Some names become iconic because of their innovative and cross-border oeuvre. The 74-year-old director John Timmerman is without a doubt on this list. For half a century, Carpenter has been part of some genre films that became famous classics, especially in horror, but since he directed the film the district in 2010, Carpenter had a directorial hiatus. However, there are rumors that this situation is about to end.
After staying away from the director’s chair, Carpenter fans can rest easier, as Carpenter himself hinted that he might be back. There’s a lot of speculation about which project would be enough to bring him back, and he’s suggested some interesting options. Here’s a little more about the director, what he’s been working on, and how his 10-year sabbatical as a director could end.
What is John Carpenter most famous for?
John Carpenter’s name has been associated with some of the most successful genre films (and others not so much). Carpenter is also a composer, musician, producer, actor and writer. In the 1970s, Carpenter directed what some call the official beginning of the modern slasher genre and one of the biggest horror franchises in cinema history: Halloween. He also created the iconic soundtrack for the film, including Michael Meyer’s theme song.
After that, the director was involved in horror classics such as Christine and The thing, and eventually received a Carrosse d’Or Prize from the French Guild of Directors in 2019 at the Cannes International Film Festival. He also dabbed his feet in other genres, such as action with the famous Escape from New York and the sequel, Escape from LA (which is one of his least loved movies). He also experimented with family-friendly sci-fi with star man and brilliant ideological commentary with They live.
One of the most appreciated elements of his films is how he used and innovated practical effects in horror and science fiction films. His monsters, aliens and overall creatures are made entirely of practical effects. His films were so groundbreaking that they are still looked at in creating practical effects today, even with the high-quality CGI available.
Halloween was a huge hit, grossing nearly $70 million on a $300 thousand budget and sparking an extremely lucrative franchise. However, the rest of his films have received more or less mixed reviews from audiences and critics. However, his lesser-known body of work began to gain appreciation from generations to come, and he has somehow become even more revered during his long sabbatical as a director.
10 years directing gap
Carpenter is a unique filmmaker and artist with a very devoted fan base for his work. However, the last film the director made was released more than ten years ago. He did direct a television episode of the show X-Menbut since then no new film of his has been released the district. In 2019, Carpenter had an interview with: Collider, and after being asked why he was taking some time off, he stated, “I haven’t planned any, but I’m working on things. I’ve made a lot of movies and I got burned out and I had to quit for a I need a have life. The circumstances have to be right to do it again.” As sad as it may seem, this may have been a wise decision, as the quality of Carpenter’s films slowly began to decline from the 1990s onwards.
It is not uncommon for people in the industry to take a break from performing a particular role. Also, Carpenter was not entirely absent from the entertainment industry. He worked as a script consultant in many films and continued to work on soundtracks. He collaborated with Cody Carpenter and David Davies on the soundtrack for the franchise that the director initiated in the 1970s: Halloween. They created the soundtrack for David Gordon Green’s reboot trilogy, Halloween (2018), Halloween killsand the coming Halloween ends. He was also an executive producer for the three films.
The comeback of carpenter
It is still unknown which project would bring Carpenter back to the director’s chair. However, he has stated that he has a number of projects “queuing up and seeping through”. Carpenter has worked with Blumhouse Productions in the Halloween franchise and other productions, such as the new Stephen King adaptation fire starter. The production company is rumored to be working on a sequel to Carpenter’s The thing. This is arguably the strongest indicator of what the director could bring back since he said so he would like to work on a sequel to one of his greatest classics.
Also on Sept. Fangoria posted on Twitter a short video captioned ‘Coming Soon’ of Carpenter sitting in an empty theater looking at an invisible screen. However, the audio refers to something very specific: it sounds like Godzilla’s screams. That’s why many people thought he was a godzilla movie (Carpenter actually made a godzilla fan film before becoming a worldwide famous director called Gorgo vs. godzilla). However, fans were disappointed to learn that no, the hiatus isn’t over yet – Carpenter is just hosting a godzilla movie marathon for Shout TV.
John Carpenter changed practical effects and forever influenced the horror genre. It would be a shame to see such a unique director stop making movies, especially since his last movies are so bland, so hopefully his 10-year hiatus will come to an end. Fans will have to wait and see what he has in store and revisit his brilliantly directed films in the meantime.