John Carpenter

IMDb:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000118/

Height:5' 11" (1.8 m)

Trademarks:[Horror] Although Carpenter has directed films in numerous other genres (dark comedy, sci-fi, romance), he is known primarily for making horror films (Halloween (1978) and the subsequent sequels not directed by him, The Fog (1980), The Thing (1982), etc.). He is also known as the "Master of Horror" or the "Prince of Darkness" (after one of his films). [Attribution] The words "John Carpenter's" appear before almost all of his film and TV titles (e.g., John Carpenter's Halloween (1978)). Uses synthesizer-based soundtracks that he composes himself (Most famous for the theme song to Halloween (1978), obviously). [Cheap Scare] Many of Carpenter's films include what he calls a "cheap scare", where something comes into view very fast and leaves just as quickly, intensified by musical cues. Carpenter makes open compositions that allow the villain/monster (or sometimes just an object) to pop into frame from the background, the immediate foreground or from either side of the frame. It has since become a horror cliché after using "cheap scares" so effectively in Halloween (1978). [Apocalypse] Apocalyptic overtones run throughout Carpenter's films, most prominently in his unofficial but aptly titled Apocalypse Trilogy (The Thing (1982), Prince of Darkness (1987), In the Mouth of Madness (1994)) and more subtly in films like Halloween (1978), They Live (1988) and Escape from New York (1981). His lead male characters are anti-heroes (e.g., Snake Plissken in the "Escape" films and Napoleon Wilson in Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)) whereas the bad guys in his films are usually depicted as zombie-like, mindless, and lacking a personality or emotion. Though many people die in his films, with few exceptions, he usually avoids showing gore. [Cinematography] Uses minimalist cinematography and lighting. Tries to make empty spaces look full, and full spaces look empty. Shoots all of his movies in Panavision (2.35:1 ratio with anamorphic lenses). The exceptions are Dark Star (1974) and all of his TV work. Is known for an unofficial "Carpenter's Repertory Group" of actors who he enjoys working with, including Kurt Russell, Sam Neill, Peter Jason, George 'Buck' Flower, and various crew members. Also frequently casts musicians (Ice Cube, Isaac Hayes, Alice Cooper, Jon Bon Jovi). [Names] Likes to name characters after real life people: directors, etc. Also reuses character names from classic movies. For example, John T. Chance, Carpenter's pseudonym in for editing Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), is John Wayne's character in Rio Bravo (1959); Donald Pleasence's character name in Halloween (1978), Sam Loomis, is also the name of Janet Leigh's boyfriend in Psycho (1960). Frequently uses the character names "Tramer" and "Baxter" in different films as well. [Video Screen] His films often feature important visuals shown from a video screen (The end-of-the-world transmission from the future in Prince of Darkness (1987), the Norwegian recordings of the expedition to uncover the aliens in The Thing (1982), various TV sets and the general anti-TV motif in They Live (1988), etc.). Frequently makes references to classic Westerns Includes at least one scene inside an automobile in nearly all his films. Likes to include helicopters in his films, many times doing a cameo as a pilot. Underlying sense of paranoia in horror stories Graphic visual effects and body transformations Often references the works of Alfred Hitchcock Films often take place in single confined locations

Source:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000118/