Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Movie Talk
Reload this Page >

Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Movie Talk A Discussion area for everything movie related including films In The Theaters
View Poll Results: Favorite John Carpenter Film?
Halloween
83
25.62%
The Thing
123
37.96%
The Fog
3
0.93%
Escape From New York
19
5.86%
Big Trouble in Little China
57
17.59%
Assault on Precinct 13
7
2.16%
They Live
15
4.63%
Starman
4
1.23%
In the Mouth of Madness
6
1.85%
Other ( Please List)
7
2.16%
Voters: 324. You may not vote on this poll

Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Old 02-10-12, 12:34 AM
  #176  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,597
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Originally Posted by Rocketdog2000
I like a lot of them, but had to give the nod to Big Trouble In Little China - as it's easliy the most quoatable of the bunch, and also most unlike any of his other work.
This is why Big Trouble was my vote. I really, really love The Thing, but BTiLC is just so goofy and lovable and not a day goes by when I don't think of at least one of its lines.

Escape From New York takes number three. Saw it at the theater during its initial run, and it rocked my fourteen-year-old world.
Old 12-03-15, 02:26 AM
  #177  
Member
 
ArnieCunningham's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Christine for me.
Old 12-03-15, 08:12 AM
  #178  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: East County
Posts: 35,147
Received 193 Likes on 158 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

I'm surprised Big Trouble in Little China is in third place.
Old 12-03-15, 09:28 AM
  #179  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
jjcool's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: CT
Posts: 7,671
Received 129 Likes on 103 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Big Trouble in Little China, without a doubt.
Old 12-03-15, 10:46 AM
  #180  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Why So Blu?'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 38,133
Received 1,177 Likes on 906 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Halloween
Old 12-03-15, 11:40 AM
  #181  
DVD Talk Hero
 
GoldenJCJ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Colorado
Posts: 27,136
Received 3,160 Likes on 2,036 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Originally Posted by B.A.
I'm surprised Big Trouble in Little China is in third place.
I'm surprised Halloween is #2, I would have figured it a shoo-in for first. But I guess this is the board that creams itself at the mere mention of The Thing.
Old 12-03-15, 11:58 AM
  #182  
DVD Talk Hero - 2023 TOTY Award Winner
 
jfoobar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 46,562
Received 2,150 Likes on 1,213 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Originally Posted by GoldenJCJ
But I guess this is the board that creams itself at the mere mention of The Thing.
That used to be true, but I've become desensitized to it. Now I have to throw in a little Prince of Darkness to achieve ejaculation.

In all seriousness, here are the IMDb user rating numbers:

The Thing, average rating 8.2 (237,811 votes)
Halloween, average rating 7.9 (149,090 votes)

So across close to 400,000 combined user votes, people show a moderate but significant preference for one over the other. Seems to me that the vote results here, at least in terms of comparing these two films, are pretty consistent with the much, much larger IMDb data set.
Old 12-03-15, 12:03 PM
  #183  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
inri222's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 50,673
Received 182 Likes on 120 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Originally Posted by GoldenJCJ
I'm surprised Halloween is #2, I would have figured it a shoo-in for first. But I guess this is the board that creams itself at the mere mention of The Thing.
Yup
Old 12-03-15, 12:34 PM
  #184  
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
 
Trevor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: spiritually, Minnesota
Posts: 36,866
Received 670 Likes on 448 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

The Rottentomatoes audience score is also higher for The Thing. I'm surprised there was any debate/surprise. Both films are great, and one could prefer Halloween, but they should be able to admit the quality present in The Thing.
Old 12-04-15, 05:49 AM
  #185  
Member
 
Brack's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: near Cincinnati
Posts: 10,007
Received 61 Likes on 39 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Love The Thing, it's a very close second, But Halloween for me.

Big Trouble in Little China is third because I never get tired of seeing it.
Old 12-04-15, 10:57 AM
  #186  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
PatD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,287
Likes: 0
Received 156 Likes on 96 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

Any love for Dark Star round these parts? I love it myself. It's very clever and it's the precursor to the BBC series, Red Dwarf.
Old 12-04-15, 11:19 AM
  #187  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 3,539
Received 183 Likes on 125 Posts
Re: Favorite John Carpenter Film?

I voted for The Thing, but it was close. My second would be Starman, then pretty much equal billing for Halloween/Big Trouble/Escape, then the rest. Although, having recently caught They Live (after a few years of not having seen it) a few times on cable recently, it might jump up into the third place pile up.
Old 03-18-18, 11:02 AM
  #188  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,892
Received 92 Likes on 88 Posts
Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

Hi All,

Probably the toughest list I'll ever make, as I am actually going to rank these ones. John Carpenter remains my favorite filmmaker of all-time, as I believe he went on the greatest run of great movie after great movie ever. Some will discount his later movies, and I'll admit I find certain faults, but I want to limit this to his top ten, which he definitely has. Feel free to argue with the order placement, as a lot of people are going to be surprised by the rankings...

