John Carpenter

John Carpenter

Host: Freddy 

Freddy's Take: I am not a huge fan of the "horror" genre, but I have a healthy respect for horror/sci-fi horror/psychological thriller films that are immersive and intelligent. John Carpenter brings that to most of his work and while sometimes he misses, when he hits, he hits big. "Halloween" is an iconic horror film and really opened up the mainstream to the "slasher" film. It spawned franchises such as "Child's Play", "Friday the 13th", and "Nightmare On Elm Street",as well as countless copy cats. "The Thing" is a classic, but it took it a couple of decades to get there and in my opinion is his finest work overall. The pinnacle. The special effects were groundbreaking and even though that's a highlight, the real star of the film is in the way the story is told. It's a tale of paranoia and survival and how one species thrives in a Darwinian way to keep moving on, and the other species tries to cope with personal mortality and relationships in context of surviving. "In The Mouth Of Madness" is highly underrated, but anyone that is a fan of pushing the boundaries of what reality may be or is, should really enjoy this film. It's got enough "horror" elements to appeal to the fans of gore and shock, but underneath of the visuals, there is a sense that reality overall can be changed by reaching a tipping point of a like minded worldview in relation to a vast number of people. 

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see these movies with friends. I have watched them multiple times, but getting to explore and share my feelings and hear others opinions and view points was a treat. Hearing Chris talk about "Mouth of Madness" was interesting and it helped me sort out a general sense of understanding that I hadn't explored very deeply before. 

In The Mouth of Madness

Halloween

The Thing

John Carpenter: A Master Of Cinema