All quotes and info from other sources are in Italics, all other text is my own reflection on the news. The John Carpenter News Archive :

Just thought I'd drop you a line that i heard from a very reliable
source that the release date is October 29 in the UK. That's almost a
year after the US release!
This date is tentative however.

I hope that one comes through.

JC Competition I shall let Matt tell you all about this one:

During this recent drought of John Carpenter news, we here at Drop Dead Films decided to spice things up a bit.
Announcing Drop Dead Films John Carpenter Trivia Contest!  Anyone who thinks they can answer our truly tough trivia can win the prize! Just head on over to www.dropdeadfilms.com and put your knowledge to the test.The winner receives a copy of our recently released movie, The Good Book! The movie critics have spoken:    "If only I had this much imagination." Mutant Reviewers From Hell "The Good Book is one of those rare gems of cinema, this film shows the lovingly crafted effort that went into this film. It's a fun and entertaining movie." Rev. Pslock Macro's Temple of Film "An independent version of The Matrix!" The Amateur Movie Database We'll take care of shipping, NTSC or PAL and everything else. All you have to do is be the winner! It's one simple question, and in the event of more than one person getting it right, all correct answers will be pooled together and a final winner will be chosen. Note: Employees, relatives of employees and or friends are not eligible.

June 14th Seems like everytime I make an addition now it involves me apologising for the lack of recent updates. The real deal is that JC is sjust really quiet at the moment, making good on his promise to kick back, have a long rest and really think about his future in the movies. Added to that my new job is taking its toll, and I have been in Florida for a week. If you go there, go to Universal Studios, amazing place. The only bugbear was Universal's emphasis on its classic monster heritage (check out the amazing Classic Monsters Cafe and the Horror Makeup show) without any mention of their most fantastic monster creation, The Thing!

New JC Movie Premiered on TV Don't get too excited, it's a script JC wrote a long time ago and was reported on these news pages a while back - " New JC Film (sort-of) Chris drops in this interesting news " A long while ago, I think I mentioned an "uncompleted" project called Diamondback. It was a screenplay written by J.C. many years ago about killer snakes running amuck.  Anyway, the script was recently purchased by TBS cable network and is now in production as, alas, a made for cable tv movie. J.C.'s script has also been re-written. CBS ". The latest info is:

From: Hammon "WTBS premiered SILENT PREDATORS and in the opening credits was the name John Carpenter.  It started at 5:00PM PST and will repeat again at 7:00PM PST"

I would appreciate it if someone could send me an overview/review of the movie?

Big Trouble In Little China Special Ed. CD Finally, the CD has been rereleased - " From: Hammon - Check out the page I've put up on my "CDs Of JC" site: http://www.oocities.org/Hollywood/Highrise/3756/jc/bigpromo.htm
All the info available is there including the cover art.  The CD includes several non BIG TROUBLE tracks one of which is the music to the unused Atlanta Robbery sequence from ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK!!"

Vampires UK Peril This distressing e-mail from a UK movie critic tells it all :
musidora - Speakiing as critic for national newspaper, I have repeatedly asked Coumbia when they're going to be releasing Vampires in the UK, and it seems to me me that no-one wants to know (hey, film critic actually WANTS to see film - too weird for words) I showered them with phone calls until about when they were willing to show me the film until finally I got fed up and borrowed a pirate video off someone. Luckily it was good quality. But UK distributors are just not interested in Carpenter movies. I say, bollocks to that - John Carpenter is God.

That is really piss-me-off type news. I hope someone somewhere knows something that can cheer us UK citizens up.

EFNY DVD Thanks to Tobias for this:
browsing through the offers of www.blackstar.co.uk I stumbled across the "escape from new york"-DVD, region 2. It should be available from monday.

Creature From the Black Lagoon Seems interest in this remake has surged recently due to success of the Mummy, but without any mention of JCs name:
Hey, recently Harry Knowles' www.aint-it-cool-news.com  posted a story saying due to the success of Universal's THE MUMMY remake, Universal is deciding on green-lighting their long-awaited remake of Creature From the Black Lagoon.  However, they want to sign THE MUMMY remake's director Steven Sommers, who is not right for this job.  We, the Carpenter fans know who is right.  Harry Knowles knows who is right for this job, and he has even added a poll to his main page regarding the whole situation. - Wes Ray

Christine Query Can anyone help this guy out?
Can somebody answer me this questions about Christine ? I am making a website for the movie.

