My Top 5 John Carpenter Films

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

This year, director John Carpenter and the horror community are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the 1978 horror masterpiece “Halloween.” The immortal slasher film that inspired dozens of rip offs and wannabes, horror fans get their reward this year with a new edition of the film that would help close out the seventies. In honor of Carpenter, and “Halloween,” here are our five favorite John Carpenter directed films.

What are you favorites from Carpenter?

5. In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
One of the most interesting and demented explorations of rabid fandom, “In the Mouth of Madness” takes on a world where a popular author has bred a legion of fans so anxious for his work they’ll murder to get to it. John Carpenter creates the sentient villain Sutter Cane in homage of Stephen King whose based most of his works around Lovecraftian novels that have garnered an immense and violent fan base. When a book agent is sent to a mysterious town to meet Cane, he learns that Cane himself is not just a creator of his world, but most likely lost complete control and now has invented our world. There may be two realities, one of which Cane’s, and it’s the one we see in “In the Mouth of Madness.”

And in essence Cane likely invented himself. Things go from bad to worse when studios decide to begin turning his novels in to movies. Filled with an array of Easter eggs, wonderful in-jokes, subtle meta-jokes that only the keen observer will notice and an array of excellent performances from people like Sam Neill and Jürgen Prochnow, “In the Mouth of Madness” is an excellent meta horror film that builds a world within a world within a world to where we can never be sure if anything on-screen is human or just the cognizant creation of their God also known as the author. Do you read Sutter Cane?

4. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Carpenter’s version of a contemporary Western that doubles as a remake of “Rio Bravo,” the 1976 action thriller is a frantic and relentless roller coaster that is never lets up in its energy. When a man’s young daughter is murdered in the middle of a crime infested neighborhood he strikes down the gang that left her to die. Retreating from them, he ends up at a local precinct about to be closed down, and the shit hits the fan. Caught in the crossfire, literally everyone in the precinct are marked by an endless horde of violent gang members, all of whom want in to the precinct and intend on murdering the civilians as horribly as possible.

Now a few beat cops, a secretary, and a ruthless convict have to fend off against the gang members using their wits, their endurance, and only a few fire arms at hand. It’s a ridiculously exciting and fantastic action picture, that Carpenter could never quite duplicate again. And he tried with “Ghosts of Mars.” Speaking of which, let’s be honest: It’s not that bad a film.

3. Halloween (1978)
Originally known as the Babysitter Murders, “Halloween” is the metaphorical gun that started the marathon of a thousand slasher films that would storm theaters in the eighties in search of the almighty dollar. Carpenter’s film is a slasher masterpiece second only to Bob Clark’s “Black Christmas.” Set years after a baffling murder conducted by a young boy named Michael Myers, his therapist travels to his mental asylum horrified to discover Michael has broken out. Now on the way back to his old town of Haddonfield, he builds an odd obsession with local teen Laurie, and seeks to destroy everything around her.

Viciously murdering her friends, Michael is a merciless and shapeless monster who meets his match with young Laurie on Halloween night. “Halloween” is still a very effective and engrossing slasher thriller that introduces an iconic new monster that would haunt the holiday as long as he lived. Ending on the horrifying breaths of its maniac, “Halloween” is a spooky horror film that makes you proud to be a horror fanatic.

2. John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)
Initially a flop and critically lambasted, John Carpenter treats his audience with his own version of the short story “Who Goes There?” Considered a remake of Howard Hawk’s “The Thing,” John Carpenter side steps the monster movie and offers up a cerebral and deeply horrifying tale of survival as he creates a faceless, formless, and grotesque alien capable of becoming us. It will do anything to survive, even taking on the perverse and gruesome forms of its victims.

Kurt Russell leads a cast of seasoned veterans as RJ MacReady, a helicopter pilot who save a stray dog after thwarting its owners attempts to murder it. When they take it in, they realize too late that they’ve invited in an alien presence that uses humans as a vessel for safety. Soon begins the fight for survival as RJ struggles to find out who is the Thing. As the crew’s numbers dwindle, the blood soaked fight for dominance balances action, horror, science fiction and dark comedy, all topped off with a brilliant and immortal eerie closing scene. “The Thing” is the remake to end all remakes.

