Top 10 John Carpenter Films

Writer/Composer/Director John Carpenter has created some of the horror genres most influential and beloved in film history. Although financial success to most of his films elude him, this has not stopped many of his films from becoming cult classics and living on through the decades from generation to generation. Below are a few highlights from the best of this director's career.

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Before Colors. Before Boyz N Da Hood. There was this little known film called Assault on Precinct13 that took audiences by storm assaulting everyone's preconceptions of what real gang warfare was like in the streets. When cops and ordinary criminals must band together against a common enemy with no name it is as brutal as it is poetic. Carpenter loves to blur the lines between what we as audiences perceive as good and evil and it's at its most powerful and most relentless here.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Before Tarantino even thought up Kill Bill, there was this film that effortlessly blended Chinese mysticism and film aesthetics with good ol' American adventure and heroism, which doesn't need overly obsessive violence to make a point. Like most of Carpenter's films this one is way before its time yet still relevant and original to this day.

Christine (1983)

John Carpenter does Stephen King! I guess every major genre director tackles a Stephen King novel and Carpenter's just so happens to be one of the better ones. Although slightly dated this killer car classic is one of the few in its subgenre that actually packs a punch while still remaining entertaining on subsequent viewings.

Escape From New York (1981)

A landmark in post apocalyptic films that created a cultural icon out of Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken. This is Carpenter's most dated film yet remains fun and invigorating to the very end. Plus, it has Donald Pleasance and Isaac Hayes! Who could ask for anything more?

Halloween (1978)

I won't go into how much of a horror landmark and a world phenom this film is. It's the ultimate horror holiday blood-fest (and it says as much in the title). It's also one of the benchmark stories about good vs. evil in its most primal personae. Carpenter created a "boogyman" to rival any that came before it and will come after it in The Shape otherwise known to the world as Michael Myers.

In The Mouth of Madness (1995)

Other than Stuart Gordon, Carpenter is the only director to ever capture the grandiose and mythos of H. P. Lovecraft in this cerebral horror extravaganza. With a larger than expected budget and a top notch cast that includes a cameo by Charlton Heston who can ask for anything more?

Prince of Darkness (1987)

Carpenter excels at ensemble horror films where so many other directors fail. This is no exception borrowing heavily from The Thing, this is a claustrophobic experience where the enemy is around every corner and you're not sure who you can trust. Carpenter continues to trump his contemporaries by doing horror films that don't talk down to the audience and still provide enough light humor to sublimate the terror that follows.

Starman (1984)

One of the most romantic alien love stories to ever be crafted and from a director known mainly for his horror output. This film works because the performances of Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen are so genuine and tragic at the same time. Although the special effects are somewhat dated by today's standards, they are few and far in between and never take away from the enjoyment of the film.

They Live (1988)

This alien invasion film was way ahead of its time as it speaks loudly about consumerism and how much we are willing to sell our souls away just for a taste of the good life. Oh, and its one of the most entertaining vigilante, comic book influenced, pulp movies that Carpenter ever made that gets better with age. It still possesses one of the longest non-CGI hand-to-hand fights ever committed to celluloid made better knowing that it actually contributes to the story rather than takes away from it.

The Thing (1982)

Next to Halloween, no other film in Carpenter's oeuvre has touched audiences as much as this cult sensation. The ultimate film in paranoia, pessimism, and sheer terror that still packs a punch to this day. This film is the ultimate expression in the unknown. Plus, Rob Bottin's special creature FX are jaw dropping and have yet to be rivaled in this current CGI heavy industry.

Director John Carpenter has crafted some of the most influential horror films of the '80s and '90s and even though he's been less successful in subsequent years his films still manage to connect with audiences of all generations and still have the power to impact a few scares when called upon.