Vampires (1998)
John Carpenter turns vampire hunting into blue-collar work, with James Woods carrying the whole film on attitude.
John Carpenter
This archive gathers the films directed by John Carpenter reviewed at Master of Worlds: “Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)”, “Dark Star (1974)”, “Halloween (1978)”, “The Fog (1980)”, and “They Live (1988)” — 5 titles in all. Seen together they show a consistent sensibility across different films. The reviews focus on the direction as craft — what it contributes, how it serves each story, and what separates the work from the ordinary version of the same material. Rather than rank the films, the collection treats them as a body of work worth examining. The list expands as additional titles are added.
Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher template. Michael Myers in mask, Jamie Lee Curtis debut. The Carpenter score. Foundation of every slasher.
They Live (1988)
A drifter discovers sunglasses that reveal the wealthy elite are alien creatures controlling humanity through subliminal messaging.
The Fog (1980)
John Carpenter directs the story of a California coastal town haunted by the vengeful ghosts of mariners killed a century earlier.
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
John Carpenter’s 1976 LA siege thriller. Decommissioned police station under gang assault. Rio Bravo transplanted to urban America.
Dark Star (1974) — Review
Dark Star is John Carpenter’s directorial debut and one of the most influential low-budget science fiction films ever made. The film was developed as a USC student short by Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon. They expanded the production into a feature with additional financing from Jack H. Harris. The…