1. The Thing - Simply one of the greatest movies (and remakes) of all-time. Love everything about this movie. The arctic setting (filmed in northern British Columbia), the score (Ennio Morricone, with help from Carpenter himself), the effects (Rob Bottin!), the cast (T.K. Carter, Hallahan, Keith David, Russell)...all aspects were great...Probably one of the ultimate "guy movies", as there's not a woman in sight...And an ambiguous ending...

2. The Fog - Very underrated. Beautiful setting, filmed in the same area where Hitchcock filmed portions of The Birds. I've always loved lighthouses and this movie features a great one...Old-fashioned story told well...Adrienne Barbeau was great...Unfortunate that her and Carpenter broke up a bit after this movie...

3. Halloween - Don't need to say much about this movie. An all-time great. People will question how I could rank this as being his third best movie, but I think that just shows how prolific and great his output was during this period of time...And I love the Blue Oyster Cult song in the movie...And probably one of the greatest/most famous uses of the Steadicam ever...

4. Assault on Precinct 13 - More or less his first real movie if you ignore Dark Star...Harrowing, and a great riff on Rio Bravo...The cast is terrific and Carpenter made the most with a limited budget...The remake was okay but could never match the intensity of the original...And this movie may feature my absolute favorite Carpenter score...The theme song is extremely memorable...

5. Escape From New York - One of my favorite sci-fi movies, and it was always a joy seeing another Russell/Carpenter collaboration. Snake Plissken is an icon...I even have some Snake Plissken toys that I have on display...And you have Pleasance, Isaac, and Barbeau again...And Lee Van Cleef in a small cameo...

6. They Live - "I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I'm all out of gum." One of the most immortal movies in cinema history. Rowdy Roddy Piper nailed it and this movie really stands the test of time. His fight with Keith David is epic, and has been aped in all sorts of stuff, including an episode of Family Guy...

7. Prince of Darkness - Great score, the cast was a little unknown so this maybe flew under the radar a bit. Just a great story filled with creepy effects throughout...I own the soundtrack on vinyl...Awesome to play during Halloween...

8. Big Trouble in Little China - Some people like this a bit more than me...I appreciate it, but it pales compared to the other Russell/Carpenter collaborations...I prefer when they take things seriously...Nevertheless, Jack Burton is still a lot of fun, and the movie has a lot of crazy sequences...I still enjoy the movie, but it's hard to live up to what they did prior to this...

9. Village of the Damned - A bit underrated in my estimation. I like Christopher Reeve (still the best Superman, in my mind)...and the kids were definitely creepy...Only drawback is some of the CGI (these were the early days) is a bit weak...

10. Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Mainly because I like Chevy Chase. This was a really different movie for Carpenter, who I imagine thought it would be much more serious when he did it...It turned into more of a comedy/drama but I think the end results were okay...The special effects actually hold up pretty good considering what day and age we are in (I'd actually say I prefer this invisible man movie over Paul Verhoeven's Hollow Man...which I still enjoy but have to admit it was one of his weaker efforts)...

Missed the cut: Christine (not a big fan), Starman (haven't seen), BodyBags (this was a multiple director movie, so it doesn't count), and his Masters of Horror episodes (they were okay, especially Cigarette Burns, but don't hold a candle to his actual features)...

Thanks
Old 03-18-18, 12:31 PM
  #189  
DVD Talk Hero
 
GoldenJCJ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Colorado
Posts: 27,136
Received 3,160 Likes on 2,036 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

The new Oldboy? Let’s slow down a little on that “New Thread” button.

But hell this forum is slow enough that I’ll play along.

1. Halloween - Just a great all around slasher flick. The way horror movies should be made.

2. The Fog - This thing just oozes atmosphere. It would probably rank lower but I’m a sucker for ghost ship, pacific NW settings.

3. Big Touble in Little China - My first real exposure to Carpenter when I was a kid. Frankly, you can’t go wrong with Kurt Russell.

4. The Thing - I enjoy it but not as much Cuba’s other people seem to. Still, Kurt Russell means I’ll enjoy it regardless.

The rest of Carpenter’s filmography can be fun and nostalgic but don’t seem to have the same resonance as his films I listed. I do enjoy most of his films to some extent though.
Old 03-18-18, 12:49 PM
  #190  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,892
Received 92 Likes on 88 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

Originally Posted by GoldenJCJ
The new Oldboy? Let’s slow down a little on that “New Thread” button.

But hell this forum is slow enough that I’ll play along.

1. Halloween - Just a great all around slasher flick. The way horror movies should be made.

2. The Fog - This thing just oozes atmosphere. It would probably rank lower but I’m a sucker for ghost ship, pacific NW settings.

