Warren Countians might experience a type of deja vu when watching a 1980 horror film called The Fog. To warn the residents of Antonio Bay of the fog coming to the seaside town actress Adrienne Barbeau (playing a DJ at a light house) gives street names of where the fog is located. Those street names are Old Russellville Road, Smallhouse Road, Clay Street, Chestnut Street, etc. Barbeau herself probably has been on those same streets she was reciting in the movie.

You see, Barbeau was married here to film director John Carpenter, one of Bowling Green’s native sons and director of The Fog. “In France, I’m an auteur; in Germany, I’m a filmmaker; in the UK, I’m a horror-director; in the US, I’m a bum,” Carpenter was once quoted as saying. In a letter interview with Carpenter he said he still feels that way. Carpenter is one of the most unappreciated American filmmakers. History Of The Narrative Cinema author David Cook said Carpenter remade Howard Hawk’s The Thing badly (called it a gorefest) and considered Halloween just another slasher flick.

Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York to Howard Ralph and Milton Jean (Carter) Carpenter on Jan. 16, 1948. He moved to Bowling Green in late summer of 1953. His father taught music at Western Kentucky University and they lived at Felts Log House on campus. “Yes, I really lived in the log cabin on the WKU campus,” he stated. “It is the one nestled behind a girl’s dormitory, just behind the Kentucky Building.” Carpenter started kindergarten at College High School. Margaret Munday, a teacher, said she can’t believe Carpenter would make scary movies because he was scared of everything. “I don’t remember a Margaret Munday… But she was probably right — I was scared of everything and my career has been a chance for me to pay back everyone else for this fear.”

Carpenter said he felt weird growing up in Bowling Green. The words he used to describe living there were “Odd. Uneasy. The outsider. Culturally disconnected.” “ we were transplanted Yankees plopped right down into the rural Bible Belt.” Bowling Green Attorney Steve Todd, classmate and friend of Carpenter, said their class thought he was different but they never thought he was weird. “Weird people don’t get elected president of the senior class,” he said. Todd described Carpenter as a “nice guy” who people liked even though he was a loner. Carpenter played the violin and Todd said he was good. Todd starred in several of Carpenter’s early films. Todd said Carpenter would get his father’s 8mm camera and get his friends together to make a movie on the campus of WKU. Carpenter said they “were science fiction, horror, action, etc.” films A web site titled Strange Fun— People are Strange said the titles of some of these early films are Revenge Of The Colossal Beasts (credited as his first substantial film), Gorgo verses Godzilla (done with claymation), Terror From Space (a science fiction western), The Warrior And The Demon (first really promising film), Sorcerer From Outer Space (a comedy), and Gorgon, The Space Monster (considered his best of the early films).

Todd said Carpenter must have been more serious about them because the rest of the group was there just to have fun. He remembers them having “kind of a plot.” Plastic dinosaurs and spears were used. But it has been a while since Todd has seen those early films. He asked Carpenter about another viewing but was turned down. Todd said Carpenter won’t even let his mother see them. “No, you cannot see any of my old movies. Nobody can. Ever,” Carpenter stated.

The Strange is Fun website reported Carpenter became interested in moviemaking at the age of four when he saw John Huston’s The African Queen. But he became interested in fantasy films in 1953 after seeing It Came From Outer Space. Carpenter credits his major influences as Howard Hawks, Roger Corman, Terence Fisher, Val Guest, Roman Polanski, and Orson Welles.

“Bowling Green helped my dreams of making movies. Most obviously, the State and Capitol Theaters had a lot to do with it. Also, the old Princess Theater was operating for a few years. And I never forgot the Riverside and Lost River Drive-Ins. I went to the movies all the time. I loved movies. I dreamed of being able to express myself as a director. My dream came true.” He still enjoys Bowling Green and doesn’t understand why anyone would want to call it Boring Green. “It wasn’t boring when I was a teenager. Compared to LA, it’s a bit slow, yes….Bowling Green has some beautiful locations, friendly people, and it even had a strip club for about ten minutes or so in the early ’90s (all are prerequisites for filmmaking).” He even gave advice for anyone in Bowling Green and Kentucky: “If you want a career in movies, music, art, acting, whatever it is, go hard right at it and never stop. If I can make it, so can you.”

