John Carpenter
FameRank: 8

"John Howard Carpenter" is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor and composer. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction films from the 1970s and 1980s.

Most films in Carpenter's career were critical and commercial failures, with the notable exceptions of Halloween (1978 film)/Halloween (1978), Escape from New York (1981) and Starman (film)/Starman (1984). However, many of Carpenter's films from the 1970s and the 1980s such as Dark Star (film)/Dark Star (1974), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976 film)/Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Fog (1980), The Thing (1982 film)/The Thing (1982), Christine (1983 film)/Christine (1983), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Prince of Darkness (film)/Prince of Darkness (1987) and They Live (1988) have since been seen as Cult film/cult classics, and Carpenter has been acknowledged as an influential filmmaker.

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It's a very good time for horror. This business certainly has changed, but there's still room for serious horror films. Look at 28 Days Later, that's not a tongue-in-cheek picture.

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I think Tarantino has changed things.

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In England, I'm a horror movie director. In Germany, I'm a filmmaker. In the US, I'm a bum.

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I made a decision back in 1978 that, in a trade off for money when I directed Halloween, I would have my name above the title in order to basically brand these movies my own.

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I have news for him. They turned me into a movie director.

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To make Michael Myers frightening, I had him walk like a man, not a monster.

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In Halloween, I viewed the characters as simply normal teenagers. Laurie, Jamie Lee's character, was shy and somewhat repressed. And Michael Myers, the killer, is definitely repressed. They have certain similarities.

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One could make money and get a career going with a low-budget horror film about killers attacking on holidays. It is always flattering to have somebody copy you.

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What scares me is what scares you. We're all afraid of the same things. That's why horror is such a powerful genre. All you have to do is ask yourself what frightens you and you'll know what frightens me.

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