John Carpenter- Inspirational Director

1. John Carpenter
Horror Movie Director

2. Background Information:
John Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter,
producer, musician, editor and composer. He is most commonly
associated with horror, action and science fiction films from the
1970s and 1980s.
He attended Western Kentucky University, where his father
chaired the music department, then transferred to the University
of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in 1968, but
dropped out to make his first feature.
Who inspired him. He lived in New York until his dad got a job in Kentucky University where they moved
to. This move inspired aspects of his film making as he describes how he and his family felt very out of
place moving to a rural area with different values and way of life. Due to his dad having a PHD in Music
he was hugely inspired by him and his music and comments on how it is a second nature to him as it is
something he has grown up with. His father also introduced him to making films when he gave him a
home movie camera where he learned a lot of simple techniques about movie making.

3. Timeline of His Movies
1970 -The Voyeur
1974
1970 1976
1978
1980
1981
1981
1982
1982
1983 1986
1984

4. 1986
1988
1988
1989
1990
1994
1995
1995
1998
1998
1999
2001

5. 2002 2016
2010 2018
John Carpenter worked in numerous film genres however he is most
commonly associated with horror, science fiction and action films.
John Carpenter occasionally worked on low budget movies which he
was exceptionally good at making a success. For instance, The Fog
was a made using $1,000,000 and was an immediate commercial
success, generating $21,000,000 in the United States alone despite
this film not being Carpenter’s favourite. Additionally, the Halloween
franchise was made on a relatively small budget of $320,000 and was
one of his most famous pieces of work. Other low budget films made
by John Carpenter included Dark Star, which cost $60,000, and
Assault on Precinct 13.
Many of Carpenter's films unfortunately were box office failures,
including Big Trouble in Little China, Memoirs of An Invisible Man and
Village of the Damned. Although Carpenter experienced many box
office failures, his movies were quick to obtain cult followers. Movies
of his that are considered cult movies include Dark Star, Assault on
Precinct 13, The Thing, Christine, Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of
Darkness, They Live and In The Mouth of Madness.
The Starman film received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for
Jeff Bridges' portrayal of Starman and received a Golden Globe
nomination for Best Musical Score.

7. The Halloween Franchise
Halloween was a franchise directed by John Carpenter and was written by both Carpenter and
Debra Hill. It was a huge hit and aided the birth of the slasher film genre. The film was made
on a relatively small budget of $320,000 and generated over $65 million initially, making it one
of the most successful independent films of all time.
There are eight Halloween movies in total, the first was released in 1978 and the most recent
will be released in 2018. However John Carpenter has decided not to direct the newest
addition of the Halloween franchise and has instead given the role to David Gordon Green.
The continuation of the movie shows the popularity and success it has experienced and will go
down in history.
In addition to the film's critical and commercial success, Carpenter's self-composed
"Halloween Theme" became recognisable apart from the movie. Carpenter admitted that the
music was inspired by both Dario Argento's Suspiria (which also influenced the film's surreal
colour scheme) and William Friedkin's The Exorcist.

8. Synopsis: On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old
Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister,
Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years.
But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court
date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes
Smith's Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of
Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.
The movie was originally called ‘The Babysitter murders’ however was
changed to Halloween on request of the film producer, Irwin Yablans,
suggesting the setting be changed to Halloween night. This was
addressed whilst also keeping the idea of babysitters being killed as a
concept within the movie.

9. CAST
Laurie Strode (Jamie
Lee Curtis) - Is the final
girl and primary
protagonist of the
Halloween movie
series.
Michael Myers- The
masked killer in the
Halloween movie
series. He kills his older
sister and then returns
to murder more
teenagers.
Lynda Van Der Klok
(P.J. Soles)- She
was close friends
with Laurie Strode
and Annie Brackett.
She is strangled to
death by Michael
Myers with a phone
cord.
Annie Brackett
(Nancy Kyes)-
Michael Myers
choked Annie nearly
to death, then
finished her off by
swiftly slicing her
throat open with a
butcher knife.