It appears Carpenter was very serious about filmmaking while growing up. Strange Fun stated during his teens he started his own production company, Emerald Productions, “for which he purchased two projectors, still camera, floodlights and a rear projector for stop-motion animation.” Emerald Productions published film fanzines, according to Strange Fun. The covers were done by Carpenter. When Carpenter graduated high school, he went to Western Kentucky University for two years. Danny Coffey, president of Southern Deposit Bank in Russellville, attended college at the same time with Carpenter. Coffey said he remembered Carpenter having long hair and mustache and wore a green military jacket. “He liked the Beatles,” he said. Coffey also remembered hearing Carpenter was leaving WKU to head to Hollywood to make movies. No one believed Carpenter. One of his professors at WKU was the late Joe Boggs, who taught film appreciation. His wife, Nancy Boggs lives in Russellville and owns a video store, Video Vault. She remembers her late husband saying Carpenter was one of his more gifted students but felt he had become “Hollywoodish” and “wasted his talents.” He especially hated In The Mouth Of Madness. “I don’t deny that commercial success means a lot to me, the best reviews you can get are at the box office,” Carpenter is once quoted to have said.

In 1968, Carpenter transferred to University of Southern California to study cinema. “Why did I fall in love with film as opposed to, say, writing or painting?” Carpenter replied. “Who knows? Probably because I went to see lots of movies when I was young. I don’t think anybody stands around thinking, �¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½What medium shall I choose to best express myself?’ It just happens. “I felt comfortable with filmmaking — with the three-act structure of the feature film, with the language of cinema, with the whole ball of wax.” According to The Kentucky Encyclopedia, Carpenter never earned his degree but a study project, The Resurrecton of Bronco Billy, won him an Academy Award for best live-action short subject. He served as co-writer, editor, composer, and co-director for it. In 1975, Dark Star was released in theaters. A low budget (and short) science fiction comedy, Dark Star was meant as a rebuke against 2001 by showing space exploration will not reveal the secrets of the universe but instead reveal that we humans will get on one another’s nerves. The forced happy ending parallels people’s beliefs that the future will be bright and shiny but in reality that line of thinking will only lead to our deaths. Not only was he director, but Carpenter also served as producer, screenwriter, composer, and music director.

Carpenter’s next film was Assault On Precinct 13 (1976), a tribute to Howard Hawk’s Rio Bravo. He was director, screenwriter, editor (under the alias of John T. Chance), and composer/songwriter. The plot is simple: rival gangs join forces to assault a police station that is closing (inmates and the police join forces to keep the gang members at bay) but it is done in such a style that makes it enjoyable to watch several times without getting bored. When asked about his accomplishments, Carpenter only mentioned the films he directed from Dark Star on. Carpenter not only directed but he also wrote screenplays. He served as screenwriter of the 1978 The Eyes Of Laura Mars “(Director Irvin Kershner) is the author of that movie, not me,” Carpenter said in an interview in DGA Magazine. “As a director I am the author of my movies. I know that’s not a popular view with the writers, but I’m sorry. If the writer thinks he’s an auteur, then let him thread up his screenplay in a projector and we’ll take a look at it.”

It was his next film that made him a household name. Halloween (1978) is one of Carpenter’s many films filled with references to his hometown and surrounding area. In fact, some fans think the fictitious Haddonfield, Ill. (the town in the movie) is really Bowling Green. After all, Michael Myers escapes from the Smiths Grove/Warren County Sanatorium and Carpenter’s classmates’s names are used. Bowling Green’s name is never mentioned though. Carpenter never stated that Bowling Green is really Haddonfield. Nearby Russellville is mentioned in Halloween. When Dr. Loomis (played by Donald Pleasence) and the graveyard keeper (Arthur Malet) walk though a cemetery looking for the grave of Michael Myers’ first victim the graveyard keeper talks about Russellville: “You know, you know, every town, something like this happens. I remember over in Russellville, ole Charlie Bowles. About 15 years ago, one night he finished dinner and he excused himself from the table and he went out to the garage and got himself a hacksaw. And then he went back into the house and kissed his wife and his two children goodbye and then he proceeded….” The graveyard keeper was interrupted by Loomis and never finished his tale. “I had a girlfriend in Russellville whose father did not approve of me, so the reference was about him,” Carpenter said. The father has since died and his wife declined to comment. She said she didn’t want to have anything to do with Carpenter — she tried to sue Carpenter.

