Some names become iconic for their innovative and transgressing body of work. The 74-year-old director John Carpenter is without a shadow of a doubt on this list. For half a century, Carpenter has been a part of some genre films that became renowned classics, especially in horror, but ever since he directed the movie The Ward in 2010, Carpenter has been on a directorial hiatus. There are some rumors, however, that this situation is about to end.
After remaining away from the director chair, Carpenter fans may rest easier, for it was hinted by Carpenter himself that he might be back. There is a lot of speculation on which project would be enough to bring him back, and he has floated some interesting options. Here is a bit more about the director, what he has worked on, and how his 10-year directorial sabbatical might end.
What is John Carpenter Most Known For?
John Carpenter's name has been associated with some of the most successful genre movies (and others not so much). Carpenter is also a composer, musician, producer, actor, and writer. In the 1970s, Carpenter directed what some have called the official beginning of the modern slasher genre and one of the biggest horror franchises in the history of cinema: Halloween. He also created the iconic soundtrack for the movie, including Michael Meyer's theme song.
After that, the director was involved in horror classics such as Christine and The Thing, and eventually received a French Directors' Guild’s Carrosse d'Or Award in 2019 at Cannes International Film Festival. He also dabbed his feet into other genres, such as action with the famous Escape from New York and its sequel, Escape from L.A. (which is one of his least loved movies). He also experimented with family-friendly sci-fi with Starman and brilliant ideological commentary with They Live.
One of the most appreciated elements of his movies is how he used and innovated practical effects in horror and sci-fi movies. His monsters, aliens, and overall creatures are made entirely from practical effects. His movies were so groundbreaking that they are still looked upon when creating practical effects nowadays, even with the high-quality CGI available.
Halloween was a massive hit, grossing nearly $70 million on a $300 thousand budget and sparking an extremely lucrative franchise. The rest of his movies, however, have had more or less mixed reviews from audiences and critics. However, his lesser-known body of work started to gain appreciation from subsequent generations, and he has somehow grown even more revered throughout his long directorial sabbatical period.
10-Year Directing Hiatus
Carpenter is a unique filmmaker and artist with a very devoted fan base to his work. However, the last movie the director made was released over a decade ago. He did direct a television episode of the show X-Men, but there has been no new movie from him since The Ward. In 2019, Carpenter had an interview with Collider, and after being questioned why he took some time off, he stated, "I don't have one scheduled, but I’m working on things. I made a lot of movies and I got burned out and I had to stop for a while. I have to have a life. Circumstances would have to be correct for me to do it again." As sad as it may seem, this may have been a wise decision, as the quality of Carpenter's films seemed to begin a slow decline beginning in the '90s.
It is not uncommon for people in the industry to take a break from performing a particular role. Also, Carpenter wasn't completely absent from the entertainment industry. He worked as a script consultant in many films, and he continued to work on soundtracks. He worked alongside Cody Carpenter and David Davies on the soundtrack for the franchise the director initiated back in the 70s: Halloween. They created the soundtrack for David Gordon Green's reboot trilogy, Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, and the upcoming Halloween Ends. He has also been an executive producer for the three movies.
Carpenter's Comeback
It still hasn't been announced which project would bring Carpenter back to the director chair. However, he has stated that he has some projects "lined up and percolating." Carpenter has worked with Blumhouse Productions in the Halloween franchise and other productions, such as the new Stephen King adaptation Firestarter. The production company is rumored to be working on a sequel for Carpenter's The Thing. This may be the strongest indicator of what could bring the director back, since he has said that he would like to work on a sequel to one of his biggest classics.
Also, on September 22nd, Fangoria posted on Twitter a short video with the caption 'Coming Soon' of Carpenter sitting in an empty theater watching an unseen screen. However, the audio hints at a very specific thing: it sounds like Godzilla's screams. Thus, many people thought he'd make a Godzilla movie (Carpenter actually made a Godzilla fan film before he became a worldwide known director, called Gorgo vs. Godzilla). However, fans were disappointed to learn that no, the hiatus is not yet over — Carpenter is simply hosting a Godzilla movie marathon for Shout TV.
John Carpenter changed practical effects and influenced the horror genre forever. It would be a shame to see such a unique director not make any more movies, especially with his final films being so lackluster, so hopefully his 10-year hiatus is about to end. Fans will have to wait and see what he has up his sleeve, and in the meantime, rewatch his brilliantly directed films.