1.Where are the cars used making christine now ?
2. Will there be Christine 2
3. what was the diffrence between the movie cars and a regular plymouth '58
4. did anything unusual happen around the production
5. Anything else cool to know about the movie

                                  EAK (naust3@islandia.is)

May 18th                  Village Of The Damned on UK Terrestrial TV

International visitors may wonder at the lack of news if I am making such a big thing of this, but the fact is that the 2nd most asked question I get from UK visitors is 'where can I get VOTD?' as it is a mother to track this down in the UK. So every UK citizen, set your video recorders for:

Saturday May 22nd
BBC1
22:15 Village of the Damned

Remember kids, check for regional variations to avoid those annoying discoveries of your tape missing the last 5 minutes, and good luck.

May 13th Halloween Special Edition DVD

May 10th DVD Info A good amount of DVD updates, including very cool news on the new Halloween disc:

"Sheriff Brackett here of dvdfile.com. I've got some revised Halloween Special Edition DVD info, direct from
Anchor Bay and the special edition producer William Lustig. Here is the revised (and even better!) DVD info:

http://www.dvdfile.com/disc/dvd-video/

Need I say this will be one fan-tas-tic (as Linda would say) disc? Also, just a note for you John Carpenter fans, Christine will debut on DVD August 3.  Also, in very good news, both New Line and MGM confirmed to me in emails that they will bow both In The Mouth Of Madness and Escape From New York this fall if all goes as planned.  Alas, The Fog (also MGM) will not appear until at least 2000."

" Just wanted to update you on something I saw in a recent issue of Widescreen magazine.  On a list of slated DVD releases for the diff motion picture companies, under Columbia Tristar's was Christine.  Yes, Christine. According to the article, Christine is slated for an August 99 release, however, could be upgraded to a sooner date. Just wanted to let you know. I'll talk to you later. Don M."

Tribute to JC is Down Wondered why your fave multimedia site won't load? Here is Jesper to fill us in "Due to circumstances wich are beyond my influence, my site [A Tribute To John Carpenter] CANNOT be reached outside my country, Denmark. This problem is caused by my webhotel provider. At the moment I do not know when the connection to the rest of the world will be reestablished! Please be patient and visit my page as soon as it gets back online! - Jesper Bjerg "

The Fog Blooper? This one sounds amazing, can a third party check this one out? "Hi, Try this with a video of THE FOG:
When the old book that falls from the wall is examined, freeze the frames and look carefully.
You will read something like:  ‘My name is ????? and I am a student at ????? california making this f****** prop for this movie. Or  something pretty close...bit of fun! " Thanks to Philip Kelly for spotting that one.

April 23rd Dangerous Waters This very interesting piece of news came in, via Patrick Kerr, from the Dark Horizons website.

Jaws Rising (aka. Dangerous Waters): Shark film fans will be very tantalised by this unconfirmed scoop sent in by 'JWEST': "Universal sent a memo to its various interns about a project called JAWS RISING. Apparently the company is gathering a crew together to scout locations for this film. At first I thought it might be an unrelated title but a source Uni told me there is a script circulating called DANGEROUS WATERS that bears a striking resemblance to a JAWS sequel. According to ***** The script is a futuristic flick about a flooded city (ala Deep Impact) that becomes infested with roving, massive sharks. A team is put together to hunt the waterlogged streets for the Great Whites. I believe the title "Dangerous Waters" is a cover for the JAWS RISING title. If this is true then this project is in full swing and MAY be top secret. This project may also depend on the success of "Deep Blue Sea" since they are similar. Spielberg, Benchley or anyone else's name has NOT been mentioned. The funny thing is that the info comes from within John Carpenter's new production company at Uni.

It is the last line that is really interesting. Of course, none of this means that JC is even in the remotest realms of helming this movie, but it certainly wets the appetite. Thanks to Patrick for continuing the JC cause.
UK Vampires Release? This from Richard Ford "Last I heard, you guys in the UK should be getting to "Vampires"
sometime in June-July." Rumours about the UK release seem to be picking up, with this release date being the one I have heard the most. I hope soemthing comes of it.
Bone Orchard This also from Richard Ford " Update--I heard from that guy Twoslats, and he told me that the script
"Bone Orchard" that JC saw isn't gonna happen with him (as far as Two knows), and that it's being shopped around to the likes of Gale Anne Hurd, Dimension Films, and places like that. (Pretty cool concept on that one, about Demons in an abandoned town in California, like a cross between "The Big Chill" and "Tales Fom the Crypt"--JC would've been ideal for it, from what I understand, but... I guess not."

April 20th April Fools These things may annoy some of you, but I thought it was a laugh. Yep, Tom Alaerts fooled quite a few of us (including me) with the scoop on JCs new non-project. Tom informs me it is actually the title of a movie from the Dilbert cartoon, so JC is not doing Vampires in Baby-Doll and never was.
Goodbye Patrick Shame to see it go, but The Films of John Carpenter website is no more. Patrick has decided to stop updating it. So good luck with future projects Patrick, and thanks for leaving the site up so we can read all those great Kirk Hazen stories.
Vampires in the UK? A few sources have mentioned that they have seen Vampires posters going up in cinema's in Ireland, so does this mean it will be coming to the UK soon? Anyone have any more info?