In Halloween, the music is credited to the Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra (in The Fog, the Bowling Green-Warren County Chamber Orchestra is credited for the music). No, Bowling Green never had such an orchestra. He just named his group of friends who performed the music on the movies in honor of his hometown . To appreciate Carpenter as a filmmaker you also have to recognize his talents at composing. In Halloween, he takes a few, simple keys on the piano to make one of the most haunting scores. For the bulk of his films, he composed the music with a minimalistic style. His scores never overpower a film — they work subliminally on the audience. Halloween rises above the slashers popular during that time. Even after the shock value has worn off, Halloween is still powerful to watch. It also demonstrates a common trait in most of his films, the actions of the antagonists are never explained. We never understand why Michael Myers kills. Since his crimes seem senseless he becomes an even more evil character. If his motive was exposed, the audience could sympathize with him and he would lose his edge as a character of pure evil. Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhee’s motive have been made known and have become characters viewers rooted for (or reduced to a parody of their evil selves). But not Myers. Carpenter accomplished this by making Myers (and other antagonists in his other films) as inhuman as possible. Myers never speaks. He never tells his victims what he is going to do to them; he makes no hokey one-liners after he has killed them. He comes across being a machine; he does what he does because it is his nature. Myers also wears a mask, despite that nothing is wrong with his face. This further dehumanizes Myers. If there is ever any explanation to the antagonist’s action it is normally told by someone else and it is vague. Dr. Loomis is Myers’ psychiatrist; instead of trying to cure Myers, he dedicates his life to destroying his patient.

With John Carpenter films it is important to watch them carefully. To ensure the pacing of his stories, action happens in the background and between the scenes. For example, how did Myers change his clothes when he escaped from the asylum? It is never spoken by the characters but it is explained visually. That same year (1978), two TV movies he directed aired: Someone’s Watching Me! (his first collaboration with his future first wife, Adrienne Barbeau) and Elvis (his first collaboration with Kurt Russell). Zuma Beach, a movie he wrote the screenplay for also appeared on TV When Bowling Green residents talk about Carpenter they always bring up Barbeau. Strange Fun stated Carpenter married Barbeau Jan. 1, 1979. The wedding was held in Bowling Green. Friend John Todd didn’t attend the wedding but he said they were married by a judge. He remembered they held a wedding dinner at a country restaurant on the Scottsville Road but he can’t remember the name. The marriage lasted until November 1988. Together they had a son, John Cody Carpenter. He remarried to Sandy King, who has served as producer (and on casting) on his projects.

Barbeau starred in Carpenter’s next film, The Fog. The Fog and Halloween share many similarities, aside from hometown references. Haddonfield and Antonio Bay are small towns that have an evil visiting them on an anniversary. The undead (a leper colony headed by a man named Blake) in The Fog are faceless (only seeing their red eyes) and say very little. Their motives are vaguely touched on — enough to give the viewers an idea why Blake and his men have returned. The audience could almost sympathize with them but it is nigh-impossible when they kill people who are not associated with the crime done to them. Only one character who died had any connection to the founding fathers of Antonio Bay and his death was the most pointless. First, Blake and his men let him live but then they come back to kill him. There is no rational to the victims’ death or why they were picked to die. It’s hard to root for monsters like that — they kill for no reason at all, especially when those who wronged the lepers have been dead for a long time. The Fog has a creepiness to it. One can feel the evil in this film as if it is a fog. There is also a feeling of impending doom. A few characters know something is happening but they don’t know what. When they hear something is in The Fog, they don’t question it because from all the clues they gathered it makes the most sense. Those who usually doubt what is happening usually get killed. This is a common theme in Carpenter’s films. This movie also marked Carpenter’s debut as an actor. He played a church custodian named Bennett.

