John Carpenter Trailers
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault TrailerThe AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault TrailerIn Search of Darkness: 1990-1994 Trailer
An American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor.
Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.
Most films in Carpenter's career were initially commercial and critical failures, with the notable exceptions of Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), and Starman (1984).
However, many of Carpenter's films from the 1970s and the 1980s have come to be viewed as cult classics, and he has been acknowledged as an influential filmmaker. Cult classics that Carpenter directed include: Dark Star (1974), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Thing (1982), Christine (1983), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Prince of Darkness (1987), They Live (1988) and In the Mouth of Madness (1995).
His films are characterized by minimalist lighting and photography, static cameras, use of steadicam, and distinctive synthesized scores. Carpenter is also notable for having composed or co-composed most of the music of his films; some of them are now considered cult as well, with the main theme of Halloween being considered a part of popular culture. His music is generally synthesized with accompaniment from piano and atmospherics. He released his first studio album Lost Themes in 2015, and also won a Saturn Award for Best Music for Vampires (1998).
Carpenter is an outspoken proponent of widescreen filming, and all of his theatrical movies (with the exception of Dark Star and The Ward) were filmed anamorphic with a 2.35:1 or greater aspect ratio. The Ward was shot in Super 35, the first time Carpenter has ever used that system. Carpenter has stated he feels that the 35mm Panavision anamorphic format is "the best movie system there is", preferring it over both digital and 3D film. Many of Carpenter's films have been re-released on DVD as special editions with numerous bonus features.
Carpenter has been the subject of the documentary film John Carpenter: The Man and His Movies, and American Cinematheque's 2002 retrospective of his films. Moreover, in 2006, the United States Library of Congress deemed Halloween to be "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
In 2010, writer and actor Mark Gatiss interviewed Carpenter about his career and films for his BBC documentary series A History of Horror. Carpenter appears in all three episodes of the series. He was also interviewed by Robert Rodriguez for his The Director's Chair series on El Rey Network.
Many filmmakers have been influenced by Carpenter, including James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight was heavily influenced by The Thing), Guillermo del Toro, Robert Rodriguez, Edgar Wright, Danny Boyle, Nicolas Winding Refn, Bong Joon-ho, among others.
The video game Dead Space 3 is said to be influenced by Carpenter's The Thing, The Fog and Halloween, and Carpenter has stated that he would be enthusiastic to adapt that series into a feature film.
Most Popular John Carpenter Trailers
Total trailers found: 148
22 October 1982
A terrified toy salesman is mysteriously attacked, and at the hospital, babbles and clutches the year's most popular Halloween costume, an eerie pumpkin mask.
24 October 1978
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
25 June 1982
In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years.
30 October 1981
After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr.
22 July 1990
When mild-mannered teacher Billy Ray Smith (Anthony Edwards) vows to bring a student's kidnapper to justice, he needs a bit of help.
18 October 2018
Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
16 December 2005
With a torrid past that haunts him, a movie theatre owner is hired to search for the only existing print of a film so notorious that its single screening caused the viewers to become homicidally insane.
04 November 1988
A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
12 October 2022
Four years after the events of Halloween in 2018, Laurie has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life.
30 May 1986
Truck driver Jack Burton gets embroiled in a supernatural battle when his best friend Wang Chi's green-eyed fiancée is kidnapped by henchmen of the sorcerer Lo Pan, who must marry a girl with green eyes in order to return to the human realm.
07 February 1980
Strange things begin to occurs as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary.
06 August 2017
The greatness, fall and renaissance of Hammer, the flagship company of British popular cinema, mainly from 1955 to 1968.
09 December 1983
Nerdy high schooler Arnie Cunningham falls for Christine, a rusty 1958 Plymouth Fury, and becomes obsessed with restoring the classic automobile to her former glory.
26 July 2006
Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community.
28 September 2004
A look at the making of "Christine" (1983).
23 March 2004
Chronicles the work of cult director John Carpenter through interviews with him and his associates, with emphases on the earlier work.
19 February 2022
A nostalgic journey through ’80s Sci-Fi-films, exploring their impact and relevance today, told by the artist who made them and by those who were inspired to turn their visions into reality.
24 July 2008
A chronicle of the life, work and mind that created the Cthulhu mythos.
15 December 2018
Story of Al Leong, the greatest henchman in film history.
11 September 2000
An examination into the nature of 1960's-70's horror films, the involved artists, and how they reflected contemporary society.
10 January 2009
Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon"), John Carpenter ("Halloween"), Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption"), William Goldman ("The Princess Bride"), Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver"), and dozens of other Hollywood screenwriters share hilarious anecdotes and penetrating insights in "Tales from the Script," the most comprehensive documentary ever made about screenwriting.
03 February 1995
An insurance investigator begins discovering the impact a horror writer's books has on his fans is more than inspirational.
23 May 1981
In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam free.
