John Carpenter’s favourite thing about retirement: “I want to be real honest about it”
Even though he hasn’t made a movie since 2010, John Carpenter remains a hugely respected name in the cinematic space. In terms of horror, few creative forces have had as much impact as the man who brought us The Thing, The Fog, and They Live. When you chuck in Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York, Escape from L.A., and the incredible music he’s produced for almost all of his films, you can’t argue that he isn’t one of the greats.
Even if Carpenter hadn’t contributed all that other great stuff, he would still be held in high esteem for his most enduring creation – the ‘Halloween’ franchise. Beginning with the 1978 original, the series is one of the longest-running and most influential in the history of horror. It was one of the first true ‘slasher’ flicks and set a template that would inspire future filmmakers for decades to come. Above everything else, it gave the world one of the all-time horror movie villains – the menacingly silent Michael Myers.
Though he only directed the first movie, Carpenter has contributed to the franchise in other ways. He wrote the second instalment and, when the series was rebooted by David Gordon Green in 2018, Carpenter returned as an executive producer. He also contributed to the score alongside his son Cody and godson Daniel Davies. Even when he wasn’t directly involved in a film, he would still feature in the credits alongside his producing partner Debra Hill for their part in creating the core characters.
The only instalment not to feature this acknowledgement is Halloween III: Season of the Witch. The movie follows a different set of characters and a new threat; a powerful pagan who controls people through a children’s jack-o-lantern mask. Carpenter was involved as a producer, but this didn’t save the film from being savaged by critics and fans alike. It’s gained a bit of a cult following in the years since, but at the time, it was deemed the weakest entry in the series yet. Six years later, the decision was made to return to what made the first two movies a success. Donald Pleasance came back as Dr Samuel Loomis and the resurgence of the original villain was heavily promoted. The film was even called Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.
Speaking with Variety, Carpenter explained how he felt when this decision was made. “I want to just be real honest about it: They had to pay me every single time they made those movies, and it was wonderful,” he admitted. “That’s my favourite kind of experience in Hollywood: I’m on a couch, maybe watching some TV, and I extend my hand, and a check arrives, and it rubs in my hand. That I’m talented at.”
Luckily for Carpenter, Myers has remained a constant of the ‘Halloween’ series ever since his big return. Even though he’s been shot, stabbed, blown up, and mutilated in all sorts of horrifying ways, he keeps finding a way to come back, much to the delight of his daddy’s bank account.
The only problem with this is that Carpenter has no financial incentive to get back into moviemaking. Maybe one of these days, he’ll stop playing Sonic the Hedgehog long enough to direct again, but as long as Michael keeps bringing home the bacon, there isn’t much point in holding your breath.