April 1st JCs New Project This news came in from super scooper Tom Alaerts. I'm putting the word out now, I want any and all info on this thing "Just read this special scoop in a Flemish newspaper:
JC is combining his skills as a horror director and his personal interest in blue movies to write and direct the sexy low-budget chiller "Vampires in baby-doll". Further details are unavailable at the moment.
Post this awesome news on the site! Today!"
The Man is Back All hail the return of the multimedia king. Jesper Berg now has his own domain for his Tribute to John Carpenter. Welcome back Jesper.

March 16th JCs Early Years This great news came in from Tom Alaerts. Is anyone planning to go to this thing? -"this is from a flemish newspaper: In August there will be a special film festival in Dublin, the "No Budget" festival. Here you can only see ultra-low-budget movies from beginning directors. Spielberg sent two 8mm films which he made as a student. JC sent a copy of his first horror movie. This production cost him only a few thousand BEF (so I guess something like $100). My opinion: since the budget is really incredibly non-existent, maybe this isn't "The resurrection of Bronco Billy" but another student short?"
Dark Star DVD "Conformation from my local LD store is that DARKSTAR will be in on 3/16! - Mark Hammon"
They Still Live Over ten years on from the heydey of the Reagan era, 'me me me' capitalism and the sickening yuppie phenomenon, and They Live still packs an impact. Is it the fact that the social satire is so well delivered in the skin of an action-sci-fi-buddy movie; or is it simply a great film to crack open a 6-pack to? JDP Lafrance has written a fantastic retropspective examining this film -

CAPITALISTS FROM OUTER SPACE!
by J.D. Lafrance

"I'm disgusted by what we've become in America. I truly believe there is brain death in this country." (Swires 37)
-- John Carpenter

Filmmaker John Carpenter has always considered himself as an outsider in Hollywood. Like Sam Fuller before him, Carpenter makes genre films that are usually regarded by critics as simple thrill rides. However, underneath the surface lurks a strong, often savage social commentary on what Carpenter believes to be the problems that plague the United States. This approach is readily apparent in They Live (1988), a two-fisted science fiction film whose "premise is that the 'Reagan Revolution' is run
by aliens from another galaxy" (Swires 37). Admittedly, it's a pretty far out idea but Carpenter makes it work with a film that is both exciting and thought-provoking.

Nada (Roddy Piper) is a drifter, an amiable blue collar guy looking for steady work in Los Angeles. He eventually finds a job and befriends a fellow worker named Frank (Keith David), a man who is clearly tired of Capitalism ("The Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules."). Nada is more optimistic. He believes in playing by the rules ("I deliver a hard day's work for my money, I just want the chance."). But this faith in the system begins to change when the squatter's camp the men are staying at is suddenly bulldozed by the police one night. At first, there seems to be no reason for this unprovoked attack but gradually, Nada begins to get some answers.

One day, while rummaging through some garbage, he comes across a pair of sunglasses that allow the viewer to see things as they really are: the world is seen in black and white where the colour facade disappears and billboards reveal their true messages: "OBEY," "MARRY AND REPRODUCE," and "SLEEP," while certain people turn out to be aliens in disguise. The
glasses are a clever play on the notion of subliminal advertising and capitalism as the root of all evil. From this point, They Live kicks into high gear as Nada and Frank form an uneasy alliance and decide to stop this secret alien invasion.

The idea for They Live is based on two sources: a futuristic story, involving an alien invasion a la Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1955), called "Nada" from the Alien Encounters comic book. This story came from a short story called "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Nelson that was originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in the '60s. Carpenter describes it as "a D.O.A. type of story. A fellow is put in a trance by a stage hypnotist. When he awakens, he realizes that the entire human race has been hypnotized. Amongst us are alien creatures who are controlling our lives. He has only until eight o'clock in the morning to solve the problem" (Swires 37). Carpenter acquired the film rights to both the comic book and the short story and wrote the screenplay using Nelson's story as a basis for the film's structure.

The more political elements came from Carpenter's growing distaste with the ever-increasing commercialization of popular culture and politics. As he once remarked in an interview, "I began watching TV again. I quickly realized that everything we see is designed to sell us something...It's all about wanting us to buy something. The only thing they want to do is take our money" (Swires 37). To this end, Carpenter thought of sunglasses as being the tool to seeing the truth, which "is seen in black and white. It's as if the aliens have colorized us. That means, of course, that Ted Turner is really a monster from outer space" (Swires 38).