10. Thomas "Tommy"
Doyle-
Is babysat by Laurie Strode.
Tommy believed Michael Myers
to be the boogeyman, but
Laurie repeatedly dismissed his
concerns.
Lindsey Wallace-
Is babysat by Laurie Strode
along with Thomas Doyle.
Leigh Brackett-
sheriff of the small town
of Haddonfield, Illinois.
He is Annie’s father.
Samuel
Loomis-
A psychiatrist

11. “It ended up different from what it started out to be. My
instructions were to write The Babysitter Murders which,
obviously, is about a killer stalking babysitters. I mean, that’s
still in there but I had complete creative control, so I just went
with instinct, putting in all the things I knew would play well,
all the background I had from watching horror films all my life.
All the things I wanted to see, things I knew movies could do
that hadn’t been done. It’s simple: the set ups, just quiet
things, the mood you can create. It is what it is, it’s a very
simple film.”
-John Carpenter
“To make Michael Myers frightening, I
made him walk like a man, not a
monster”
-John Carpenter
In Halloween, I viewed the characters as
simply normal teenagers. Laurie, Jamie Lee's
character, was shy and somewhat repressed.
And Michael Myers, the killer, is definitely
repressed. They have certain similarities.
-John Carpenter
What scares me is what scares you. We're
all afraid of the same things. That's why
horror is such a powerful genre. All you have
to do is ask yourself what frightens you and
you'll know what frightens me.
-John Carpenter

13. The Thing (1982)
The Thing is a horror within the sub-genre sci-fi. The film's title
refers to its primary antagonist: a parasitic extra-terrestrial
lifeform that assimilates other organisms and in turn imitates
them. The Thing infiltrates an Antarctic research station, taking
the appearance of the researchers that it absorbs, and paranoia
develops within the group.
The Thing opened #8 and remained in the top 10 at the box
office for three weeks. However, The Thing went on to gain a
cult following. It is considered to be one of the greatest horror
films ever made.
The film subsequently spawned a novelisation in 1982; a comic
book miniseries adaptation, entitled The Thing from Another
World, published by Dark Horse Comics in 1991; a video game
sequel, also titled The Thing, in 2002; and a prequel film with
the same title on October 14, 2011.

14. Synopsis: In remote Antarctica, a group of American
research scientists are disturbed at their base camp by a
helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the
dog, it brutally attacks both human beings and canines in
the camp and they discover that the beast can assume
the shape of its victims. A resourceful helicopter pilot
(Kurt Russell) and the camp doctor (Richard Dysart) lead
the camp crew in a desperate, gory battle against the
vicious creature before it picks them all off, one by one.

15. The Thing Trailer

16. Cast R.J McReady- R.J.
MacReady is a helicopter pilot
for U.S. Outpost 31 in the
Antarctic. Part of a twelve man
crew, MacReady is the groups
outsider. MacReady takes
control when the intruder
organism infiltrates Outpost 31
because he is a survivor.
Childs- He works on US
Outpost 31 as a general
handyman and is also a
trained nurse. Childs doesn't
much care for life on the
base, but the pay is good
and the isolation keeps him
out of trouble.
Dr.Blair-Dr. Blair is
a total humanitarian,
although cynical and
slightly untrusting, the
man is a genius and
able to see the big
picture quickly.
Palmer- Assistant
mechanic Palmer is
oblivious to the
danger he is until the
very moment he is
assimilated at an
undisclosed point in
the film.

17. Nauls-
Was a cook stationed
at American Antarctic
research station, U.S.
Outpost 31.
Dr. Copper-
Was a physician
stationed at American
Antarctic research
station, U.S. Outpost
31.
M.T Garry-
W as the Commander
of American Antarctic
research station, U.S.
Outpost 31.
Clark-
Was a dog handler
stationed at American
Antarctic research
station, U.S. Outpost 31.

18. Waites Windows-
Was the Radio Operator of
the U.S. Outpost 31.
Norris-
Was a geologist
stationed at American
Antarctic research
station, U.S. Outpost
31
Lars-
Was a Norwegian
crew-member
stationed at the Thule
Antarctic research
station.
George
Bennings-
Was a meteorologist
stationed at American
Antarctic research
station, U.S. Outpost
31.

19. Directing Style
His films are characterised by minimalist lighting and photography, static cameras, use of steadicam, and distinctive
synthesized scores (usually self-composed). Minimalist lighting is used to create a shadows in the image whilst also
presenting enough light to reveal detail. This lighting therefore results in an eerie and mysterious atmosphere. Additionally,
the use of a steadicam creates more realistic footage as the camera depicts the movement of another character making
the audience feel as if they are witnessing the action within the movies. Static shots are shots where the camera does not
move and consist of a range of shots including extreme close-up shot, close-up shot, medium shot, medium wide shot,
wide shot and extreme wide shot. A profile shot and low angle shot was used in Halloween to show the details of the
character Michael Myers and emphasis his power.
John Carpenter has scored all of his films with the exception of Someone's Watching Me!, Elvis, The Thing, Starman,
Memoirs of an Invisible Man, and The Ward. The most famous of which include the themes from Halloween and Assault
on Precinct 13. His music is generally synthesized with accompaniment from piano and atmospherics. He released his first
studio album Lost Themes in 2015, and also won a Saturn Award for Best Music for Vampires (1998).
Carpenter is an outspoken proponent of widescreen filming, and all of his theatrical movies, with the exception of Dark
Star and The Ward, were filmed anamorphic with a 2.35:1 or greater aspect ratio. The Ward was shot in Super 35, the first
time Carpenter has ever used that system. Carpenter has stated he feels that the 35mm Panavision anamorphic format is
"the best movie system there is", preferring it over both digital and 3D film.

