The John Carpenter movie Bong Joon-ho called a “true masterpiece”
Undoubtedly among the pioneers of horror cinema, John Carpenter has made several unforgettable contributions to the genre. Ranging from the philosophical paranoia of They Live to the haunting vision of Escape from L.A., Carpenter’s body of work has acquired a timeless nature as the years have passed. In addition to his countless fans across the world, one notable admirer of the American auteur’s mastery is South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho.
As an experienced artist who has worked within the frameworks of horror movies and thrillers, Bong knows genius when he sees it. Drawing inspiration from Carpenter’s monster flicks while working on his own projects, such as The Host, Bong considers the Halloween director to be one of the top names on his list of major influences. That’s exactly why he wanted Carpenter to direct the American remake of The Host when it was first proposed.
Bong said: “I would like to do new projects, do new stories, so I never ever thought of shooting the remake myself, and I thought that it would be kind of stupid to do anyway and not that I was offered or they were going to offer it to me anyway, but I like them to make it as different as the original as possible, from the directors to the actors. Make it new, theirs. So I’m actually very curious to see how it turns out. I’m hoping that John Carpenter will do the remake.”
While almost all of Carpenter’s movies have important lessons in them, the film that moved Bong the most was his 1982 gem, The Thing. Tapping into the unique sociopolitical climate of the Cold War while experimenting with techniques of psychological horror, Carpenter crafted a gripping cautionary tale about a group of researchers stranded in the Antarctic tundras who confront an incomprehensibly dangerous extraterrestrial entity.
During an extensive video interview with Konbini, where Bong was asked about the cinematic influences that shaped his journey as a director, he singled out Carpenter’s brilliant magnum opus. Bong commented: “The Thing is a true masterpiece of sci-fi films. During a small film festival in Switzerland, I had the chance to see this film for the first time on the big screen. At the time, I was told that I had free rein in the choice of films, so I watched it. It was really strong.”
The Thing has had a tangible impact on Bong’s previous efforts, but it will definitely continue to inspire him since he’s currently working on a sci-fi project of his own. Titled Mickey 17, the highly anticipated upcoming film will see Bong collaborating with some of the most prominent stars in world cinema such as Robert Pattinson and Steven Yeun.
Watch the full interview below.
