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Listen to a Preview Track from John Carpenter’s ‘Lost Themes II’

Among the best parts of a lot of John Carpenter’s greatest films are his soundtracks. While the legendary director has worked with composers including Ennio Morricone and Alan Howarth, Carpenter often composes the scores for his films himself, and the results are invariably awesome. Carpenter’s music has a wonderful moodiness and distinctly 80s vibe, often heavily …

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‘Vampires’ sees Carpenter go for more action than scares…and a dense script

It appears, therefore, that 1998, when Vampires was released, was right around the time when John Carpenter’s limelight began to dim. It would be harsh to mindlessly lump Vampires in the same category as films such as Escape from L.A. and The Ward however. The reality is that the picture is a decent romp, one that juggles obligatory vampire movie tropes with a more modern twist or two and some action scenes befitting of a western, incidentally a genre Carpenter himself is on record for being quite fond of.

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Do You Read Sutter Cane?: John Carpenter’s Lovecraftian Opus

In a padded cell adorned with crudely drawn crosses resides John Trent. Trent has gone so far as to not only decorate his new insane asylum home with crosses, but himself as well — they run up and down his mental patient uniform and dance across his very face. Outside the asylum, the world is going to hell, and John Trent knows it. When the kindly Dr. Wrenn comes to talk with Trent, Trent tells him the cold hard truth: “Every species can smell its own extinction.”

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Dwayne Johnson to headline ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ remake

Another remake of an 80s classic? Meh. Oh, wait. The Rock! Cue another remake, but this one may have some promise. The Wrap reported on Monday that 20th Century Fox is planning a remake of the classic John Carpenter film, Big Trouble In Little China. While no director is attached, Dwayne Johnson has been pegged …

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Monstervision: The Saturday Drive-In

“This is Joe Bob Briggs reminding you that the Drive-In will Never Die!”  In 1993, Monstervision on TNT in America, was mostly a program that aired old horror movies and science fiction with the occasional hosting from magicians Penn and Teller. During the early nineties, many cable channels hadn’t yet solidified their formats, and horror …

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From Masked Madmen to Benevolent Alien Clones: The Impressive Range of Cult Film Director John Carpenter

John Carpenter has produced an impressive body of work as a composer, director, producer, editor, and occasionally as a scriptwriter. He was a lifelong fan of science fiction novels, horror comic books, and classic westerns, he has managed to integrate thematic elements of all of these things into his work. Even though he’s experienced financial …

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Scream Factory announces ten exciting new genre releases

Scream Factory has been doing an amazing job for a few years now with their amazing home releases of cult classics and lesser-known gems of the past few decades. With releases like From Beyond, Day of the Dead, The Howling, Darkman, Ginger Snaps, John Carpenter’s The Fog, Sleepaway Camp, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, and …

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‘Big Trouble In Little China’ #1 Continues One Of The Great Cult Classics Of The 80’s

Big Trouble In Little China #1 Story by John Carpenter and Eric Powell Written by Eric Powell Art by Brian Churilla Colors by Michael Garland Letters by Ed Dukes hire Cover by Terry Dodson Published by Boom Studios Big Trouble In Little China the comic book starts off right after Big Trouble In Little China …

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The Nostalgia Files: ‘Memoirs of an Invisible Man’ (1992)

Chevy Chase is something of a mystery. In the mid-1970s through the late-1980s, the quirky comedian starred in a number of well-known films. Many of said films highlighted Chase’s strongly unique comedic style. Cynicism and goofy charm were the actor’s best attributes and this very appealing personality even seemed to inspire actors today like Jason Lee and Ryan Reynolds. This suave funnyman persona suited Chase well, but as the 80s started winding down, audiences and critics seemed to have grown tired of the actor’s predictability and somewhat stale brand of humor. He did manage, however, to squeeze out one fun little performance in 1992’s Memoirs of an Invisible Man.

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New on Video: John Carpenter’s ‘Assault on Precinct 13’

Assault on Precinct 13 Written and directed by John Carpenter USA, 1976 With his filmmaking career beginning in the midst of the new Hollywood and its touchstones in American film history, it’s perhaps easy to see why the work of John Carpenter has been somewhat overshadowed by more celebrated filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Steven …

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How horror films continue to insult women through the Final Girl trope

One of the most integral parts of slasher films (1970s and onwards) is the concept of the “Final Girl”. Not only is it now a really iconic and interesting term, it’s one that’s evolved over the years as societal views in the horror genre has too. Coined by American film professor Carol J. Clover, the …

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Director & Actor Teams: The Overlooked & Underrated (Part 1 of 2)

Cinema is a kind of uber-art form that’s made up of a multitude of other forms of art including writing, directing, acting, drawing, design, photography and fashion.  As such, film is, as all cinema aficionados know, a highly collaborative venture. One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and …

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Alien Invasion Month: ‘The Thing’

The Thing Directed by John Carpenter Written by Bill Lancaster 1982, USA There’s a primal fear in isolation. We seem to know, instinctively, that we rely on other people for survival, and that there is safety in numbers. Many horror films play on this fear of being alone to great effect, situating characters in a …

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Thirteenth annual Phoenix Film Festival promises to stand out among the festival-circuit crowd

The beginning of April, for those in the Southwest, heralds an all-new Phoenix Film Festival. This year, the Phoenix Film Festival kicks off its 13th annual edition with impressive celebrity guests, independent feature premieres, seminars, workshops, parties, and more. The festival, which runs from April 4 to April 11, boasts some star-studded new films and …

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The Walking Dead, Ep. 3.14: “Prey” feels like vintage horror

The Walking Dead, Season 3, Episode 14: “Prey” Written by Evan T. Reilly and Glen Mazzara Directed by Stefan Schwartz Airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC In the NHL, three stars are awarded to the three most valuable players of every game. If we could do the same with television, composer Bear McCreary would …

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Essential Viewing for fans of ‘The Last Stand’ – ‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’ & ‘Assault on Precinct 13’

While The Last Stand didn’t make much of an impression on the box office, it still left many of us here at Sound On Sight praising director Jee-woon Kim’s effort. As the first Korean auteur to direct a large-scale Hollywood movie, Kim takes inspiration from classic American westerns, specifically Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo. Apart from …

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‘Grabbers’ Movie Review – a slight and impermanent genre affair

Grabbers Directed by Jon Wright Written by Kevin Lehane Ireland, 2012 For a movie about aliens, Grabbers feels all-too-familiar. Reaching as far back as Ridley Scott’s Alien, Grabbers is a perfectly serviceable and well-cultivated collection of creature features, but, despite its earnest convictions, it lacks a certain novelty to garner any postmortem traction. The movie …

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