Getting away from horror, Carpenter made Escape From New York (1981), an action film set in a dark future where crime is so high, Manhattan Island has been converted into a prison. It stars Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken who has to rescue the president (Donald Pleasence), when Air Force One crashes on the island. Escape From New York is an odyssey film that flows well. There isn’t a wasted scene. Escape From New York is different from most of Carpenter’s films in that there is one easily identifiable main character. Most of his films have at least two characters that could both be the main character (is Jamie Lee Curtis or Donald Pleasant the main star in Halloween?). Halloween II came out that same year. Carpenter served as producer, screenwriter, and composer. He also directed if one takes into account that the first part of the movie is from the original. Halloween II , which immediately follows the events from the part one, provides further evidence that Haddonfield is really Bowling Green. Road names such as Scottsville Road and Chestnut Street are mentioned, so is the Lost River Drive-In, Hardin County, and Russellville. A sheriff deputy wears a patch on his jacket saying Warren County. When Carpenter was asked if there were any other films with references to his hometown, he did not mention Halloween II. New insight is revealed about Michael Myers in Halloween II . We learn why he wants to kill Laurie Strode but it is a reason that doesn’t make any sense, making him even more of a monster. The more the audience knows about Michael Myers, the more confused they become. He is a person of pure evil, especially when he is unable to die, which is also never explained. The sequel starts off slow but builds to an intense ending. While the body count is higher, Halloween II does not follow the unwritten rule of horror film sequels that death scenes have to be more spectacular. Many of the murders are not seen directly (one isn’t seen at all and the viewers have to figure out how it was done). By doing this, Halloween II stays as a true horror film that relies on suspense rather than gore. It also shows that Myers is a lot smarter and stronger than given credit. He is underestimated which allows him to continue his killing spree for longer periods.

Halloween III: Season Of The Witch was released the following year. Serving as producer and co-composer, Carpenter took the franchise in a completely different direction. There was no Michael Myers nor a Haddonfield; instead the antagonist is the CEO of Silver Shamrock Novelties, whose masks would murder all the children of America for a pagan sacrifice. Michael Myers fans were disappointed because Halloween III didn’t have their favorite killer. The plot had potential if it was developed into a parable about how people will defend a big industry, despite what it is doing to society, that brings pride and money to their town. But still it should have been called something else.

Instead of a sequel he directed a remake in 1982 with The Thing, Carpenter’s gorest film, starring Kurt Russell. Watching the 1951 original it is clear to see this movie greatly influenced Carpenter. And watching the Carpenter version it’s easy to see Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, was influenced by him ( The Thing even has several autopsies). One episode of T h e The X-Files is very similar to the plot in The Thing. The monster itself is straight out of Lovecraft story or a J. K. Potter photograph. The Thing is a changeling out of this world. How it attacks people is a constant surprise. It is a true thing. Both versions of The Thing are outstanding but if given a chance to pick a favorite, it would have to be the original. The 1951 version is a tour de force. Anyone who can make a movie about a killer “carrot” from outer space without making it campy has to be a genius.

Christine (Carpenter was director and composer) came out in 1983. Based on the novel by Stephen King, this is one of the few films that is much better than the book. For one thing, Carpenter stripped away the hokey origin of the car and left it ambiguous, but it’s obvious this is a story about material “possession” rather than demonic possession. The transformation of the Christine car from when it gets smashed into a brand-new vehicle is amazing and more realistic than anything CGIs can do. This movie also shows Carpenter’s use of music as he used songs to express the thoughts of Christine .

Carpenter took a completely different direction when he directed Starman (1984), about an alien who comes to visit Earth. It’s different because the alien (played by Jeff Bridges) doesn’t eat anyone’s brains or anything close; instead, he is a kind-hearted being. Starman is actually about the kindness of strangers. During the entire movie the alien and his partner (Karen Allen) are helped by strangers; in fact, the strangers go out of their way (e.g. a guy at a hotel warns them about the cops at their car; a waitress at a restaurant returns Allen’s belongings after Starman gets in a fight). That contrasts how Starman is treated by the United States government, which played a role in inviting him to Earth though Voyager spacecraft. The government, like Allen’s character, could’ve been blessed with the wonderful things Starman’s culture has to offer if it had not been so single-minded in its view of the alien. The mirror surface of the space ship at the end of the film symbolizes that how we treat visitors will reflect back onto us. Starman was a hit in the theaters and was later made into a short-lived TV series, where Starman returns and with his son to look for the woman he loves. Carpenter had nothing to do with the series.