Since the screenplay was the product of so many sources: a short story, a comic book, and input from cast and crew, Carpenter decided to use the pseudonym, "Frank Armitage," a subtle allusion to one of the filmmaker's favourite writers, H.P. Lovecraft. Frank Armitage is in fact a character in Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror." Carpenter has always felt a close kinship with Lovecraft's worldview and his influence can be felt in other Carpenter films -- most notably, The Thing (198?) and In The Mouth of Madness (1995). According to Carpenter, "Lovecraft wrote about the hidden world, the world underneath. His stories were about gods who are repressed, who were once on Earth and are now coming back. The world underneath has a great deal to do with They Live" (Swires 43).

After a budget around three million dollars was established, Carpenter began casting his film. For the crucial role of Nada, the filmmaker surprisingly cast wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper whom he had met at Wrestlemania III. For Carpenter it was an easy choice: "Unlike most Hollywood actors, Roddy has life written all over him" (Swires 39). Carpenter's gamble pays off as Piper does a fine job playing a everyman-type hero who, at first plays by the rules, but once he realizes that it's all a sham, decides to fight back. Piper's performance is not going to win any acting awards but it is a solid job that suits the film.

Carpenter was impressed with Keith David's performance in The Thing and needed someone "who wouldn't be a traditional sidekick, but could hold his own" (Swires 39). To this end, Carpenter wrote the role of Frank specifically for the underrated actor. David does a great job as the perfect foil for Piper. The two men have this intense relationship that oscillates between outright distrust and grudging respect.

This rather volatile alliance reaches critical mass in a wild, seven and half minute fist fight between the two men over a pair of the special sunglasses. The brawl starts off serious but eventually transforms into an absurd free-for-all. Carpenter remembers that the fight took three weeks to rehearse. "It was an incredibly brutal and funny fight, along the lines of the slugfest between John Wayne and Victor McLaglen in The Quiet Man" (Swires 38).

One of the reasons why They Live works so well is the film's pacing. It starts off like the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers with the threat of alien invasion being implicit at first. Everything seems normal enough but after a half hour into the film, the threat suddenly becomes shockingly explicit when Nada puts on the sunglasses. From there, the film's pacing speeds up and They Live begins to incorporate the action film into its science fiction premise.

And yet, throughout the film, there is always thought-provoking commentary. This is represented by the pirate TV broadcasts which, initially, seem like some lone conspiracy nut but eventually his ravings are revealed to be right on the money. His presence is the first sign that something is amiss. The television is presented as an electronic sedative in They Live. It's a drug to the masses. When the TV pirate appears, the mind-numbing routine is broken and people get headaches as a result.

When They Live was released in 1988, Carpenter had hoped that it would have the same effect as his film's TV pirate. Alas, it was not a commercial success. Carpenter sees the failure of his film as a result of "people who go to the movies in vast numbers these days [who] don't want to be enlightened" (Swires 43). It's a shame because They Live is far from being an overtly preachy film. On the contrary, it is always exciting and entertaining first, and a scathingly social satire second.

However, Carpenter sees the real tragedy to be the lack of humanity in society. "The real threat is that we lose our humanity. We don't care any more about the homeless. We don't care about anything, as long as we make money" (Swires 43). If They Live is about anything, it's a strong indictment against the capitalist greed that was so fashionable in the 1980s. It's sentiment that still exists in the '90s. This makes Carpenter's film just as relevant today as it was ten years ago.

March 14th Site Update I have already had an answer to my plea of a few days ago, to help me update the site. The main aim is to add pages on all the JC films currently missing their own special section. Christopher Weedman was the first to respond with Someone's Watching Me!. Take a look at that and you can see the sort of thing I am after. So if you look at the biography and filmography section you will see the films not currently covered. So if you fancy adding to the site e-mail me with your contribution. Any additions for Usual Suspects, Unfinished Projects, etc. will also be greatfully recieved.

Late March 12th Update Stink of Shoe Polish This fantastic new mag, freely available in loads of Cardiff shops, venues, cafes, etc. have reviewed JCs film before it even gets its UK release. Do yourself a favour and lookout for this mag, but for now you can read the interview here -

Sunday: 2pm: Approached new John Carpenter film Vampires with trepidation only days after first seeing the dire Escape from L.A. 2.05pm: Delighted to see the name of James Woods in the lead. 4pm: Seen one of the best vampire films of all time.
A great man to lead a team of people hired by the Catholic church to hunt down and kill vampires. Woods is clearly a very haunted man himself, and once again is given a role he relishes. He wears black, black shades, and an in-the-face attitude exemplified by short bursts of angry dialogue. A truly dark man.
And John Carpenter has never been a man to shy away from filming scenes in true darkness. It’s the darkness of the film that compliments so well the hot, sunny, dusty New Mexican deserts and plains. Only in Assault on Precinct 13 and The Thing has the director before managed to convey a mood of genuine terror through such stylish use of light and the camera.
The whole thing cries Western, with head Vampire, Valek, taking over entire New Mexican villages, looking for the Cross that will allow him to walk in the sun and improve his complexion. James Woods is, eventually, the loner with a past, fighting the bad guys for reasons just and selfish.
A subplot love story is well handled (with Sheryl Lee providing the necessary erotic element to any good vampire film) and doesn’t allow the viewer’s attentions to stray from the enormous violence. The gruesome deaths are generally given the feeling of great suffering that such passings deserve. The violence is never shied from, the first scene being an intensely massive blood affair.
It seems, then, after the debacle of a film that was Escape from L.A., that Carpenter should enjoy his freedom from the ever-competent yet had his day Kurt Russell, find new friends to play with, and stick to making horror films, not Boy’s Own adventure films.

