We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. In , John Carpenter wrote and directed a movie about a mysterious, hulking loner who comes to town and slays innocent victims. Ten years later, he made another movie about a mysterious, hulking loner who comes to town, only this guy waited to kick ass until he was all out of bubblegum. There are other obvious differences between Halloween and They Live , two of the most beloved films by one of the all-time great genre auteurs. Drones in the sky, conspiracies in our heads, militarized police in the streets, economic inequality in every corner of society, media that seeks to control our minds: The terror of They Live is more tangible and primal in than a slasher movie could ever be. Have I been wearing these magical sunglasses for too long? Not if you ask Carpenter. From the beginning, he saw They Live —which turns 30 next month—as a fun action-adventure movie about a magnificently mulleted construction worker who saves the world and as trenchant social commentary. Over time, his take on the film has settled more on the latter.


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A director whose quick-witted and full-blooded approach to genre filmmaking has won him both mainstream success and a cult following, John Carpenter was born in Carthage, NY, in As a child, Carpenter became fascinated with such '50s science fiction and horror films as Forbidden Planet and The Thing From Another World , as well as the classic Westerns of John Ford and Howard Hawks; he began shooting his own 8 mm films -- mostly monster movie pastiches -- in his spare time. After graduating from high school, Carpenter attended Western Kentucky, and later transferred to the University of Southern California to study filmmaking. Inspired by this success, Carpenter, along with friend and fellow film student Dan O'Bannon, began work on a sci-fi parody called Dark Star. Over time, Carpenter expanded the student short to feature length at a cost of 60, dollars, and the film received positive reviews when it was released theatrically in While Carpenter hoped Dark Star would win him a major studio contract directing Westerns, he discovered that the film's limited success opened few doors, and his next project was the low-budget thriller Assault on Precinct 13, which was inspired by Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo.
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John Howard Carpenter born January 16, is an American filmmaker , screenwriter , and composer. Although Carpenter has worked with various film genres , he is associated most commonly with horror , action , and science fiction films of the s and s. Most films of Carpenter's career were initially commercial and critical failures, with the notable exceptions of Halloween , The Fog , Escape from New York , and Starman However, many of Carpenter's films from the s and the s have come to be considered as cult classics , and he has been acknowledged as an influential filmmaker. He returned to the Halloween franchise as both composer and executive producer for the horror sequel Halloween Carpenter composed or co-composed most of his films' music. The Directors' Guild described him as "a creative genius of raw, fantastic, and spectacular emotions".
Filmmaker John Carpenter developed an interest in film and music early on. At the University of Southern California, he had his first success with a short student film. While he enjoyed his biggest hit with 's Halloween , Carpenter continues to thrill and disturb audiences with such films as 's The Ward. John Carpenter, born on January 16, , in Carthage, New York, developed an interest in film and music as a young boy. After high school, he enrolled at the University of Southern California, where one school project, The Resurrection of Bronco Billy , won him an Academy Award best live action short subject in Carpenter co-wrote the screenplay and composed the music for the film.