Also in 1984, Carpenter served as executive-producer of The Philidelphia Experiement, based on the modern myth that a Navy destroyer disappeared during an electronic camouflage experiment and went back in time (well, two of the crew members did). A very entertaining film. Two years later, my personal favorite, Big Trouble With Little China came out in theaters. Carpenter was director, composer, and songwriter. Kurt Russell starred as Jack Burton, a truck driver who has to fight figures from Chinese mythology. Burton’s sarcasm is what saves this film from becoming a truly bad B film because he is the only one who doesn’t take any of this seriously. But because the other characters are so no-nonsense the movie moves at a quicker pace because it isn’t stalled with explanations. This is one fun film to watch.

In 1986, Black Moon Rising (he served as screenwriter) and The Boy Who Could Fly (he acted in this one) were released. Prince Of Darkness (1987) marked a return to horror. In this piece he served as director, composer, and screenwriter (using the alias Martin Quartermass) about the coming of the Antichrist — starring Donald Pleasence and Alice Cooper. The story idea is intriguing but falls flat (sorry Mr. Carpenter). Prince Of Darkness is a dark film filled with a creepiness that makes you want to take a bath in holy water after a viewing but it has problems that make the film go down like the Titanic. While it works well in his other films, Carpenter needed to explain (or hinted better) the motives of the antagonist so viewers aren’t confused as to what is happening. It works well obscuring the motives of a serial killer but the devil is expected to be more articulate. Also the scientists in the movie need to be more skeptical and not so willing to believe that the green liquid is the devil.

In 1988, Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers was released. The only thing Carpenter had to do with this one was that he was credited as composer of the original theme. Return takes place in Haddonfield and despite Carpenter having nothing to do with it, a reference is made to Smiths Grove. In 1989, Halloween 5: Revenge of Michael Myers comes out (Carpenter is credited as composer). The movie also takes place in Haddonfield no references are made to Carpenter’s hometown. Both are above average horror films but nothing compared to the first two done by Carpenter. The worst of the franchise (with the silent serial killer) is Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers(1995). No doubt Donald Pleasence’s death complicated completing the film but still Curse would have failed anyway. The movie actually explains Myers’ motives and everything is ruined. Myers is no longer terrifying. Carpenter’s only involvement with Curse is he composed the theme and created, with Debra Hill, the characters. However, references are made to Smiths Grove, Hardin County, Russellville, and Warren County.

In 1988, They Live was released. Carpenter directed, composed the music, and wrote the screenplay (credited as Frank Armitage). They Live is a Twilight Zone-esque parable about the “They” we blame all of our problems on. The movie reveals who “They” are. Despite Roddy Piper’s acting that almost makes the movie worthy for M S T 3 K ridicule, this is worth watching. In the movie, Piper’s character finds a box of sunglasses that reveal our society is really under the control of aliens. It also reveals that this control is so subliminal and so deeply ingrained in our culture that it is invisible. Once he learns of this he tries to tell others, but isn’t effective. Not having access to the media like “They,” Piper has to use aggressive tactics to get his point across and sometimes that isn’t easy and he gets hurt in the process. Despite his own injuries, he keeps on going (as demonstrated in the extremely long fight scene between Piper and Keith David) They Live is meant only to expose the “They,” not provide any answers. Viewers have to decide what they want to do now that they know. Like the naked woman at the end who realizes she’s having sex with an alien, she has to decide whether to continue the ride or get off (pardon the puns).

Carpenter’s next two projects were for TV. He wrote the screenplay and served as executive producer for the 1990 HBO movie El Diablo and wrote the screenplay for 1991 CBS movie Blood River. He went back to the big screen with Memoirs Of An Invisible Man (1992), which he directed. The problem with this movie is that it’s not certain if it’s supposed to be a comedy, adventure, or a drama. Plus, Chevy Chase is the wrong person to play the main character. The special effects are neat to watch but overall it is a forgettable film. It is the only film of his I can’t recommend. Memoirs was a flop at the box office and Carpenter returned to television.