Ryan Bright

News as of March 12th Vampires UK Certificate Ok, this is just getting on my nerves now, when will the UK get to see Vampires!? Here is a tantalising, tortuous, tautological morsel about the UK status "I just read that Vampires was passed as an 18 *uncut* for a cinema release by the BBFC. Unfortunately, this is no indication to when it will be released, but at least we know it will definately will be released, and uncut too :) I'm guessing it'll be out March/April. Regards, Owen Edwards "
Dark Star DVD Info Yep, it is being released soon... " I have news on the DARK STAR DVD.  I loaned the trailer for DS to Magic Lantern for the DVD release and talked to them recently.  The masters are done.  The film was compiled from 4 different prints of the film because each version they had contained some footage not in the other 3.  This should be the most complete version ever released.  I've loaned materials to other companies for special editions and the small companies have a much harder time hitting the street dates than the big companies for obvious reasons.    I'm sure the wait will be worth it.  James G. Chandler "
Australian Vampires Wierd, it is reported to be out there (and gone) but here is a request for some info, can anyone help? " Do you happen to know when Vampires is to actually be released in Australia, it was supposed to be 10 December 1998, but we have not heard anything about it yet, either from the cinema companies or the video distributors....very strange...Stewart "
Cool JC Inspired Composition I have listened to this and I like it, see what you think "From: Fil Arkonus - Last year I did an arrangement/medley of various JC pieces for University, I just chucked it in some spare space on my website, so if anyone is
interested to hear it (I don't know maybe you've got nothing better to do) here's the address : - http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~arkonus/Songs/jcmix.mp3"
Halloween 8 I enjoyed Halloween 7 enough, but I think this sounds like a pile of shite (the plot of the movie that is) - "My Local Video Store & I Get Along Great, & They Know that I am obssessed with the Halloween Movies.... & They get a magazine that tells them upcoming movies/plans/etc...and Halloween:8 was mentioned in there...saying that it will not be named Halloween & it will start off woth a deleted scene from H2O...with Jamie Lee taking Michaels mask off...and it not being him........a script is DEFFINITELY completed it said......and     www.upcomingmovies.com.......says that it will have a release of FALL, 2000...... if it actually gets filmed at all.......  Chris "
JC Sighting This just sort of flew into my mailbox from somewhere "So I'm in the gym yesterday, running on the treadmill, and what should come on T.V. but an old Tattle Tales game show rerun (I guess the TV must have been set on The Game Show Network). If you've never seen Tattle Tales, the program was an 80's Newly-wed-like game show featuring famous or semi-famous couples answering questions about their other halves. Anyway, I'm watching the show and the contestants are :
 1. Some couple I've even heard of
 2. Sammy Davis Jr. and his wife
 and get this:
 3. John Carpenter and Adrienne Barbeau !

 I almost fell off the treadmill ! There they were, answering questions about each other, and getting every one right. They blew away the other two couples and easily won the show."
Website Help Ok, you may have noticed that since I left my cushy student existence and joined the world of the taxpayers the updates to this page have become a little more infrequent. I have been trying to tidy up and sort out the site (the links section has been severely updated) but I now think I need some help. I want to set up more JC films pages dedicated to the ones I have not yet covered. So, if you feel like getting some of your stuff on this site,, check out the style of the other movie pages and add some more on the ones that are missing, such as Blood River, Black Moon Rising, etc. E-mail me your stuff, and you will get full acknowledged on this site. Plus, you get that warm fuzzy feeling from helping out a stressed new lecturer who suddenly realises what working for a living is like.

News as of March 5th JC Speaks to the John Carpenter Web Page JC has kindly, and very quickly, answered the q&a questions, from his fans, that were put to him through this website. This is one of the things that makes JC really stand out as a director, he has long supported the smaller fanzines and publications, and he continues to treat his fans with respect by agreeing to talk directly to them through this site. This site has now been running for over 4 years, from a tiny little site dedicated to extolling the virtues of The Thing it has grown into a large resource largely created by visitors to the page. Thanks to everyone who has ever visited and contributed to this page, you have made this interview possible. Anyway, enough with the gushy stuff, let the maestro speak his mind before we all start blubbering....

