Directed and scored by John Carpenter and written by Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween is the story of a young man who escapes from an insane asylum as he returns to his hometown on Halloween fifteen years to kill where his psychiatrist tries to find him. The film is considered the first definitive slasher film in which a mysterious killer kills everyone in sight leaving few to survive as he is eager to kill. Starring Donald Pleasance, P.J. Soles, Nancy Kyes, Nick Castle, and in her film debut, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. Halloween is a terrifying and riveting film from John Carpenter.
It’s Halloween eve as a man has escaped from an insane asylum where he was about to be transferred and incarcerated for the murder he committed fifteen years ago at the age of six as he returns to his hometown and kill those in his sight. It’s a film that explores a man who had become psychotic as he killed his babysitter as he then targets a teenager who is babysitting a kid on Halloween while a couple of her friends go out during the holiday. The film’s screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill doesn’t just showcase the motives that drove this psychotic in Michael Myers (Nick Castle) to go insane and then escape the asylum. It also play with the many conventions that would become standard clichés and such for the horror genre as the character of Laurie Strode is just this young woman who is good to people though she smokes and such like other teenagers. Yet, she would babysit a neighbor kid while another friend would do the same and later drop that kid off to Laurie to see her boyfriend.
The script would also play into what kind of person Michael Myers is as his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) is looking for him as he is aware of how troubled and insane Myers is. When he and a sheriff in Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers) go on the look for him, there is a great monologue that Dr. Loomis has about Myers and what he did as it adds to the sense of danger that looms. In the film’s third act, Myers would strike as Strode would suspect his presence early in the film as well as the kids she’s watching over where it is clear what she is facing.
John Carpenter’s direction starts off with this amazing prologue set in Halloween 1963 where it is told in the span of a few minutes in almost one entire take. It is a scene that establishes what Michael Myers did at the age of six as it is very startling way to open the film. The film then shifts to Halloween Eve in 1978 on a rainy night where Dr. Loomis and a nurse are about to go to the asylum as the former frets about Myers and having him incarcerated as something goes wrong. Carpenter’s direction definitely play into the air of suspense in scenes where Laurie sees someone from afar and then takes a second look as if he never existed. The usage of the wide shots help play into that suspense while Carpenter would maintain a sense of intimacy with some of the close-ups and medium shots he create throughout the film. Notably in the scenes of Laurie taking care of the two kids as well as some of the chilling moments involving a couple of her friends.
The direction also has Carpenter create some unique long and intricate tracking shots such as the film’s opening prologue where it shown from the perspective of Myers. The moments of violence are quite startling yet Carpenter does something that is even more interesting as it’s about the impact as it doesn’t contain any gore or excessive blood. Another aspect of Carpenter that is interesting is how he play with the clichés as well as not go for the conventional scores. Being the film’s music composer, Carpenter’s electronic-based score that is filled with some unique riffs and melodies as it’s played largely on a synthesizer. It knows when to appear but also when not to appear as it help create mood into the suspense as well as in the horror without the need to overdo it. Overall, Carpenter creates a chilling yet well-crafted horror film about a psychotic killer terrorizing people on Halloween night.
Cinematographer Dean Cundey does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography for many of the scenes set at night with its usage of lighting and mood to help play into its suspense and horror while going for some more naturalistic lighting for some of the scenes set in the day. Editors Tommy Lee Wallace and Charles Bornstein do brilliant work with the editing as it has these nice rhythmic cuts that help play into the suspense and horror without the need to do anything flashy while knowing how to build up the momentum of the suspense. Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace and set decorator Craig Stearns do fantastic work with the look of the homes that the character live in as well as the ruined state of the old house where Michael Myers killed his babysitter.
The makeup work of Erica Ueland is excellent for the look of the mask that Michael Myers wears as it has something that feels very menacing. Sound editor William L. Stephenson does superb work with the sound to help create that air of atmosphere into the suspense and horror.
