John Carpenter directed so many of the greatest horror and action films, and you see his fingerprints on nearly everything that came after. CraigSJ spoke to him about his inspirations as a horror writer/unwitting synth pioneer and his outside interests
— tells three very different stories about the loss of control and the loss of trust in others. What kept you circling back to that theme?turned out to be an end-of-the-world project. I don’t think I knew at first. It was just a monster movie, but the implications ofOh dear, there’s no way out of this. It’s the end of mankind.
It’s not fun. I don’t like thinking about it. I made another movie that was also somewhat prescient calledcomes out and does well but gets destroyed in the reviews but later takes on this second popular-culture life among people who, as you say, find the political message prescient. How does it feel when a good idea gets panned?
That’s correct. It didn’t, but I wish it had because we could start telling other stories. People wanted to see Michael Myers once again. So there you go. Themovie I love the most is the one I made back in 1978, the one I directed. Others are other people’s visions. That’s the way it goes. That’s what happens when you give up. I didn’t want to direct sequels. I didn’t think there was story left. Boy, was I wrong, huh?Hell no. They have to pay me every time they make one.
That was my blue period. I was just trying to make movies. I’m a poor, old horror director trying to make a living. That’s it. There’s nothing more to it. I get up in the morning, have coffee, and go to work. My fear in movies is not finishing one, not having it come out. That’s scary. Luckily, every movie I started has been finished and come out. You give birth. It’s done.I’m not going to answer that because I don’t know. I’ll have others answer about if they’re good.