1. They Live (1988)
John Carpenter’s science fiction actioner is a brilliant and still widely relevant alien invasion film that sets its sights on society. The aliens are the yuppies and consumers, while the bad guys are the lower class and working man. The aliens, in an effort to gradually destroy the common man, subliminally program them to consume, reproduce, buy, and watch television. Oblivious to their pre-destined world that’s now under rule of the bug eyed aliens that camouflage as normal humans, the only hope is Nada.

A mysterious drifter seeking work, he ends up the only chance mankind has of re-gaining control as he infiltrates the alien operation thanks to enigmatic black shades that help him see through the alien facade. Roddy Piper is unconventional casting as the film’s hero who is at first a reluctant bystander, and then decides he has to spearhead this take down of this sentient alien society or else life as we know it will continues to be owned by our alien overlords.

Featuring a great supporting performance by Carpenter regular Keith David, “They Live” packs a punch with intellect, humor, social commentary, great action set pieces, and a kick ass hero we can get behind. Piper is at his best under the wing of Carpenter and really goes to town on the alien establishment. “They Live” is a consistent favorite and one of the films that will achieve immortality from Carpenter’s repertoire.

The PC Thug: Arrivederci, Zombie

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

No one will ever really accuse “H2″ or “Rob Zombie’s Halloween” of ever being a masterpiece. I mean, while they do have the vision of a man who has something to say in the horror genre, they’re not the indicators of someone who can firmly grasp what a remake is supposed to be. John Carpenter’s “The Thing” worked so well because he had source material to work off of, and re-imagined the Howard Hawks original in creative ways. Zombie’s “Halloween” movies felt like repackaged leftovers disguised as a meal. Heck, I don’t think Zombie ever grasped what filmmaking was supposed to be.

Continue reading →

Fun Size (2012) [Blu-Ray]

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Felix Vasquez

Charming and gorgeous Nickelodeon Pop starlet continues her gradual foray in to the movies with her Nickelodeon fueled “Fun Size.” Set during Halloween night, Victoria Justice heads up a charming and often raucous comedy with the equally charming and gorgeous Jane Levy in one of the classic Hollywood formula comedies: The It All Happened One Night film. Set in the vein of a real time during one fun night of Halloween, big sister Wren, as played by Justice is tasked with taking her little brother Albert out for a night of trick or treating. Wren, just getting over the death of her dad, has to deal with her mom’s dating habits, while longing for her upcoming trek to college. Younger brother Albert is a rambunctious and unpredictable young boy who begrudgingly goes out with Wren and her flirtatious best friend April.

Continue reading →

The American Scream (2012)

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Felix Vasquez

The common Christian stereotype is that Halloween is almost always celebrated by Pagans and Satanists, as well as people with a demented sense of reality. What the director of “The American Scream” Michael Stephenson accomplishes, is destroying such an antiquated cliche and explores a world of folks who adore Halloween and are just working class individuals looking for an escape from their lives. “The American Scream” has an undercurrent of sadness to it where the happiness and smiles are really seeking to cover the heart ache and desperation behind the subjects who treat Halloween like an event every single year. I’m proud to be one of those people who anticipate the month of October right around the beginning of August, and these folks featured aren’t so different.

Continue reading →

Girls and Corpses: Volume 6 [Magazine]

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Felix Vasquez

For folks who like sex and grue wrapped up in a gory little bow, “Girls and Corpses” is surely to whet your appetite. “Girls and Corpses” is an entertaining horror magazine that spotlights the obscure corners of the horror world while allowing readers their own fantasies in the process. There’s spreads on facial make up that results in a grotesque gallery of facial rotting, old pictorials of women posing with skeletons and cadavers, explorations of mechanical art, as well as digital art, and a heavy emphasis on horror photography that explores taboo sexual practices.

