It’s hard to think of a more influential and iconic horror filmmaker than “The Master Of Horror” himself: John Carpenter. Not only is he a multi-disciplined craftsman – he’s known to direct, produce, write and score his own pics – but he’s also comfortable working within a variety of contrasting genres.
That all being said, it’s safe to say that the horror genre is the American filmmaker’s real bread and butter, hence his illustrious nickname. Though Carpenter has been relatively quiet as of late – the last flick he directed was 2010’s The Ward, while the last movie he produced and scored was last year’s brilliant Halloween reboot – he did sit down recently to answer some questions regarding the modern horror genre as a whole, and here’s what he had to share:
“No, I see the plumbing,” Carpenter said when asked if modern horror movies scare him these days. “You have to be young, young is good, and know a little less [to get scared]. But when a movie does affect me, that means it’s great because it’s gotten past all my sensors.”
“There was a movie a few years ago I thought was just fabulous,” Carpenter admitted. “It was called Let The Right One In. I believe that was a Swedish film. Oh, man, that was terrific. Just terrific. It just reinvented the vampire myth quite a bit. And I liked it.”
From 1978’s revolutionary slasher Halloween, to 1982’s sci-fi chiller The Thing, to 1994’s apocalyptic Lovecraftian tale In The Mouth Of Madness, Carpenter has always been a pioneer, pushing boundaries across a number of genres. As a result, many younger filmmakers often end up emulating his iconic, influential style. (I’m looking at you It Follows!)
“They shouldn’t emulate anybody,” Carpenter advised. “That’s what these new filmmakers should do. They should be themselves. Pave their own way.”
The Master Of Horror did go on to touch on two other modern horror filmmakers that are currently making really fresh films in the genre as well, Jordan Peele (Get Out) and Ari Aster (Hereditary), respectively: “They’re doing great. So they got to keep going.”
We certainly agree with that, but tell us, how do you feel about John Carpenter‘s recent comments? Let us know in the usual place down below.
Published: Sep 23, 2019 07:50 pm