
The Fandom Files is a new series of articles in which writers for The Horror Syndicate chronicle the origins of their fandom and love for certain films, filmmakers, novels, authors, etc.
John Carpenter is my all-time favorite filmmaker and story-telling hero. The writer-director-producer-composer-editor-and on occasion, actor, represents a rebellious voice that pushes back against the mainstream Hollywood style of storytelling. He makes his films his way, and often that means everything isn’t wrapped up in a neat bow, and the heroes don’t always end their journeys victorious; most of his films are left open-ended, with a mystery still lingering for the audience to chew on, and happy endings are few and far between in his filmography.
The multi-talented Carpenter also represents a strong work ethic and tough as nails attitude. For most of his films he was a filmmaker who wore many hats, doing whatever it would take to make his films his way, and because of this his body of works feel unique. With only a few exceptions, when you watch a John Carpenter movie you know they’re John Carpenter films. This isn’t to say that he was entirely a one-man show, as his visions are made possible with the help of many whom have collaborated with him on multiple occasions, such as Tommy Lee Wallace, Debra Hill, Dean Cundey, Gary Kibbe, Alan Howarth, and the long list of actors and actresses that appeared in several of his projects, whether the part be large or small.
While many of his films have gained cult status over the years, a lot of them were critical and box-office failures, and yet he continued to push out film after film from the mid-seventies to the early two-thousands, never giving up or giving in. But he’s also brutally honest, critiquing his own works as he would any else’s, and accepting of his own self-perceived short-comings. Fans of the Halloween franchise may not be particularly fond of his opinions on ‘Halloween II’ (1981) or the rest of the franchise but considering that he worked on the former as co-writer and producer, and that the latter franchise is derived from his original film, he’s allowed these opinions. He just won’t lie about them; he won’t tell people what they, the fans, want to hear. When he speaks, he’s authentic, and like the character of Snake Plissken, he’s no-nonsense and cuts through the bullshit.
To me, his ethic, determination, and tell-it-like-it-is attitude is inspiring.
He’s the artist that I wanted to be.
Growing up I had seen only a few of his films. ‘Halloween’ (1978) happens to be my mother’s favorite horror film and, along with the sequels, were always watched in my home. ‘The Thing’ (1982) and ‘Christine’ (1983) were films that I would occasionally catch on television, and I had seen ‘Escape from L.A.’ (1996) in the theater unaware that it was a sequel. At this point in time, I hadn’t really given much thought to the idea that all of these were from the same person.
Later, around the time I began to take an interest in screenwriting and filmmaking, I had revisited ‘Halloween’ and saw it in a different light; Carpenter’s direction, script, and score – combined with Dean Cundey’s cinematography – made it clear that it wasn’t just a slasher film, it was art. It was an exercise in patient storytelling, allowing shots and scenes to linger in moments where most filmmakers would quickly cut away, and built suspense and tension through anticipation and atmosphere.
After, I knew that I needed to see more of his films and so I rented ‘The Fog’ (1980) and ‘Assault on Precinct 13’ (1976) and from there I became the massive fan that I am today, renting everything I could that he was involved with and studying his craft and techniques, as I was deeply immersed into his works and unconventional ways of storytelling that were unlike a lot of what Hollywood was putting out. While it was a fresh viewing of ‘Halloween’ from a different lens that put me on the path, I gave The Fog’ credit for cementing me as a fan.
At this point in time during my first viewing of the movie it had occurred to me that Carpenter wasn’t a filmmaker who repeated himself; ‘’Dark Star’ (1974), ‘Assault on Precinct 13’ (1976), ‘Halloween’ (1978), ‘Someone’s Watching Me’ (1978), ‘Elvis’ (1979) and ‘The Fog’ (1980) were all uniquely different from each other, and he would continue this trend afterwards with ‘Escape from New York’ (1981), ‘The Thing’ (1982), ‘Christine’ (1983), ‘Starman’ (1984), ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ (1986), ‘Prince of Darkness’ (1987), ‘They Live’ (1988), ‘Memoirs of an Invisible Man’ (1992), ‘Body Bags’ (1993), ‘In The Mouth of Madness’ (1995), ‘Village of the Damned’ (1995), ‘Vampires’ (1998) and even ‘The Ward’ (2010) – the only exceptions to this point are ‘Escape from L.A.’ (1996), which felt a little too close to its predecessor, and ‘Ghosts of Mars’ (2001), which felt like a mash-up of his 1976 and 1981 films but with more science-fiction elements and setting – but the point remains the same: not only is he a filmmaker that can transcend genres, but when he works within familiar genres he finds a way to make them stand apart and exist individually.
‘The Fog’ had all the technical filmmaking elements that I admired from ‘Halloween’ and then some. This wasn’t the small, intimate tale of terror set in a middle America town like his 1978 horror masterpiece, instead this was a larger scale story with a variety of lead protagonists, all of whom felt important to the story, and it was set in the beautiful sea-side town of Antonio Bay. The extended sequence of Adrienne Barbeau’s Stevie Wayne driving her jeep from the town to the KAB radio-station/light house effectively shows off the stunning geography of the film’s setting and establishes the isolation that her character finds herself in when shit hits the fan in the third act. I suspect most filmmakers would have shortened this trek, but I love it the way it is.
What really grabbed me here was the film’s story and established lore surrounding Captain Blake and the Crew of the Elizabeth Dane, and the six conspirators who led them to their deaths to steal their gold. I’m not personally big on ghost stories, but this one really worked for me. Furthermore, I love the choice Carpenter made to keep Blake and his ghostly crew as silhouettes with glowing red eyes throughout the film. This was a great way to visualize the antagonists as supernatural-based threats.
And now for the controversial opinion of this piece: while John Carpenter’s score isn’t as iconic or recognizable as that of ‘Halloween’, I actually like his score for ‘The Fog’ more. I think the main theme is subtle and haunting, working perfectly with the story and atmosphere of the film, and it really kicks into gear during the third act when Blake’s ghostly crew come for our lead characters. Although I should point out that I don’t consider it a competition, since his scores tend to be really strong for the majority of his films, particularly his earlier films. For me, his music is almost always a delight to my ears, with ‘The Fog’, ‘Assault on Precinct 13’, ‘Halloween’, ‘Escape from New York’ and ‘Prince of Darkness’ being among my favorites of his.
In closing, ‘The Fog’ is my second favorite of the legendary director’s filmography and is one that I rewatch the most. It was the film that really opened my eyes to the director’s versatility and cemented me as the hard-core fan that I am today. The film may not get as much love from the filmmaker himself or some of my fellow fans, but it is one that will always hold a special place in my heart.
Am I weird?
Why yes, yes, I am weird.
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