01 January 1989
This horror documentary is not the same as the 1986 TV special Stephen King's World of Horror nor the 1988 VHS release of the same name, which runs 45 minutes, was distributed by Front Row Entertainment and is about King himself.
14 October 2021
Michael manages to free himself from Laurie Strode's trap to resume his ritual bloodbath. As she fights for her life from injuries from their last encounter, she inspires her daughter Karen, her granddaughter Allyson, and all of Haddonfield to rise up against the unstoppable monster.
27 October 2011
The story of how one Pittsburgh boy’s fascination with monsters drove him to the very top of the Hollywood food chain.
31 August 2007
The early years of young Michael Myers and the events leading up to his fateful Halloween night murder rampage in the quiet town of Haddonfield, Illinois.
13 September 2010
Kristen, a troubled young woman, is captured by the police after burning down a farmhouse and is locked in the North Bend Psychiatric Hospital.
14 October 2005
Trapped within an eerie mist, the residents of Antonio Bay have become the unwitting victims of a horrifying vengeance.
30 October 1998
The church enlists a team of vampire-hunters to hunt down and destroy a group of vampires searching for an ancient relic that will allow them to exist in sunlight.
23 October 1987
A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open it, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all of humanity.
11 December 2006
French documentary on the films of John Carpenter
13 December 1984
When an alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona, the government tries to stop them.
24 August 2001
In 2176, a Martian police unit is sent to pick up a highly dangerous criminal at a remote mining post.
28 April 1995
An American village is visited by some unknown life form which leaves the women of the village pregnant.
29 March 2009
A journey through time and history of diverse monster types, from the latex monster in devastated postwar Japan to aliens and serial murderers.
11 June 1970
The story of a young man, a self-styled cowboy; His dreams of the Old West and its film heroes frequently crushed by the rhythms of modern, urban life.
18 November 2003
Second part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's masterpiece, released in 1968.
11 March 1994
The federal agent Joe Dee Foster is currently investigating a serial killer, helped by doctor Animal who is isolated in a maximum security jail.
05 August 2003
Using original interviews with director John Carpenter, stars Jamie Lee Curtis and P.J. Soles, and crew members, 'Halloween': A Cut Above the Rest unveils the production of the horror classic and how the ingenuity of Carpenter and his team, coupled with the shoestring budget of $325,000, drove the filmmakers to create one of the most influential horror films of all time.
08 September 1998
An in-depth look at the making of John Carpenter's cult classic sci-fi horror The Thing, telling the story of a group of researchers in Antarctica who encounter a parasitic extra-terrestrial life-form that assimilates, then imitates other organisms.
17 September 2021
A documentary that explores the history of heavy metal music, horror films, and how the two genres have merged together over time.
28 September 2004
A look at the making of "Christine" (1983).
18 November 2003
First part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's masterpiece, released in 1968.
06 August 2009
An exploration of the appeal of horror films, with interviews of many legendary directors in the genre.
21 October 1988
Michael returns to Haddonfield for Jamie Lloyd – the orphaned daughter of Laurie Strode – and her babysitter Rachel.
25 October 2010
This feature-length documentary takes a look at one of the most successful film franchises of all time as it goes behind the scenes of John Carpenter’s Halloween, the frightfest that redefined the horror genre in the late 1970s.
12 October 1989
One year later, Michael Myers' traumatized young niece is horrified to discover she has a telepathic bond with her evil uncle.
28 February 1992
After a freak accident, an invisible yuppie runs for his life from a treacherous CIA official while trying to cope with his new life.
12 March 2012
An invasion alien threatens the fate of humanity and begins in a village where there are Bill Johnson, John West and Max Giggs.
10 February 1979
This biopic traces Elvis Presley’s life from his impoverished childhood to his meteoric rise to stardom to his triumphant conquering of Las Vegas.
17 March 1991
Jimmy Pearls, a directionless young drifter, kills Henry Logan's son and two other men after he found out that they murdered Jimmy's parents for their land.
26 October 2007
The sound of flapping bat wings, an empty coffin, glistening fangs, tiny punctures on the neck, the sensual taste of blood, a blank reflection, fear of the cross, and death from daylight.
03 October 2014
Horror fan Tal Zimerman examines the psychology of horror around the world to find out why people love to be scared.
28 March 2006
Documentary by Frank H. Woodward.
29 September 1995
Six years after being kidnapped by a cult, Jamie tries to escape the clutches of her serial killer uncle, Michael Myers.
05 August 1998
Two decades after surviving a massacre on October 31, 1978, former baby sitter Laurie Strode finds herself hunted by persistent knife-wielder Michael Myers.
28 September 2004
A look at the making of "Christine" (1983).
07 October 2008
Alfred Hitchcock often referred to his style of film making as "pure cinema" — using camera movement, editing, music and sound to tell stories that would be impossible in any other medium.