20. Steadicam
John Carpenter made the decision of using a steadicam for the opening
scene of Halloween, despite it being a new device at the time. John had
taken inspiration from an acquaintances short film which was all one take,
as he found it a really engrossing way of moving the camera through an
environment.
Therefore, as a result of using a steadicam throughout the beginning scene of Halloween an effect was created that allowed the
audience to feel as though they were viewing the situation from the character making them feel more engrossed and involved in the
events that unfolded within the opening sequence.
Carpenter had it all in his head, and walked everybody through the shot,
practically acting it out frame for frame. Ray Stella, the camera operator
on Halloween, recalls the shot took about three hours to get the final
version, which was actually done in two takes. The scene was timed to
change camera reels when Michael puts on his mask.
Dean Cundey, the cinematographer of Halloween, said “I think the idea
was to make the statement that the audience was the point of view of
somebody. John wanted to create the illusion and the feeling that we were
a person watching the . We were this mysterious presence. He wanted to
take the audience through this event, watching through the window,
sneaking in the house, getting a knife, going upstairs, killing the girl, and
then escaping.”

21. Special Effects
Robin R. Bottin is a special makeup effects creator who has worked with
John Carpenter in both The Fog and The Thing. Special effects are used
in The Thing to incorporate the horror iconography of blood and gore.
To achieve the defibrillator chest opening a fibre glass chest was used.
Fake prosthetic arms were also used which were affixed to a double
amputee wearing a Dr. Copper mask. The Hydraulic chest snapped shut,
clasping the prosthetic limbs which were made of gelatin with wax bones
and rubber veins inside accompanied with fake blood and gore. John
Carpenter thought that the audience would not notice the change in actor
due to the amount of action that was unfolding.
Special effects can make a movie seem very professional depending on
how well they are performed. The special effects in The Thing 1982
looked incredible for the time. However due to modern advancements of
special effects in movies, this scene does have the same professional feel
as in 1982, although still impressive.
Therefore, this shows that special effects are very effective when done
properly and this may be hard for us to do in our horror trailer due to the
lack of professional equipment. However, I think that it is still important to
include blood within the trailer because it is a horror convention.

22. Prop of a mask creates
mystery as the identity of the
killer is hidden. The mask
appears expressionless and
so reflects that the killer has
no remorse or empathy for
its victim, like a psychopath.
Using a mask creates more
scare because seem more
powerful and dangerous.
Profile lighting is used to emphasise
the dark and evil side of the killer
and his split personality.
The Low camera angle shows his authority and
power over his victims. This along with his confident,
tall body language escalates the audience's fear of
him.
The setting is in a house
which makes it realistic for
the audience and heightens
the scare factor as it could
happen to them in their own
home.
The image uses colour ratio
to heighten the eerie
shadows present. This
makes the visibility more
distorted and more
mysterious.The killer costume is dark and black and he is heavy covered
with clothing which further hides his identity. The use of dark,
black clothing is a common convention in horrors and is a clear
signifier of the killer.
Michael Myers’ messy hair
depicts his laid back attitude
and other characteristics
such as not looking after
himself and maintaining
hygienic normality. These
are characteristics of people
who are mentally ill.

23. Halloween has one of the most distinctive horror movie soundtracks that aided
the films popularity and enforced a clear link to the film when played.
For Halloween’s score, Carpenter already had an idea in mind long before he
started shooting the movie. He stated that “The main theme, the theme that
people know the most, was something I’d thought of for years, and it comes out
of my dad teaching me 5/4 time on a pair of bongos he bought me. I was just
improvising on the piano to that beat and just played some octaves.” This
suggests that John gained inspiration for his music from his father.
The score of Halloween took a week. The unsettling tones heard throughout the
picture were almost entirely produced from a single instrument. Setting a fast
piano motif over dark synth chords, it was an immensely novel sound at the time.
The music effectively builds tension and creates a dramatic, eerie atmosphere,
intriguing the audience.
Music is used throughout the movie especially at tense moments. For example
when Laurie Strode is hiding in the closet the music combines a pulse-like
pounding of the lower register of the piano with a squirm inducing cluster of notes
from the synthesizer. The visual and auditory tension is almost unbearable for
the audience to watch.
Music