3. Big Touble in Little China - My first real exposure to Carpenter when I was a kid. Frankly, you can’t go wrong with Kurt Russell.

4. The Thing - I enjoy it but not as much Cuba’s other people seem to. Still, Kurt Russell means I’ll enjoy it regardless.

The rest of Carpenter’s filmography can be fun and nostalgic but don’t seem to have the same resonance as his films I listed. I do enjoy most of his films to some extent though.
Haha, I know, I was just bored this morning...Good comments...I'm surprised The Thing isn't your favorite...I love that movie...But you are dead on about The Fog...I love that movie...Very underrated...
Old 03-18-18, 02:52 PM
  #191  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Idaho Falls, ID USA
Posts: 459
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

Escape From New York is easily my favorite. When I was a youngster (early 1980s) I had a friend who bought a thousand dollar VCR and 1 movie - Escape From New York. We must have watched that movie a thousand times!

(he also splurged on a blank $30 tape and recorded the tv version of Blazing Saddles)
Old 03-18-18, 05:20 PM
  #192  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
inri222's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 50,673
Received 182 Likes on 120 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

When JC was on point, he made some good stuff.
Not a fan of all his work, but the ones below I really like.

Halloween
Assault on Precinct 13
The Thing
The Fog
Prince of Darkness
In the Mouth of Madness
Escape From New York
They Live
Old 03-18-18, 05:56 PM
  #193  
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
 
Toddarino's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Northeastern Wisconsin
Posts: 4,460
Received 817 Likes on 542 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

1. The Thing
2. Halloween
3. Escape From New York
4. Big Trouble In Little China
5. They Live
6. The Fog
7. Prince Of Darkness
8. Assault On Precinct 13
9. Vampires
10. Someone's Watching Me

I reckon I'll stop at 10. JC is easily my favorite director. I have a half sleeve of portraits of him and Kurt.
That reminds me I have to get something from Prince Of Darkness soon.
Old 03-18-18, 06:18 PM
  #194  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
stvn1974's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 7,296
Received 526 Likes on 329 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

The Thing
Halloween
Escape From New York
Big Trouble In Little China
They Live

These five alone put him in with the greatest of all time, IMO.

Vampires
Starman

These are great too. I need to watch his other films again to really rank them.
Old 03-18-18, 06:51 PM
  #195  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
james2025a's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,352
Likes: 0
Received 59 Likes on 48 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

I LOVE the Fog. It is an under rated classic. The atmosphere is creepy and captures the story perfect. Love the setting as well. I remember the Irish twat who took over from Alex Cox on the BBCs Moviedrome slating the movie. And he is a movie director himself (Paul Cousins???). Just madee think he was a bigger moron


Oh and the Horrors Hallowed Ground feature on the Shout Factory release is great.
Old 03-18-18, 06:54 PM
  #196  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
inri222's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 50,673
Received 182 Likes on 120 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

Originally Posted by james2025a
I LOVE the Fog. It is an under rated classic. The atmosphere is creepy and captures the story perfect.
Old 03-18-18, 07:34 PM
  #197  
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
 
Trevor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: spiritually, Minnesota
Posts: 36,866
Received 670 Likes on 448 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

The Thing is my 4th or 5th favorite film of all-time, and Halloween is perhaps in my top 20. I like all his other films, but none of them stand out too highly for me.
Old 03-18-18, 08:33 PM
  #198  
Banned
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Conducting miss-aisle drills and listening to their rock n roll
Posts: 20,052
Received 168 Likes on 126 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

What's the easiest way to see Memoirs of an Invisible Man? I haven't seen it since VHS.

Of his later film, Ghosts of Mars and In the Mouth of Madness are pretty good. Vampires is not good, but James Woods is classic in it.
Old 03-18-18, 11:02 PM
  #199  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
PatD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,287
Likes: 0
Received 156 Likes on 96 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

Uh, you forgot Dark Star. It's a clever little midnight movie from the early to mid 70s. It deserves to be in the ranking. In fact, I'd argue Carpenter's science fiction movies deserve as a high a ranking as his horror and fantasy movies.
Old 03-19-18, 02:26 AM
  #200  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Ash Ketchum's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 12,618
Received 275 Likes on 210 Posts
Re: Best John Carpenter Movies Ranked

Originally Posted by Mabuse
What's the easiest way to see Memoirs of an Invisible Man? I haven't seen it since VHS.

Of his later film, Ghosts of Mars and In the Mouth of Madness are pretty good. Vampires is not good, but James Woods is classic in it.
I thought I was the only one here who liked GHOSTS OF MARS. Not a great film, but a competent, fast-paced, engaging genre film that more than served its purpose. I wish there were more mid-range genre films like it.

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.