Ranking Every John Carpenter Movie (part 1 of 3) - re:View

Late to the party, but I had to add my support behind Dark Star. Sure the movie is mostly fluff and the props are made from cardboard and ice cube trays but it should get bonus points for The BEST Theme Song. "Benson, Arizona" is the perfect ear worm and it shows Carpenter's love of the West in SONG!

Lilibean

Jay is right that John Carpenter's albums are great. His 3 "Lost Themes" albums sound like some long lost soundtracks he wrote back in the '80s.

DonMac

This was amazing

Does anyone know where Jay got his shirt?

Adam

I’ve watched this a couple times. What an enjoyable video and concept - Rich absolutely rocks the project with his controversial pick, and I’m legit excited to not only watch the discussion of the middling films but also see what ends up at the top of their lists. Excellent content as always from these folks.

R_Pupkin

same here, or a Prince of Darkness re:View. Maybe Josh and Jack love it??

JTruts

My apologies, it's getting a vinyl pressing. A reissue implies someone bought it before.

Colin

Just saw the Ghost of Mars soundtrack is getting a 20th anniversary vinyl reissue for Record Store Day: Black Friday...

Colin

Hooooly shit y’all should at least watch Squid Game.

Jason Sealy

Wow Rich, Halloween, really?

Loved this. Very good and fun. Although I think The Fog is high up for me. Believe it or not, I really did enjoy Ghosts of Mars even though it wasn't great. Prince of Darkness was interesting.

I firmly disagree with Rich on #12 but I respect that he did it, stuck to his guns, and just did it. Even if he knows it'll get "hate". I'd rather that then fake liking a movie you're not into to appease "them" tbh. I feel the exact way toward Get Out and a lot of popular movies today.

Marcus Adams

I think The Mouth of Madness is across the street from The Manhole.

BlueGlurp

I'm curious about Rich's opinion of In the Mouth of Madness. It's my favourite Carpenter movie.

Fei

Where do you rank "Vacation" and "Caddyshack"...?

Manuel Johnen

No, I do, too.

Manuel Johnen

And then later when Michael J Fox dad from Back to the Future gets it in the face that's from Part 4. I think the labels just got messed up in this video.

Matthew Kaplan

That clip of F13 Part 4 at 33:45 is from Part 6 Jason Lives.

Matthew Kaplan

I unpaused and Rich said he's not a horror guy and now I feel better.

Matthew Kaplan

Halloween is my favorite film of all time. I just saw Rich's choice for where it went and I paused to post -- I still love Rich. But my god... are you kidding me sir? Sir????

Matthew Kaplan

(But seriously, Rich and Jay are missing one of the consistently most interesting aspects of Carpenter’s films. Aside from Cundey’s trademark cinematography and blue lens-flares on vehicle headlights, there are some really creepy visual moments in those films. When Blake and company show up in the church (the Fog)? Myers parked on that porch across the street? The messenger that dissolves into cockroaches (“I have something to tell you…and you’re not going to like it!”) in PoD? Those are Carpenter’s stamp of unique creepiness.

Eric Sharpe

Wait—my two dollars a month gets me right up to “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” with no discussion?? Chevy Chase’s best film after “Fletch!” What the hack????

Eric Sharpe

I know Rich has to like comedy, so how can he not like Halloween. A psychiatrist telling everyone that his patient is evil is a staple of comedy.

Juan Calvo

can i be honest with you guys i thought john waters and john carpenter were the same person

Keara

Halloween suffers from it's success, I think it's a great movie but there's no way in hell I'm putting that on at a halloween party when Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th or certain giallo slashers exist.

Daniel Ellis

Am I the only one who un-ironically enjoys most of Escape from LA?

Steven Wisniewski

When Rich said he loves synthwave I jizzed

For rankings episodes with overlapping lists, I recommend the system used by the “James Bonding” podcast: the movie (or whatever) isn’t discussed until it’s been named by all participants. This helps the hosts not jump around on their lists. This system doesn’t apply to Mike/Rich top ten TNG episodes, for example, since their lists don’t necessarily overlap.

andrew

Really loving this discussion guys. great stuff.

roses are red violets are blue pickleball is dumb and golf sucks too

Wait. Wait. John Carpenter and Kurt Russell made an Elvis biopic and you have no interest in seeing it? What the fuck?? 🤯😂

Tim Kocher

Yeah, as others have already expressed, I'm also not far from Rich on this. Halloween is also not in the upper half of my Carpenter list..... The Fog is though. I don't even disagree about its flaws, but ever since I've seen it on TV as a kid I just love that movie. It has a cool, spooky atmosphere. Prince of Darkness is also one of my favorites. Yes, it's also very flawed, but as Jay pointed out, the atmosphere and the kookiness are great!

schopi

Though the outdoor lockers and evergreen Octobers probably had much to do with us Midwesterners checking out.

