A John Carpenter Poll

anyone know what the deal is with the soundtrack? credits in the beginning say it's morricone, but that main theme (the synth piece that uses a bassy sound to a percussive effect - y'all know the one) sounds v. carpenter-ish. was the soundtrack a collabo in any way? gotta be.

I think it was just Morricone (or more likely one of his assistants) scoring the film in the style of Carpenter. Which makes you wonder why Carpenter didn't just do it himself?

So, no-one likes Christine?

I saw "The Thing" at the Edinburgh Film Festival Premier, and some punter in the front row had had the bright idea of taking acid to enhance the experience. He was carried out screaming during the initial sequence with the dogs. Which certainly added to the intensity of the movie for the rest of us.

did he announce to that theater that he had taken acid or something?

This is the first poll where I've seen/heard every single one of the choices and if I had to pick a loser it would be Christine - not from any fault of Carpenter. If anything he did the impossible and made a lousy Stephen King story pretty good, but there's numerous weak points with it beginning with the two lead characters. I think with a different cast (it's 1983 what the hell, say Tom Cruise and Timothy Hutton) it could have been outstanding.

Memoirs Of An Invisible Man isn't a bad movie (if anything it's Chevy Chase's last good movie) but gets it bad rep only because Carpenter directed it straight-up with no real horror, blood, etc.

Ghosts Of Mars is silly fun and is to Assault On Precinct 13 as Escape From LA is to Escape From NY.

The Kurt Russell trilogy is unfuckwithable and are the best movies that either Carpenter and Russell have done. However, I gotta vote for They Live as it's my personal fave.

This poll really needs to have Elvis on it too

Keith Gordon >>>>>>>> Tom Cruise! Timothy Hutton >>> John Stockton though.

I think those duads are mismatched.

er, diads ... or duals ...

Stockwell, ahem. John Stockton >>>>> all of them (except Keith Gordon haha.)

Keith Gordon > John Stockton >> Timothy Hutton >>> John Stockwell >> Tom Cruise.

I think it was just Morricone (or more likely one of his assistants) scoring the film in the style of Carpenter. Which makes you wonder why Carpenter didn't just do it himself?

yeah, this makes sense. I do wish carpenter did the score since most of it is a little forgettable... but the main theme is pretty sweet, so whatevs.

I voted for They Live—(Rowdy Roddy Piper and Keith David! Meg Foster's weird eyes!), but almost voted for The Thing, so I'm glad of all the Thing love. The opening scene with the possessed husky!

tough poll

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

That was a bit of a landslide.

Prince of Darkness deserved more.

DAS DING IST NUMMER EINS, JA.

Haloween robbed

Everyone transferred their love to the Rob Zombie one. :P

Village of The Damned

Missed this one (in the poll and in real life)... being a John Wyndham fan I am intrigued. Some mad props in the IMDB comments, anyone here seen it?

Prince of Darkness and the Fog both deserve better, but in all fairness neither is the best film he did.

(xpost)I've seen it. It's good, but not a patch on the original.

I sort of didn't expect that. Even taking into account the split between BTILC and EFNY isn't enough to cover the dececit.

But, yeah, The Fog deserved at least one vote.

Lack of Halloween love is slightly surprising, it was my clear second choice (after The Thing, obv). To add to discussion upthread, when you look at Carpenter's output over the years he has made some great GREAT films. Does he have it in him to ever make another classic?

"I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time, I'd rather not spend the rest of this winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!"

Does he have it in him to ever make another classic

The two shows he did for the "Masters Of Horror" series were pretty good.

I was unaware of them - thanks for the heads up. Bitt0rr3nt time!

I think they are on DVD.

I certainly hope Carpenter's segments were better than Joe Dante's ludicrously overrated one about Republicans and elections, et al.

Cage and Carpenter both need a movie like this. I'm going to cross my fingers at least as this could be terrific...

Nicolas Cage to Star in John Carpenter’s Scared Straight

I think almost everyone has been subjected to Arnold Shapiro’s documentary Scared Straight! in High School. But for those who haven’t, the film follows a group of delinquent teens who are brought into a maximum security prison to help them change their ways. Supposedly, many of the teens in the original program were, in fact, “scared straight” and went on to lead happy, productive lives. As a result of the film, many states introduced “scared straight” programs in an attempt to rehabilitate young delinquents. While I was never a troublemaker, one of my high school sociology classes took a field trip to our local prison. I remember on the bus ride over, talking to friends about what would happen if a riot broke out while we were in the prison. It seemed like a great idea for a movie. Looks like someone else also had the same idea.

Nicolas Cage is in final negotiations to star in John Carpenter’s Scared Straight, a prison thriller about a troubled youth who is sent to the Scared Straight crime-prevention program. But when a riot breaks out and the prisoners take him hostage, a lifer (played by Cage) is forced to help the young man out. xXx director Rob Cohen was attached to the project when it was set-up at New Line. Carpenter is a huge step up. I’ve heard that the original spec script by Joe Gazzam was rather weak. Ron Brinkerhoff, who wrote The Guardian, has since rewritten the entire screenplay.

Con-Air 2

this will be terrible

It seemed like a great idea for a movie

WRONG

xXx director Rob Cohen was attached to the project when it was set-up at New Line. Carpenter is a huge step up.

lol @ Slashfilm's specious logic & editorializing based on films Carpenter made 25-30 years ago (tho I'm always up for a return to non-shittiness from JC)

the writer of The Guardian really shouldn't be allowed near a word processor.

Just watched Starman again for the first time in years...kind of an adult version of E.T.....love the "main theme" by Jack Nitzsche, though. Whatever happened to the great Charles Martin Smith? Now I need to re-watch Never Cry Wolf.....

ZERO FUCKING VOTES for In the Mouth of Madness?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE

ESPECIALLY WHOEVER VOTED FOR CHRISTINE INSTEAD

I don't think anyone's denying it's a good film, but look at what it's up against - this should be a POX thread.

just watched In the Mouth of Madness last week, and yeah, it was pretty well-done

The fight scene in They Live should be considered as its own feature.

http://theofficialjohncarpenter.com/

I logged on just to enthuse about The Eyes of Laura Mars, scripted by Carpenter. Turns out I already did that two years ago. Anyway, great, great movie. Like an early Argento vision of decadent 70's NY, and Faye is utterly fabulous.

Prince of Darkness is way better than half the films that got points in this poll btw. But anyway.

ESPECIALLY WHOEVER VOTED FOR CHRISTINE INSTEAD

Christine is actually a pretty fantastic movie.

Oh, that it is, but what it isn't is In the Mouth of Madness.

"Mouth" was better than I remembered it. "Prince" was worse. Is "Invisible Man" even on DVD, or was it disowned by all involved?

unimpeachable run imo

Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)
Halloween (1978)
Escape from New York (1981)
The Thing (1982)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
They Live (1988)

you're skipping some things

I just c&p'd

Good news everyone!

You will have to indulge the fanboy in me while I rejoice in the fact that ELVIS will be released on DVD for the first time on March 2, 2010. In my opinion, this was one the greatest musical biopics ever produced, and the fact it was originally made for the small screen is even more remarkable.

In 1979, John Carpenter was hot after HALLOWEEN and Kurt Russell was transitioning from Disney child star into more mature roles ... who knew back then that they would go on to collaborate four more times including ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and THE THING, two groundbreaking (classic) movies that still stand the test of time today.

Other than the length of time it has taken for this movie to become available, the biggest surprise is that the movie doesn't actually feature any original Presley songs. Even though they were made available at the time, Carpenter chose to use country singer Ronnie McDowell to sing the songs, and he nails it.