Continue reading →

Girl vs. Monster (2012)

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Felix Vasquez

While many kids of the nineties will agree that DCOM’s simply aren’t as good or as innocent as they used to be, the talent has improved enormously. Most of the actors in the past DCOM’s (Disney Channel Original Movies) were always so blustery and stilted in their performances, in spite of the fact that Disney took more risks with their movies. These days, they’ve traded subtlety for talent. “Kickin’ It” is one of the few successful boy oriented shows Disney has launched. It’s a show about a group of kids who deal with growing up through the skill of martial arts, and one of its stars Olivia Holt has displayed a real charm and charisma that’s tough to keep contained.

In “Girl vs. Monster” she has a real magnetism and appeal that makes her the ideal choice for the role of a young girl about to come in to her own as a monster hunter in a legacy of master monster hunters in her family. “Girl vs. Monster” contains elements of “Supernatural,” and “Ghostbusters,” with a hint of “Hocus Pocus” and manages to be rather entertaining. Skyler Lewis is a bold and brave young girl who isn’t afraid of anything. She leaps on to a rafter to fix a Halloween banner and lands the fall with grace, and before leaving with her friends engages in a performance with a local band for the room. She’s the envy of many people, and we’re forced to believe somewhat of an outcast. Her parents are primarily mold specialists whom are incredibly over protective and refuse to let her attend the Halloween party thrown by musician Ryan, who begs Skyler to sing for the group when lead singer Myra is hurt in a hilarious accident. Refusing to let her go, Skyler’s odd parents leave her in the charge of her uncle, and lock her inside the house.

Determined to make it out, she shuts the power down to the house and accidentally frees the evil Deimata from the ghost chamber in their basement. On a mission to possess Skyler and feed on her fear, Diemata is intent on hunting Skyler down as Skyler comes to grips with the fact that she has to be a hero. Very much in the vein of “Halloweentown,” Skyler is a girl who loves Halloween whose over protective parents are suppressing her until a certain age where she can become a hero of some kind. In that regard it’s rather derivative. I also never understood why the parents would house a ghost chamber in their basement and make their power grid so functional and easily shut down by hand when their house is protected by a key pad. And what would Deimata accomplish by possessing Skyler? Was it a part of a master plan to destroy the legacy of monster hunters? Or was she trying to inflict revenge on Skyler’s parents? As with most DCOM’s, “Girl vs. Monster” is entertaining and very charming, but often very silly and doesn’t entirely make a lot of sense in the end.

But the primary reason to watch “Girl vs. Monster” is because it’s such an interesting concept worthy of a few follow-ups for the character of Skyler, and star Holt has a real enthusiasm and draw that’s tough to ignore. As with all DCOM’s, this new film is about a character coming of age, and ultimately she has to learn how to cope with fear and use it as a means of thriving in life rather than letting it control her. As the film progresses we learn that Skyler may not be too normal, while her two friends often paralyzed by their insecurities may be more in control around demonic beings. The trio of ghouls feast off of the insecurities of teenagers, and are basically just metaphors for anxiety, insecurity, and self-esteem. They’re manifestations of those flaws, and they feed on such horrors.

To defeat them they must ultimately face their fears, which means Skyler’s friend Sadie must confront her fear of public speaking, goofy Henry must battle a bullying scarecrow, and Skyler must perform her music for the party she’s attending. As with all modern DCOM’s, the cast is intended to do more than just act, so Olivia Holt pulls in double duty as a singer and actor and accomplishes some strong singing paired with some very catchy music for the film’s inevitable soundtrack. While it has bumps along the road, “Girl vs. Monster” has a clear message for its teen audience about confronting fears, while marketing on the growing popularity of talented star, Olivia Holt. It’s a very pleasing Halloween treat. With Disney trying to re-invent their Halloween tradition for a new audience and move away from the classic “Halloweentown,” the new “Girl vs. Monster” is a fun and exciting action comedy for the teens, but I doubt it’ll be as well received as the former more festive fantasy film. Olivia Holt has real potential, and I hope Disney banks on her more in the future.