John Carpenter is a master of horror and sci-fi motion pictures — and brevity.
The iconic filmmaker responsible for such classics as Halloween, The Thing and Kurt Russell’s pair of Escape films is happy to talk about his work. He’s just to the point — with a dash of witty, dry quips thrown in for good measure.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the celebrated director and composer to mostly chat about his 1996 film, Escape From L.A. (the Paramount movie drops on 4K on Feb. 22). But the conversation naturally shifted to his other topics, including the sequel he wants to make, the Halloween franchise being more popular than ever (as evidenced by last year’s Halloween Kills raking in $131.6 million worldwide), and his thoughts on the theatrical experience versus streaming.
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But the conversation began with Escape From L.A. An enjoyable, over-the-top Snake Plissken (Russell) chapter that was mostly panned by critics and bombed at the box office. However, it has since developed a cult following. Carpenter argues it is superior to Escape From New York (1981) and has thoughts on its initial struggle to find an audience.
Escape From L.A. was something of a punching bag for critics when it was released. In your opinion, why did it miss the mark? It’s a great flick. And erasing technology now, sometimes, sounds pretty awesome.
Nihilism is best taken at a distance, I guess. (Laughs.) That is one of the things I was criticized for, doing away with technology. I don’t know. People are able to enjoy this kind of thing at a distance. Whereas when the movie was released, it was up against Independence Day, which was up and bright and happy. It was fun — even though a lot of people got killed in it — it was fun.
In the past, you’ve said you feel it is superior to Escape From New York. Still accurate?
Sure, in some ways. Escape From New York had Donald Pleasence as the president of the United States, which to me was great. But Escape From L.A. has Peter Fonda and Kurt Russell surfing. Doesn’t get much better than that.
I interviewed Bruce Campbell last year for a feature to celebrate Escape From L.A. turning 25. He told me you and Kurt run a relaxed but all-business set. He enjoyed it a great deal. Why is that important?
Because you get actors to say nice things about you. No, it’s just more fun to work that way. Everyone is nervous as it is. There is a lot of pressure, so why add to it?
Karen Allen told me in a previous interview that she wished there had been a sequel to Starman (1984). Thoughts hearing that?
It is very sweet of Karen to say that. I’ve talked to Jeff [Bridges] about it, too. They did the [ABC] TV series based on it.
The Halloween franchise is more popular than ever. How does that make you feel, knowing that you and Deborah Hill created such an iconic character in Michael Myers fans can’t get enough of?
I feel fabulous about it. It is also fabulous when I look up from my perch on my couch and a check arrives in the mail. I feel extremely happy.
I watched Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre this morning, partially for this chat. I know it’s not your franchise, but you’re a horror living legend. And it gave me two questions. First, is seeing a horror film in the theater a better experience?
Yeah, it’s more fun. But it can work in the privacy of your house. Depends on how good the movie is. How was the movie?
I loved it! Great story. Brutal kills. Actually, that leads me to my second question: is there such thing as too much gore in horror, or is it anything goes?
Anything goes. To each their own. Halloween Kills, the second installment in this modern trilogy, was extremely gory. But it worked with the audiences. They loved it. Go figure.
Finally, circling back to Escape From L.A. Is there any other picture from your classics that you wished had a sequel?
I would like to do a sequel to The Thing, or a continuation, something like that. But I don’t know. See? There are a lot of things in this world I don’t know.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