After over twenty years in the movie business John Carpenter is considering giving it all up ‘to smoke dope and watch porno movies’. Since his initial Oscar success and the incredible financial smash that was Halloween his movies have consistently failed to find favour with both audiences and critics. His latest movie, Vampires, stars manic James Woods as a foul mouthed vampire killer secretly working for the Vatican. Carpenter’s unrestrained pokes at the religious and moral establishments brought down the usual wrath of mainstream US critics, while the film was ecstatically received in Europe.
A regular supporter of fanzines and smaller publications, JC agreed to address questions from his fans posted through The John Carpenter Website. JC discusses his career, his directorial style, and his weariness of the whole movie business as it descends into politically correct tedium…

From: Marc Bright

Obvious question first, have you seen any of the websites dedicated to you? Any thoughts, comments on them?

JC: My 14-year-old son has shown me some of the JC websites on his computer. I'm extremely flattered by all this attention these days.

Are there any plans to follow up the fantastic special edition Thing DVD with The Fog, EFNY, etc?

JC: I would be glad to do any special edition DVD on any of the movies I've directed. I'm not hard to get -- all they have to do is ask me.

Your films often emphasise the virtues of the outsider, the loner; dismissing political correctness before the notion was even constructed. Do you see anyone in film today that you regard as carrying on this outsider theme, this distrust and disregard for the film 'authorities'?

JC: There are several directors I admire these days, but I can't think of anyone who specialises in the outsider or the loner. Paul Schrader perhaps?

Carrying on from the last question, do you think this reputation perhaps kept you from the recognition that was awarded to many of your 'contemporaries (Spielberg, Lucas, etc.)', given that you also had a huge financial success with your earlier movies.

JC: I've gotten a great deal of recognition over the years, so I don't feel as if I'm due anything. One of the realities of directing horror is that you will not be embraced in loving arms by the critics. Horror movies are often seen as slightly better than pornography.

Although, with regards to the last point, there seems to be some ongoing critical re-evaluation of your work (Anne Billson's essays, the recent Film Comment piece, etc.) Does it bother you that it has taken so long for this to happen, or do you think it is just farcical that films can be so reviled upon their release but then gain some sort of respectability when the establishment sees fit to call them classics?

JC: Everyone wants to be loved. So do I. But after years of directing, I understand the nature of the beast, and have come to the conclusion that it's more important for me to make movies that please me. Still, I'm very happy some of my films are being seen in a new light. It's great.

What are your fave films from the past few years? What sort of music are you listening to nowadays?

JC: This year I've enjoyed GODS AND MONSTERS, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, WAKING NED DEVINE, among others. As for music, my son and godson play me what they like: Bob Dylan, Metallica, Phish, Bjork...

From: PENDING3

Is there any truth to the rumour that he's doing and original CD for Milan? If so, WHEN??

JC: Milan has begun negotiations with me to do an original CD.

And while we're at it, the press release from Avco for THE FOG claims that Adrienne Barbeau contributed some songs to the soundtrack. What happened with this??

JC: I have no memory of Adrienne contributing anything musically to THE FOG.

From: Mike Kovacs

While you were making The Thing did you back then, or now, have any idea what the Thing creature would look like in its true form before it had a chance to imitate a host?  This is a silly question I know but one that has intrigued me for years.

JC: The question of what the Thing looked like in its original form is far from silly. It's something we obsessed with for over a year during production. Several paintings were made of various concepts on what the original form would take. In the end none of them were very satisfying. Finally, in desperation someone suggested we make it look like the original Hawks film, James Arness in a bald cap and long fingernails. We decided to leave it a mystery.

From: James Chandler

I have one question that has always plagued me for some reason.  Who painted the picture of the knife-hand-jacko'lantern graphic that was used for the American Halloween one sheet poster and where does the original painting reside now?

JC: The knife/hand/jacko'lantern painting: I don't know who the painter was, nor where the original is. I believe the concept was Irwin Yablans'. At least that's what he told me.

From: Marco

I've just seen Vampires here in Portugal, a country in Europe. Like other films of yours I’ve seen, I find that there is a common point in all of them. This makes you one of the most consistent and original directors that the USA film industry has ever had. Since your body of work is much appreciated here in Europe, why do you think this happens? Is it because here we have a more diversified public and so there are people who fully appreciate your work, while in the USA the tastes are all more uniform and so you don't seem to have a significant quantity of people who understand your work?

JC: In general, the USA looks down upon the horror movie/genre directors. I can only think of one (Roger Corman) who has ever been honoured by a major USA critic’s organisation for the body of his work. As for the public, conformity is the norm.