This time he made Body Bags (1993) for Showtime. He was executive producer, co-director, composer, and actor. Body Bags (1993) is a trilogy in homage to the old EC Comics before the Comic Code ruined them. The first story, “The Gas Station,” takes place in Haddonfield . A female student from a university takes a job at a gas station during the midnight shift. As her misfortune would have it, a Satanic serial killer is on the loose. “Hair” is about a man (played by Stacy Keach) who is losing is hair and takes a treatment to grow it back (or so he thinks). The third installment is “The Eye.” It is about…oh, who cares; it’s the worst one of the three and Carpenter didn’t direct it anyway. “The Gas Station” is the best story in the trilogy, despite the deus ex machina (the guy just happens to come back to get his credit card when the killer is about to kill her). To be honest, all of Carpenter’s films have a deus ex machina. In Halloween, Laurie Strobe just happens to find a sewing needle that she uses to defeat Michael Myers; in the sequel, Dr. Loomis just happens to learn about a secret folder that reveals Michael Myers’ motive which leads Loomis to make it to the hospital in time to save Strobe; Snake Plissken (from Escape From New York) just happens to be in the cab and finds the tape he needs; the elevator in Dark Star stops for no reason before it can kill a character; the priest in Prince Of Darkness finds an ax that is used to destroy the portal to the netherworld; the gold the undead lepers of The Fog are seeking just happens to be in the church; a heavy machine was available for the teens to use in wrecking Christine; the teleportation device used in They Live goes off accidently and takes the main characters to the aliens’ headquarters; etc. Trust me, there are plenty more. The deus ex machinas, for the most part, are forgivable. After all, the viewers know the guy in “The Gas Station” will come back; it isn’t as the sewing needle stops Michael Myers for good (he revives and goes after Strobe — demonstrating he is unstopable); Dr. Loomis isn’t able to immediately save Strobe in the sequel; emphasis is placed on one of the goons earlier in Escape From New York on why he is wearing Cabbie’s hat and he tells that he traded it but it wasn’t revealed for what; the elevator scene in Dark Star is done more for comical effect rather than serious drama; the priest with the ax in Prince Of Darkness first uses it to behead a possessed human (who only picks up the head and puts it back on); in The Fog, the priest does have the journal that reveals the location of the gold cross and if he had read it sooner he would have known sooner about the cross; in Christine it isn�¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½¿ï¿½t unlikely that heavy equipment would be found in a salvage yard; and in They Live, it was mentioned before hand the teleportation device had a glitch in it.

The whole plot in Big Trouble In Little China is driven by deus ex machina instead of the characters. At first, the deus ex machina seems like free rides but instead the characters are drawn deeper into trouble (big trouble).  They actually ensure a good pacing for the story and keep it from becoming bogged down with too many explanations. But the audience is shown at the start that Jack Burton has a lot of luck on his side whwen he does exdeptionally well at a a Chinese gambling game.  But to a true critic these are still serious flaws because the characters themselves do not bring about these changes themselves rather they rely on luck.  In fact, the endings to his films always have a felling of being unreslved — that it could start all over again.  Halloween’s ending is more of an intermission.  However, they happen so much in his films it’s as if Carpenter wants the audience to be disappointed with his endings — as a way to keep them from anticipating a great resolution.  Carpenter’s films never give answers.  They never have th epretension of being films with high morals that will enlighten others to a better path of life.  Caprpenter is an entertainer first, and if you get anything else from his films than that’s an added bonus.  There are many serious fims made that most people have no desire to see because they want to be entertained, they want escapism.  To put a new twist on an old saying, is a movie really made if no one goes to the theaters to see it?

