John Carpenter’s Favorite Movies Won’t Give You Nightmares

It’s hardly news that director John Carpenter is a master of the horror genre, with a string of classics like “Halloween,” “The Fog,” “Christine,” “The Thing,” “Prince of Darkness,” “In the Mouth of Madness” and “Vampires” to his name. While Carpenter doesn’t have a distinctive style or recurring motif in his films (apart from his favourite actors), he possesses a natural talent for filmmaking, making even his less successful efforts watchable.

Carpenter undoubtedly loves horror, but surprisingly, he’s not a horror aficionado at heart. He approaches filmmaking with a classic, hands-on approach, instinctively knowing how to shoot a scene, regardless of the genre. Carpenter has talked about the monster movies and sci-fi films that inspired him (he loved “Forbidden Planet” as a child, and classics like Godzilla movies) but he also speaks often about the films of John Ford and Howard Hawks, two American filmmakers best known for their iconic Westerns. Carpenter even considers some of his own genre films to be Westerns, notably “Assault on Precinct 13,” a remake of the 1959 Western “Rio Bravo.” He clearly has a deep admiration for Howard Hawks.

Every ten years, the British Film Institute conducts the Sight and Sound poll, where hundreds of prominent critics and filmmakers share their top ten favourite movies. Carpenter was invited to participate in 2022 and, of his chosen ten, four were directed by Howard Hawks. Two of his picks were renowned John Wayne-starring Westerns (one directed by John Ford and the other by, you guessed it, Howard Hawks), and not a single one was a horror film. Carpenter may be a favourite in the horror community, but he’s a true film enthusiast, drawn to Hollywood classics and even some European surrealist satires. While undoubtedly influenced by monster movies, Carpenter would probably rather watch TCM or the Criterion Channel.

What are your thoughts on John Carpenter’s cinematic preferences? Let us know in the comments!