Chances are that, if you grew up a genre fan in the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s, you are well familiar with the great John Carpenter. His works include “Dark Star,” “Assault on Precinct 13,” “Halloween,” “Elvis,” “The Fog,” “Escape From New York,” “The Thing,” “Christine,” “Starman,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Prince of Darkness,” and “They Live,” just to name a precious few. He would go on to do more films throughout the ’90s (the horror gem “In the Mouth of Madness” and the underappreciated “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” immediately spring to mind), but there is no question that the ’70s and ’80s were his heyday.
“Night” From “Lost Themes”
Carpenter is known primarily for his works of horror, but make no mistake: a look at his resume would lead one to believe that this man isn’t just a great horror director. He’s a great director, period! What a lot of folks tend to forget is that in addition to being quite the stylish storyteller, Carpenter is also one hell of a film composer. In fact, Carpenter was interested in becoming a musician long before he was bewitched by the art of filmmaking. Ultimately, he would marry the two by way of penning the majority of the scores to his many directorial efforts, and he would do so to very strong affect. He once famously made an executive eat crow for not finding an undeniable classic scary enough by amping up the tension in his seminal horror film, “Halloween,” through the power of an unforgettable score. When that same executive saw a new version of “Halloween” with said score in place, her opinion of the film swiftly changed.
“Distant Dream” From “Lost Themes II”
Sadly, Carpenter has only directed one feature film in the last 15 years — the little-seen “The Ward” — but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t kept the creative juices flowing. Far from it. In 2015, Sacred Bones Records released Carpenter’s “Lost Themes,” a fantastically creative collection of atmospheric tracks that never actually accompanied any of Carpenter’s outstanding films but easily could have. The year 2016 would see the release of the equally impressive “Lost Themes II.” Both of these collections are easy reminders of why we fell in love with Carpenter in the first place.
“Halloween” Soundtrack, “Main Theme”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI0QNdIi508
Throughout his illustrious career, Carpenter has told the stories he’s wanted to tell and made the music he’s wanted to make — and quite frankly he hasn’t got anything to prove. So it came as quite a surprise when Blumhouse Productions (the thrifty distributor responsible for low-budget but extremely well crafted horror films like “Sinister” and “The Visit”) announced that they’d be rebooting “Halloween” and that Carpenter himself would return in a creative capacity. Rumor also has it that Carpenter may provide the music for this upcoming re-imagining of “Halloween.”
“Prince of Darkness” Soundtrack, “End Credits Theme”
Better still, Carpenter is taking his music out on the road for the very first time in his career. This tour will find the composer/filmmaker in both Europe and the U.S. At press time, Carpenter was three dates into the tour’s 30 stops and the revealed set lists thus far suggest that this is a one-of-a-kind, must-attend tour event for fans. Carpenter will be joined on stage by son Cody and godson Daniel Davies. In addition to tracks from both “Lost Themes” records, Carpenter is bringing selections from his numerous film score contributions to a live setting. The very idea of hearing “Night,” “Halloween,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” and “Prince of Darkness” live is enough to send this particular Carpenter fan into an absolute frenzy. You can bet I’ll be attending one of these shows!
For more information on the tour, including dates and ticket prices, click here.
While Carpenter isn’t often mentioned in the same breath as filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, perhaps he should be. He may not be as popular in box office terms, but the man certainly knows how to tell a story. Honestly, throughout the ’80s, he was one of my go-to entertainers. Whenever I watch a Carpenter movie or listen to a Carpenter score, there’s always something unmistakably “John Carpenter” about it, and that’s the true mark of a master storyteller.
If you’re a fan of this unsung filmmaking hero and he happens to be performing in your neck of the woods, you’d be well advised to attend.
