31 DAYS OF MICHAEL MYERS: The Auteur


Every great story has its great storyteller...and Halloween  is no different. John Carpenter is one of the genre's last remaining living legends and had it not been for his unique vision, The Shape would have never been born.

Born on 1962 in the tiny village of Carthage, New York, John Howard Carpenter was always into genre films...especially the low budget independent productions. The Carpenter family moved from the East all the way to Bowling Green, Kentucky where he would later take some of the street names and insert them into the fictitious hometown of Michael Myers. He later attended USC School of Cinematic Arts where he helped garner an Academy Award for a short film called The Resurrection of Broncho Billy, which he co-wrote, edited and scored.

Throughout the 70's Carpenter made a name for himself as a talented director and composer with such films as Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13. But, it wasn't until the release of a little film named Halloween that he rose into the realms of legendary auteur.

Together with the late Debra Hill, Carpenter would create the one film that would become an October staple the world over as well as cement his place in genre history.  And he also gave birth to one of the most iconic killers in cinematic history.


Personally, my favorite Carpenter film is They Live...mostly for nostalgic reasons and Roddy Piper. But, it is easy to see why Halloween  has stood the test of time and gone on to inspire copy cats and endless sequels and unnecessary remakes and whatnot. It is a film that, not only quietly strikes fear within all of us, but it is celebrated as one of the most important horror films of all time. It is part of our culture and symbolizes American independent horror filmmaking at its absolute finest.

John Carpenter's best cinematic years are, most likely, behind him. But, that's mostly because he is content in spending his time playing video games and watching the NBA. And that's not to say that he won't ever recapture the imaginations of horror fans everywhere. Who knows? Maybe one day...he will come out of his self imposed hibernation and delve back into the genre with one more classic cinematic venture. Until then...we will keep watching Halloween  every October. Or...like we do...every other week.
  

SEE YOU TOMORROW!









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