John Carpenter is rightly known as a master of horror. He’s responsible for classics like Halloween, The Thing, Prince of Darkness and They Live (not to mention kickass action movies Big Trouble in Little China, Escape From New York and Assault on Precinct 13). He’s also playing a major role behind the scenes on Blumhouse’s Halloween trilogy, providing a new synth score for each film. His work on Halloween (2018) was incredible and I can’t wait to see what he comes up over the next two years for Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends.
But today he’s getting a lot of positive buzz on social media due to his praise for the recently released Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. This is the latest in the long-running Assassin’s Creed video game series, with this instalment building on the open world designs of Origins and Odyssey but with a Viking twist.
Carpenter seems to be loving it and has been sharing his thoughts on the title on Twitter, as you can see below:
ASSASSIN'S CREED VALHALLA is a return to excellence in the franchise. Massive open world, beautifully designed, with great gameplay. Incredible game.
— John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) November 25, 2020
The official Assassin’s Creed account was honored by the praise, saying:
Thank you, Mentore! You have been an inspiration to us all, so your praise truly means the world to us! https://t.co/f7cAQRGjNH
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) November 25, 2020
Fans also chimed in, with many surprised that the 72-year-old director knows his way around a controller, and you can see just some of the reactions below.
I had no idea that you’re a gamer. This makes you cooler in my book.
— Mike Nunoz – LONE REBEL PRODUCTIONS, LLC (@mikeydnunoz) November 25, 2020
John Master of Horror Carpenter plays games!?
How about an Escape from New York/LA or better yet They Live game!?
— Never Noob (@xNever_Noob) November 25, 2020
carpenter is so great
— samuel (@samtrayter) November 25, 2020
Never thought I’d hear a video game review from the best movie director of all time,
— CrispyBaconWatchesStuff (@CrispyWatches) November 25, 2020
You learn something new everyday i wouldn't have pegged you as someone who enjoys video games
— Indie Author David S. Allen (@Asylum_Core2) November 25, 2020
Of course, longtime Carpenter fans will know that he’s been a gamer for years. He’s previously mentioned in interviews that he got into the medium way back in the early 90s when he began playing his son’s copy of Sonic the Hedgehog on Genesis.
“I loved the game. I loved everything about it. I especially loved the music. There was something about the whole sound and feel of the Sonic games and suddenly I’m so much younger and it’s the ‘90s.”
He’s credited his history of gaming with keeping his mind and reflexes sharp and has even kept up with current releases. Over the summer, he explained that he was a big fan of The Last of Us Part II, saying: “It’s beautiful. So far I’ve done very little zombie killing. I’ve had a snowball fight and played guitar.”
Personally, I’d love to see John Carpenter get involved in making a game. There was The Thing on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC in 2002 and he contributed to F.E.A.R. 3, but it’d be great to get something along the lines of Alien: Isolation, except with Michael Myers stalking you. C’mon developers, let’s make it happen!
