Stephen King's brilliant novel about a possessed Plymouth Fury named Christine, a nerdy teenager and how he changes after the car seemingly takes over his life. John Carpenter directs one of King's novels for the first time (he was due to direct Firestarter but lost the gig as The Thing had tanked at the box …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 9- Christine (1983)
In 1982, American audiences wanted only one alien. He wasn’t the shape-shifting evil alien in John Carpenter’s The Thing; he was the cute alien who wanted to ‘phone home’ in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. A dog who is being shot at by the crew of a helicopter flying overhead is taken in by an American compound …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 8- The Thing (1982)
It’s 1997 (!) Air Force One has gone down in New York which is now a maximum security prison. But the powers that be have a man who may be able to get the President out in one piece- war hero turned convict, Snake Plissken. There’s plenty to love about Escape From New York, whether …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 7- Escape From New York (1981)
Whilst Elvis was made by Carpenter for TV in 1979, it was actually later granted a UK cinema release the next year. With the running being nearly three hours long, that made for many aching buttocks in cinemas up and down the country. But, fortunately, Elvis is anything but a chore. Yes, some of Carpenter’s …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 6- Elvis (1980)
I remember being traumatised by the poster for The Fog before I actually saw the film. We had driven past The Odeon in York and I briefly glanced at it. As this was just a glance I thought I saw a woman lying in bed with a ghostly hand reaching out to grab her. I …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 5- The Fog (1980)
‘After moving in a new apartment, Leigh Michaels receives mysterious phone calls and gifts. She approaches the police but unsatisfied with their investigation, she decides to tackle the matter herself.’ I remember watching this on TV and it scaring the crap out of me. On rewatching it, it still had the same effect. This was …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 4- Someone’s Watching Me! (1978)
I remember the first time I saw Halloween on VHS in the late 80’s here in the UK. It was in pan-and-scan, and hence not the perfect format to watch a film that used the frame so brilliantly. But I’d learn that as the film would be released in widescreen on VHS, then DVD, then …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 3- Halloween (1978)
It's 1990. I'm tuning into the excellent Moviedrome series of films on BBC2 with each cult film in the series being introduced by director Alex Cox. The film being shown that night was John Carpenter's second feature film Assault on Precinct 13, his reworking of Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo and my mind was blown. I …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 2- Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
A motley crew work in space aboard the dilapidated vessel, Dark Star as they destroy unstable planets to make way for future colonisation. John Carpenter’s debut is ripe with stoner humour, perceptive insight (yes, even in space you can hate your job) and a delightfully minuscule budget. Whatever they were partaking in whilst making this …
Continue reading John Carpenter Reviewed- Day 1- Dark Star (1974)
A Dirty Shame concerns Sylvia Stickles, a sexually repressed and frigid woman. That's until she sustains a concussion during an accident and becomes horny beyond all expectations. I hated A Dirty Shame when I saw it on its first release. Twenty years later and I find a DVD copy of the film selling for 50 …
Continue reading John Waters Reviewed- Day 11- A Dirty Shame (2004)
Meathook Cinema 