Director/actor John Cassavetes once said: “People who are maing films today are too concerned with mechanics – technical things instead of feelings.”  He stripped away the glossy techniques of moviemaking and created films that were out-of-foucs, poorly lit, and seem to drag but the acting (when you can hear it) is strong.  The problem is that they are so unbearable to watch tht if ayone happens to check out a Cassavetes film, he or she never wants to see another one again.  At least, Carpenter makes his films enjoybable.  Cassavetes and Carpenter were also actors as well as directors.  Carpenter, playing an undead mortician in Body Bags, show he is just as comfortable in front ofthe camera as behind.  he makes the film fun to watch.  After Body Bags, he acted in the movie Silence Of The Hams (1994).  In 1994 In The Mouth Of Madness was released (Carpenter was director and composer).  Less a horror film than a description of the horror genre (i.e.art in general) — how reality affects art and how art affects reality (trying to separate the two only becomes a confusing mess).  The antagonist, Sutter Cane, is a cross between Stephen ing and H.P. Lovecraft.  The title of the movie itself is actually a play on “At the Mountains of Madness,” a story by H.P. Lovecraft, a horror writer whos fiction has fooled many into thining certain elements are true.  A hotel in the movie is called Pickman’s Hotel, a reference to a short sotry by Lovecraft titled Pickman’s Model.” which is about where an artist gets the inspiration for his paintings.  I wasn’t too impressed with In The Mouth of Madness when I watched it for the first time but after a second viewing it got better.  I feel the same way about Village of the Damned (1995), a remake of a 1960’s movie of the same name.  Critics say it isn’t any different from the original; actually it’s better than the original (better ending too).  Carpenter’s version does a better job of conveying the theme — expressing the fears of parenting: that a child will not return love to a parent or that a parent will be punished for not being perfect.  Christopher Reeves, before his accident, makes a reference to Butler County in Village of the Damned.

It has been debated whether his next film, Esacape From LA (1996), is a remake or a sequel.  Maybe both!  Fans hated it becaues itwas the same movie as Escape From New York.  But what are most dequels anyway — the same movie of the original!  Carpenter just made it more obvious.  Escape From LA is just as enjoyable as Escape From New York to watch, which is rare for a dequel.  Carpenter was asked if he ever thought about making Escape From Bowling Green.  He replied with a simple, “No.”.

His most recent film is Vampires, which was released in September.  Halloween is being rereleased for it’s 20th anniversary.  Halloween H20 was released in August.  Jamie Lee Curtis returns a Laurie Strobe (who has changed her name).  Carpenter had nothing to do with it but he is credited for co-creating the characters and composing the theme song.  H20, despite its stupid name, is better than Curse but the main purpose of the movie is so Jamie Lee Curtis’ character can kill Michael Myers (which is quite an ending).  The only character with any development is Curtis’ — the remaining characters are expendable and no one cares if they die.  The movie would have been better if it concentrated more on Strobe’s victimhood rather than glossing over it.  Donald Pleasence’s abscence shows how vital his is to the Halloween mytho.  Instead of Haddonfield, the setting for H2O is in California in an alternate reality where the events after Halloween II never happned.  During the opening credits Warren County is mentioned.  That is the only reference to Carpenter’s hometown.  While Carpenter was accused of being Hollywoodish, his films do show a Southern influence.  His plots parallel southern folklore and ghost stories, which are usually an odyseey filled with deus ex machinas with monsters who are bad just for the sake of it.  An the sotries are meant to be heard as a whole rathre than exclusively waiting for the moral of the story.

Despite Carpenter’s success as a filmmaker, he is hardly recognized by his hometown.  In fact, there are some people who have no idea who he is or that he was raised here.  The guide at the Felts Log House knew nothing about Carpenter living there.  Nothing is done to honor Carpenter for being a hometown hero.  After all, Duncan Hines has his own festival, can’t Carpenter get soemthing like that?  His friend Stephen Todd said he would like to see a festival in Carpenter’s honor.  “It would be good for the community,” he said.  Carpenter comes back to Bowling Green to visit his parents, who still live here.  His parents declined to be interviewed for health reasons but they did state in a letter: “Jean and I have always held our son’s abilities and talents in the highest esteem.  We respected his uniqueness as a child and treated him as an adult.”  Howard and Jean Carpenter also hoped this article would not only discuss his earlier films but his more modern ones as well.  Carpenter also visits Todd when he is in town.  As you may remember, Todd starred in many of Carpenter’s earlier films.  “He recently asked me for another starring role,” Carpenter said “and I quickly turned him down.”

*Marty Dowell and Steve Grimes assisted in locating Carpenter’s video’s for reviewing.

Mark Giffin is a freelance writer for various publications and publisher of an underground zine.  He is currently on sabaticall working on a book of fiction.

Originally Posted October 1998.