John Carpenter

John Carpenter Movies and TV Shows

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.

Personal info

  • Gender: Male
  • Date of birth: 1/16/1948 (76 years old)
  • Place of birth: Carthage, New York, USA
  • nationality: American
  • height: 1.83 m
  • Net worth: $40,000,000
  • twitter: TheHorrorMaster
  • instagram: JohnCarpenterOfficial
Year
Genre
IMDB
TMDB
Available on the following streaming services in the United States
Halloween Ends
IMDB 5.0
TMDB 61%
role:
Executive Producer
2022

Horror

Mystery

Thriller

5.0
61%
Firestarter
IMDB 4.6
TMDB 59%
role:
Original Music Composer
2022

Horror

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

4.6
59%
Studio 666
IMDB 5.7
TMDB 61%
role:
Music
2022

Comedy

Horror

Music

5.7
61%
In Search of Tomorrow
IMDB 7.7
TMDB 60%
role:
Self - Interviewee
2022

Documentary

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.7
60%
Halloween Kills
IMDB 5.5
TMDB 64%
role:
Executive Producer & 2 more
2021

Crime

Horror

Thriller

5.5
64%
2020

Documentary

Horror

7.9
80%
2019

Documentary

Horror

8.0
80%
Halloween
IMDB 6.5
TMDB 66%
role:
Producer & 3 more
2018

Horror

6.5
66%
Why Horror?
IMDB 6.2
TMDB 63%
role:
Himself
2014

Documentary

6.2
63%
Charlie Brown's Blockhead Revenge
IMDB 5.9
TMDB 68%
role:
Himself (Host)
Not available
2011

Comedy

5.9
68%
Not available
Halloween: The Inside Story
IMDB 8.0
TMDB 74%
role:
Self
Not available
2010

Documentary

TV Movie

8.0
74%
Not available
2010

Documentary

8.1
74%
The Ward
IMDB 5.5
TMDB 58%
role:
Director
2010

Horror

Thriller

5.5
58%
2009

Documentary

7.1
68%
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
IMDB 7.4
TMDB 60%
role:
Himself
Not available
2008

Documentary

7.4
60%
Not available
2008

Documentary

7.2
71%
Halloween
IMDB 6.0
TMDB 62%
role:
Original Film Writer
2007

Horror

6.0
62%
Pro-Life
IMDB 5.6
TMDB 54%
role:
Director
2006

Horror

TV Movie

Thriller

5.6
54%
Cigarette Burns
IMDB 7.5
TMDB 75%
role:
Director
2005

Horror

TV Movie

7.5
75%
The Fog
IMDB 3.7
TMDB 44%
role:
Original Film Writer
2005

Horror

Thriller

3.7
44%
Assault on Precinct 13
IMDB 6.3
TMDB 61%
role:
Original Film Writer
2005

Thriller

6.3
61%
Vampires: Los Muertos
IMDB 4.5
TMDB 54%
role:
Music & 1 more
2002

Action

Horror

Thriller

4.5
54%
2002

Horror

Thriller

3.9
47%
Ghosts of Mars
IMDB 4.9
TMDB 51%
role:
Writer & 3 more
2001

Action

Horror

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

4.9
51%
Vampires
IMDB 6.1
TMDB 63%
role:
Music & 1 more
1998

Action

Horror

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

6.1
63%
1998

Horror

Thriller

5.8
60%
Escape from L.A.
IMDB 5.7
TMDB 59%
role:
Characters & 3 more
1996

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.7
59%
1995

Horror

Thriller

4.7
52%
Village of the Damned
IMDB 5.6
TMDB 60%
role:
Original Music Composer & 2 more
1995

Horror

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.6
60%
In the Mouth of Madness
IMDB 7.1
TMDB 72%
role:
Original Music Composer & 1 more
1995

Horror

Mystery

Thriller

7.1
72%
The Silence of the Hams
IMDB 4.6
TMDB 49%
role:
Trenchcoat Man / Gimp
Not available
1994

Comedy

Thriller

4.6
49%
Not available
Body Bags
IMDB 6.2
TMDB 61%
role:
Executive Producer & 3 more
1993

Comedy

Horror

TV Movie

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

6.2
61%
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
IMDB 6.0
TMDB 59%
role:
Director & 1 more
1992

Comedy

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

6.0
59%
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
IMDB 4.9
TMDB 54%
role:
Main Title Theme Composer & 1 more
1989

Horror

Thriller

4.9
54%
Agatha Christie's Poirot
IMDB 8.6
TMDB 81%
role:
Bennett & 3 more
1989

Crime

Drama

Mystery

8.6
81%
They Live
IMDB 7.2
TMDB 73%
role:
Original Music Composer & 3 more
1988

Action

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.2
73%
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
IMDB 5.8
TMDB 61%
role:
Main Title Theme Composer
1988

Horror

Thriller

5.8
61%
Prince of Darkness
IMDB 6.7
TMDB 68%
role:
Original Music Composer & 2 more
1987

Horror

6.7
68%
Big Trouble in Little China
IMDB 7.2
TMDB 72%
role:
Original Music Composer & 3 more
1986

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.2
72%
Starman
IMDB 7.0
TMDB 68%
role:
Director & 2 more
1984

Romance

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.0
68%
The Philadelphia Experiment
IMDB 6.1
TMDB 61%
role:
Executive Producer
1984

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

6.1
61%
Christine
IMDB 6.8
TMDB 68%
role:
Original Music Composer & 1 more
1983

Horror

6.8
68%
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
IMDB 5.2
TMDB 52%
role:
Original Music Composer & 1 more
1982

Horror

5.2
52%
The Thing
IMDB 8.2
TMDB 81%
role:
Original Music Composer & 2 more
1982

Horror

Mystery

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

8.2
81%
Halloween II
IMDB 6.5
TMDB 66%
role:
Original Music Composer & 2 more
1981

Horror

6.5
66%
Escape from New York
IMDB 7.1
TMDB 71%
role:
Screenplay & 3 more
1981

Action

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.1
71%
The Fog
IMDB 6.8
TMDB 67%
role:
Original Music Composer
1980

Horror

6.8
67%
Someone's Watching Me!
IMDB 6.6
TMDB 62%
role:
Writer & 1 more
1978

Horror

Mystery

TV Movie

Thriller

6.6
62%
Halloween
IMDB 7.7
TMDB 76%
role:
Director & 3 more
1978

Horror

Thriller

7.7
76%
Eyes of Laura Mars
IMDB 6.2
TMDB 58%
role:
Story & 1 more
1978

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

6.2
58%
Assault on Precinct 13
IMDB 7.3
TMDB 73%
role:
Writer & 4 more
1976

Action

Crime

Thriller

7.3
73%
Dark Star
IMDB 6.2
TMDB 61%
role:
Original Music Composer & 4 more
1974

Comedy

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

6.2
61%

FAQs

Some movies or TV shows available in the United States starring or involving John Carpenter are, for example, Halloween Ends, Firestarter and Studio 666.
The streaming services with the largest selection are Prime Video, Amazon and iTunes.
The best StreamFat ratings are Agatha Christie's Poirot (8.4), The Thing (8.2) and In Search of Darkness (8.0).