By the way I’d like to tell you that here in Portugal the critics were unanimous in acclaiming Vampires as an excellent movie and one of your best to this date. I just have to say that your movies are an inspiration to us (fans), please don't stop making magic!!

JC: Thank you for your kind words.

From: Derek Stewart

What's your opinion on the new breed of teen horror flicks coming out as of late?

JC: I've only seen SCREAM, so I can't comment on the others. I was flattered by the references to HALLOWEEN. Wes Craven has been a friend for many years and I'm delighted at his success.

What, in your opinion, makes a good horror film work?

JC: What makes a good horror film? It has to have a good story and scare the shit out of you.

What is it with critics and horror films anyway?

JC: Critics don't like horror films. It's genetic.

From: Cathal Bergin

Here's a question for JC: How does he feel about horror's response to increasing, and increasingly broadcast, horrors in real life? Would he agree that the film genre has reverted to fairy tale archetypes and comic violence and internal logic (meaning the threat only has validity within the film itself e.g. In the Mouth of Madness vs. Psycho)?

JC: Good question. Are there really increasing horrors in the world today, more so than, say, earlier in this century? Isn't the world a less horrifying place now? I'm not by any means suggesting that unspeakable horror isn't taking place, I'm questioning the magnitude. Is it increasing? Maybe I've been asleep, like the city of L.A. in THEY LIVE. As for horror films, they have indeed become more archetypal and self-referential, but remember all those 50's radioactive monster movies? The monsters were stand-ins for nuclear weapons. And Dracula can be seen as a decayed European aristocracy feeding off the lower classes. There have always been archetypes. But to the point, I believe political correctness; especially regarding feminism and the portrayal of women as victims has had some impact on horror. Some of Dario Argento's earlier films, with their graphic yet sensual scenes of violence against women, would not be acceptable today, at least not in American society. Part of Argento's intention, in say SUSPIRIA, TENEBRE, or PHENOMENON, was the sexualisation of graphic violence. I'm a fan of Dario's work because his movies are the only horror films to really get to me. And isn't that what a good horror films is supposed to do, scare and disturb you? The argument against sexualised violence is that these images can cause a similar behaviour in a certain deranged percentage of the audience, the sociopathic copycats. At the moment there are several lawsuits against NATURAL BORN KILLERS for causing copycat murders. Perhaps it's time to take out product liability insurance on horror films and place a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie.

From: Mattmacy Giaquinto

Many feel that your film The Thing, is amongst your best directorial efforts and while the film was banished by critics and poor box office it has developed quite the fervent following. While the release of the Special Editions of the film has helped convert a few more followers, it still remains unjustly categorised as just a special effects film. What is probably the most surprising notion is that, in the past fifteen years, the film has never undergone that positive critical reassessment that is so often bestowed on other fantastical films from the same era. Films like Blade Runner, Brazil and The Shinning, which all had rocky receptions when first released but which are now widely regarded as masterpieces of the genre. Would you chalk this up to the idea that most of those movies were re-released under the banner of "a director's cut" (something unattainable with The Thing since it's initial release was your director's cut) and therefore given a new breath of life and the ability to find new audiences? Or would you be more apt to lay blame on the legacy of that initial, unforgivingly brutal blast from critics still lingering on, with no one willing to put the case for the defence?

JC: The Thing was hated not just by critics but by sci-fi and horror fans. Apparently it remains unforgiven. A new audience saw The Thing on video after its initial release, and it gained popularity. As for the recent re-evaluation, I have no idea why now.

As for my personal feelings, I stand by all my work.

How does it make you feel when you see ideas, notions, dialogue lines and or elements from your films be the driving force in more successful films of today? Essential, there are various elements in the film, The Faculty which cross way over that fine line of homage and directly into the land of uncreative rip-off and as a fan of your work, it bothers me to see someone making money off of your creativity, how does it make you feel?

JC: In answer to your second question, I've made money off the creativity of Howard Hawks, Sergio Leone, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, John Sturges, Orson Welles, and many many others for my entire career -- how can I complain when it happens to me?

From: Bryan Hurley

This may seem like a silly question, but I've always been really curious about it.  In the fight scene from THEY LIVE, there's a part where Roddy Piper breaks the window of a car with a board.  He then starts apologising to Keith David for it.  Keith David then swears and breaks a bottle against the car.  You then see Roddy Piper start laughing at him and the fight resumes.  My question is, was Piper's laugh supposed to be there or was it just a blooper that got left in either accidentally or intentionally?

JC: Roddy's laugh in THEY LIVE was intentional. It's probably my bad directing of the scene that made it unclear.

From: Jason Roth

Any advice for scruffy young filmmaker wannabes on how to break into the business?

JC: The easiest way to break into the movie business is write your way in. If you write a screenplay someone wants to make, you're on your way.