The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles from John Michael Graham as Lynda’s boyfriend Bob, Sandy Johnson as the babysitter the young Myers killed early in the film, Kyle Richards as the young girl Lindsay that Laurie would later babysit, Brian Andrews as the young boy Tommy whom Laurie is watching over, and Charles Cyphers in a terrific performance as Sheriff Leigh Brackett who aids Dr. Loomis in finding Myers. P.J. Soles and Nancy Kyes are wonderful in their respective roles as Laurie’s friends Lynda and Annie as two young girls who are more eager to have fun where they definitely become targets of Myers’ wrath.
In the role of Michael Myers, we have Tony Moran as an unmasked version seen from the back and afar in the opening raining sequence as well as Will Sandin as the six-year old Myers. Yet, it is Nick Castle who is brilliant as the killer himself with his mask and menacing presence as he never says a word. Donald Pleasance is excellent as Dr. Sam Loomis as a psychiatrist trying to find Myers as this man that is coping with Myers but also hoping he could be stopped. Finally, there’s Jamie Lee Curtis in a remarkable film debut as Laurie Strode as this young woman that is just trying to be a normal teenage girl as she copes with the presence of this mysterious man and later be confronted by him as she embodies all of the ideas of a scream queen as well as someone trying not to get killed.
Halloween is a magnificent film from John Carpenter. Featuring a great cast, a killer score, an intriguing premise, and masterful suspense that would create many of the conventions of horror. The film is definitely a standard bearer of the genre while as a film itself, it is truly one of the most chilling and inventive films that Carpenter has created. In the end, Halloween is an outstanding film from John Carpenter.
John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Someone's Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward
The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Part 1 - Part 2
Related: Halloween (2018 film) - (Halloween Kills) - (Halloween Ends)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed and scored by John Carpenter and written by Carpenter and Debra Hill, The Fog is the story of a mysterious fog that surrounds a small town in California as it relates to a group of ghosts from a shipwreck that happened a hundred years ago. The film is a ghost story where a group of people in this small town deal with the phenomenon and try to survive this attack from ghosts. Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh, and Hal Holbrook. The Fog is an eerie yet ominous film from John Carpenter.
The film is set in a coastal small town in California where a shipwreck occurred exactly 100 years ago as its ghosts have come back from the dead through a fog to seek vengeance on the town and the descendants that had wronged them. Set entirely in the span of a day, the film begins with a man (John Houseman) telling this story about a shipwreck that occurred a hundred years ago where the town’s priest Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) discovers the shocking secret about the founding of the town and why this fog is emerging. Meanwhile, locals deal with some of the strange things occur as a radio disc-jockey witnesses the fog as she tries to protect her son who had found an old piece of wood that belonged to the ship.
The screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill is told from multiple perspectives as it follows not just Father Malone and the DJ Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau) but also characters such as the town centennial organizer Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh), a resident in Nick Castle (Tom Atkins), and a hitchhiker named Elizabeth (Jamie Lee Curtis). Each of them would have their own encounters with the fog while Williams would also discover some shocking secrets about the town with Father Malone and her assistant Sandy (Nancy Kyes) which only causes a lot of dread and disillusionment from Father Malone. Nick and Elizabeth’s encounters with dead bodies and the fog has them realize something is up as they constantly listen to Stevie’s radio program as she is in danger as well as her son Andy (Ty Mitchell). Much of it would play into these people trying to survive this mysterious fog and the ghosts that would emerge from the fog.
Carpenter’s direction starts off with this very quaint and intimate scene set in a campfire about the story of this ship as it would set the tone for what is to come. Even as it’s followed by a sequence where strange things are happening as car alarms go out, glass breaking unexpectedly, and all sorts of crazy things. Much of Carpenter’s direction involve a lot of intimate yet sublime medium shots to play into the suspense where Nick and Elizabeth try to figure out what is going on in relation to a fishing boat that went missing. There’s also some unique wide shots where Carpenter takes great stock into the look of the locations in coastal Northern California to play into something that feels like a small town but one that has a lot of history.
