1992·5.9
Fear in the Dark
1991·9.0
Horror Cafe
1990·8.5
First Works
1989·7.0
Stephen King's World of Horror
1989·8.0
They Live
1988·7.3
The Making of 'They Live'
1988·0.0
The Boy Who Could Fly
1986·6.3
Big Trouble in Little China
1986·7.2
Stephen King's World of Horror
1986·6.1
Starman
1984·6.9
The Thing
1982·8.1
The Making of 'The Thing'
1982·7.3
Take One: Fear on Film
1982·7.0
Escape from New York
1981·7.0
The Fog
1980·6.7
Fear on Film: Inside 'The Fog'
1980·5.8
Bringing A Legend To Life
1979·0.0
Halloween
1978·7.6
Assault on Precinct 13
1976·7.3
Dark Star
1974·6.0