From: Tom Alaerts

After a career in horror and SF, would you like to make a completely different kind of movie, for example a costume drama, an erotic thriller, a Mafia movie, an Ellroy adaptation, a World War 2 movie?

JC: I would enjoy making a different kind of movie, but remember -- a professional director is like a good whore, they go where they're pushed.

In some recent interviews, you give the impression that you think your career is almost over. Reading them, it really seems to me that we can only expect 1 or 2 more movies before you retire. Is this true? I mean, even a lesser god like Kubrick is still filming at 70!

JC: Recently I've struggled with myself over whether the emotional toll directing movies extracts on me is worth it. We'll see...

Please tell us a bit more about the television series and the thriller you're working on! We'll tell nobody! honest! ;-)

JC: I've been sworn to secrecy about any future projects.

Any idea why your movies are so often better received in Europe (for example, in France many critics simply worship you) than in the USA?

JC: Maybe my movies are received better in Europe because I think European women are sexier than American women.

"They Live" is in my opinion a movie which stands apart in you career since it's the only one with a real social subtext (luckily it's also huge fun!). Did you ever want to make more "socially engaged" movies?

JC: All of my movies are socially engaged. Some are just more subtle.

Most of "Vampires" is filmed differently to what we would expect from a Carpenter movie.  Faster editing, more camera angles and so. But Valek's attack in the motel is filmed in your typical, calmer, style. At least that's how it seemed to me. Any comments?

JC: I agree with your comments on VAMPIRES. I copied Sam Peckinpah in most of the straight-forward action scenes. Valek's attack in the motel, however, was different stylistically. I felt the slight slow-motion (36 frames per second instead of 24) and dissolves made the attack somehow more brutal.

Also on filming style: in most of your movies, the camera movements often are "invisible", I mean they do not attract attention. OTOH, someone like De Palma films using very "visible" camera movements. Any comments about effectiveness of filming techniques?

JC: The invisible technique is from Howard Hawks, my favourite director. Maybe I should start with being more obvious with style, what do you think? It's easier to do than remain invisible.

Is there any chance that "The resurrection of Bronco Billy" will ever be added to a DVD or videotape? Now that I think of it, perhaps there space left for "Gorgon the space monster"!

JC: The University of Southern Carolina owns THE RESURRECTION OF BRONCHO BILLY. The decision to release it on DVD is up to them. As for my 8mm movies, no one will ever see them.

Considering your love for westerns, will you ever make a "real" western?

JC: I'd love to make a real western.

At some moments, you were connected to fascinating sounding projects such as Pin Cushion, Shadow Company, and Creature from the black lagoon. etc. Is there any of these unfinished projects you still really want to film?

JC: All of the unmade projects you mentioned are good. I'd do any of them.

Has another director ever asked you to compose the music for his/her movie?

JC: No other feature director has ever asked me to compose a score for his movie.

I have this stupid idea: an Evil Dead 4 movie, this time it takes place in the future. There, Ash meets... Snake Plissken! Cool or ridiculous idea?

JC: Ash meets Snake Plissken? Cool Idea.

From: PENDING3

Will you ever consider releasing a special edition CD featuring unedited tracks, outtakes, unused cues, etc. from the musical scores of your films?

JC: No Special Edition CD on unused cues.

Since it's unlikely that the great Snake Plissken will ever make a cinematic return, any chance you'd consider developing your ESCAPE FROM EARTH concept in the form of a novel or graphic novel?

JC: Someone want's to develop Escape into a television series. We'll see...

Why was so much cut from VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED? Was this a studio move or your own doing?

JC: Nothing was cut from VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED. Universal released my final cut.

There's been a lot of rumours about Kurt Russell taking over the role of Batman. If he did, would you be interested in directing him in a Dark Knight film? What kind of Batman would you make?

JC: I would be a terrible director for a batman movie.

What was the jammin' instrumental song playing during Snake's meeting with Hershe aboard the Queen Mary in ESCAPE FROM LA? A Carpenter original perhaps?

JC: The Snake/Hershe instrumental was composed by either myself or Shirley Walker. Sorry, I don't remember right now. I'd have to look at it again to be certain, and as this moment a Lakers basketball is coming on the tv...

Have the Coupe De Villes ever put out an album?

JC: Yes, the Coupe De Villes made an album WAITING OUT THE EIGHTIES in 1986. It was never release commercially. I gave out copies to my friends. Legend has it that the Coupes might get together again to add some tracks and finally release the CD to the public. But you know hoe legends go. You never know...

Thank you. John Carpenter. 24th February 1999.

The John Carpenter Website has been running since early 96, gaining a reputation as one of the primary internet sources for JC news and information. The site is maintained and owned by Marc Bright.
URL: http://circuits.cf.ac.uk/bright/carp/