The direction also include some very eerie scenes where the ghosts emerging of the fog would come into play as they’re targeting whoever they encounter including the descendants of the people that had wronged them. Though the killings aren’t as gruesome as what is expected in horror films, the impact of it is still quite intense. Adding to the atmosphere of the film’s suspense is Carpenter’s score as its mixture of drone-heavy synthesizers and melancholic piano riffs play into the sense of dread and terror. Notably in its climax which involves its characters fighting off the ghosts as well as find a way to atone for the sins of their descendants. Overall, Carpenter creates a very scary yet powerful film about ghosts seeking vengeance over their deaths.
Cinematographer Dean Cundey does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to set a mood for the much of the scenes set at night with its lighting along with photographic effects to showcase the power of the fog. Editors Charles Bornstein and Tommy Lee Wallace do excellent work with the editing to create some unique rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s suspense and terror in the most unexpected ways. Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace and art director Craig Stearns do fantastic work with the look of the small town as well as the lighthouse radio tower that Stevie works at and the church where Father Malone stays at.
Costume designers Stephen Loomis and Bill Whitten do nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the more refined clothing of Kathy Williams. Sound editors Gregg Barbanell and Ron Horwitz, with sound designer William L. Stevenson, do brilliant work with the film‘s sound from the way the wind carries out through the air as well as the way sounds carry in the film such as the sequence of car alarms going out early in the film.
The film’s superb cast includes some notable small roles from Charles Cyphers as the weatherman Dan, James Canning as the fishing boat captain Dick Baxter, Nancy Kyes as Williams’ assistant Sandy, Ty Mitchell as Stevie’s son Andy, and John Houseman in a terrific performance as Mr. Machen who would tell the children the ghost story in the beginning of the film. Hal Holbrook is excellent as Father Malone as a priest who would uncover the secret about his town’s birth as he becomes uneasy with his discovery. Tom Atkins is fantastic as Nick as a local resident who leads the investigation over the disappearance of a fishing boat.
Janet Leigh is amazing as Kathy Wilson as this organizer who learns about the secrets of her town’s birth as she does whatever to keep it a secret while being uneasy in letting the festival continue as she also worries about her husband’s disappearance. Jamie Lee Curtis is brilliant as Elizabeth as this young hitchhiker who believes she is bad luck as the fog arrives just as she had arrived to the town as she tries to deal with the situations. Finally, there’s Adrienne Barbeau in a remarkable performance as Stevie as this radio disc jockey who watches over the town as she sees the fog as she would report it through her radio program as her voice is crucial to the suspense and drama that occurs in the film.
The Fog is a tremendously terrifying and astonishing film from John Carpenter. Armed with a great cast, a chilling score, and a cool premise that is perfect for any ghost-based horror film. It is definitely one of the key films in the horror genre that manages to do more than what is often expected in horror as it has enough elements that would appeal to non-horror film audiences. In the end, The Fog is a rich yet exhilarating film from John Carpenter.
John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward
The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2014
Written, scored, directed, and edited by John Carpenter, Assault on Precinct 13 is the story of a cop trying to defend his precinct from a gang as he is helped by convicted murderer. The film is a simple showdown movie where a cop and his colleagues go into a war against a brutish gang of thugs. Starring Austin Stoker, Darwin Joster, Laurie Zimmer, Nancy Kyes, and Tony Burton. Assault on Precinct 13 is a chilling yet intense film from John Carpenter.
Set in a precinct that is about to close near the ghettos of Los Angeles, the film is about a police lieutenant whose job is to watch over the precinct on its final night where it is being under siege from a gang where he is helped by a secretary and two convicts including an infamous murderer as they fight off the gang. It’s a film that manages to take a simple premise about a precinct under siege yet it is more about a lieutenant trying to maintain some order and stay alive while having to trust someone who is very likely to kill him. John Carpenter’s screenplay has this very unique structure where it takes place entirely in the span of a day.
The first half of the story takes place following a gang shooting by police as a group of warlords plan to retaliate while Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) is getting ready to run precinct 13 near the ghetto as a last-minute assignment. Yet, the actions of a gang would cause trouble nearby as a bus carrying a trio of convicts, including the murderer Napoleon Wilson (Darwin Joster) during a transfer where a stop at the precinct would later be fatal. The film’s second half would begin when a man (Martin West) comes into the precinct exhausted and in need of help after a confrontation with one of the warlords where all hell breaks loose. The film’s second half sets almost entirely in this precinct where Wilson, Bishop, a secretary named Leigh (Laurie Zimmer), and a convict named Wells (Tony Burton) are forced to take a stand for their own survival with limited amount of ammo while realizing that they’re going up against a gang that refuses to quit.
John Carpenter’s direction is truly riveting not just for the way he builds up the suspense but in how he uses this timeframe of 24 hours to play into the sense of dread that is emerging. The direction starts off in the late-night mornings at a ghetto in Los Angeles where a gang is being gunned down by the police as it would set off a chain of events. Much of Carpenter’s direction involves some close-ups and medium shots as there’s a simplicity to the camera angles but its approach to violence and suspense is quite graphic and confrontational. Most notably an infamous sequence often referred to as “the ice cream scene” which involves an ice cream man and a gun-toting warlord as it is a scene of unexpected violence at its most visceral.
Once the story is set at night at the precinct where sounds of gun silencers come into play, it becomes clear that it becomes a film where anything can happen. Even as the violence is very unpredictable outside of the precinct while the suspense is happening inside where Bishop and Wilson have to trust each other. Under the John T. Chance alias, Carpenter’s approach to editing is quite straightforward but once the battle begins. There is a fluidity to his rhythmic cutting as it plays to the intensity of the violence as Carpenter knows when to cut to showcase the sense of violence that is happening. Also serving as the film’s composer, Carpenter’s electronic-based score is truly hypnotic with its very dark and eerie synthesizer riffs as it plays into the suspense and terror in the film. Especially in the final showdown between the remaining survivors and the gang in a climax that is violent as well as terrifying. Overall, Carpenter creates a very thrilling and mesmerizing film about a group of people under siege by a ruthless gang.
Cinematographer Douglas Knapp does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to create some unique lighting schemes and textures for the scenes set at night in order to convey the mood of terror during the siege. Art director/sound effects editor Tommy Lee Wallace does amazing work with the look of the precinct that is almost in ruins as it‘s about to be abandoned while the sound effects he creates with sound recorder William Cooper are fantastic to convey the sense of terror as well as the impact of the silencer bullets.
The film’s brilliant cast include some notable small roles from Frank Doubleday as a gun-toting warlord, Peter Bruni as the ice cream man, John J. Fox as a warden who doesn’t like Wilson, Charles Cypher as the prison authority figure Starker who watches over Wilson, Henry Brandon as the precinct’s original top figure Chaney, Nancy Kyes as the very scared secretary Julie, Martin West as the shocked man who confronts a warlord in Lawson, and Kim Richards in a small yet terrific role as Lawson’s daughter. Tony Burton is excellent as the cautious convict Wells who realizes the gang that they’re going up against as he is also the film‘s comic relief.
Laurie Zimmer is fantastic as Leigh as a secretary who had seen a lot at the precinct as she proves to be very handy with a gun while wondering what kind of man Wilson is. Darwin Joston is great as Napoleon Wilson as this convicted murderer who is a charmer as he often asks for cigarettes as he proves to be a formidable ally who is willing to help anyone as he knows he’s an asshole but a reliable one. Finally, there’s Austin Stoker in an incredible performance as Lieutenant Ethan Bishop as this straight-laced cop that used to live in the ghetto as he tries to keep everyone alive from the siege as well as trusting someone like Wilson which he knows is a major risk.
Assault on Precinct 13 is a phenomenal film from John Carpenter. Armed with a great cast, a suspenseful premise, and a fucking cool score, it’s definitely one of Carpenter’s great early triumphs. Even in moments that are just shocking in terms of the presentation of the violence. In the end, Assault on Precinct 13 is a remarkable film from John Carpenter.
John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward
The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2014