Rick Drake

Rich is correct about Halloween. It did so many things right as an indy 70s horror movie for 3/4s of the time, but the climax doesn't land. "Oh, that's it?" is the proper reaction. There was a lot of buildup to so much "meh."

Rick Drake

I kind of agree with Rich on Halloween. It is a fine horror/proto-slasher film, but there are a lot better horror and slasher films out there. I also argue that what was new and exciting about Halloween in 1978 is pretty much old hat for audiences in 2021.

James Van Sickle

He's too busy re-watching Star Trek TNG. Mike has no time for John Carpenter! :-)

James Van Sickle

I was 11 when Halloween came out and my big sister (18 then) went to see it. The next week she and I were alone in the house and she made me come stand outside the bathroom door so she could go. It put the zap on her head.

Tim Kocher

Reading interviews with John Carpenter, it feels like in the 90s he was just happier smoking dope and playing video games with his kids. I mean, when your output in the 80s is as good as his I guess you can rest on your laurels.

AllGoodNamesRGone

Y’all are #22 trending on YT right now!Well deserved for all your guys’ content!

Jay going to see John Carpenter perform live music is the most Jay thing I can think of. I assume he informed everyone around him of which film/scene each song was from.

John Radoff

Good thing you're here to provide 75% of them

Rhea

Jay you should definitely tell me where you got your shirt so I can buy it and we can match.

Rhea

I'm with you, Rich. I rewatched Halloween a few months ago and it did not keep my attention.

Chris

Not a John Carpenter film, but when Jay compared Prince of Darkness to Lucio Fulci films by describing it as nonsense with good atmosphere, that sums up how I felt about Fulci's The Beyond. Also I can relate to Rich yelling at the screen every time Laurie Strode abandons her weapon because that's how I felt watching The Beyond with that guy who never figures out that shooting zombies in the head is what stops them.

Michael Parker

I'm with Rich on not being crazy about The Fog or Prince of Darkness. I'm definitely not with Rich on Halloween though. I thought it was great in spite of it seeming tame compared to what came later in the slasher genre because it feels more elevated beyond just being an excuse to watch attractive young people get killed in creative ways.

Michael Parker

Rich doesn’t even dislike Halloween, he just likes another 11 Carpenter films more. Great job guys! Looking good Rich! Excited for more

Gary Probert

But the real question is: are any of John Carpenter's movies as good as Event Horizon? ;)

Neil Peart, Lord of Drums

CANCEL RICH EVANS!!

James Fraser-Shelley

Oh good, I'm not the *only* person on Earth who saw Halloween and though "eh... it was ok I guess".

Dan B

Catherine reaching out to the flickering portal/mirror is easily one of my favorite shot in......anything.

Silentphil9

My secret wish for a "Dark Star" re:View episode are forever dashed. I really thought both Jay and Rich would be fans for its low budget cult movie charm alone.

DonMac

I've put my two bits in. And I love Rich. But I miss Mike in actual movie discussions.

Michael Puttré

You have over 10.000 patrons and only 25 (26) comments up to now, how is that possible...?!? :/

Manuel Johnen

"Halloween" at #12... Confirmed: Rich Evans has no taste...

Manuel Johnen

Didn’t realize there were so many John Carpenter movies I haven’t seen! These lists will be great for what I should prioritize watching

Jessica

"Prince of Darkness" still has the greatest depiction of "hell" (if you want to call it that) I've ever seen, when she reaches into the mirror in the end into... just nothing... God, this movie fucked me up when I saw it at 9 years or so... :P

Manuel Johnen

How can you live to... now and not have seen "Halloween"...? :/ Also, Donald Pleasence is fucking amazing as Loomis... no relation to "Watch Out, We're Mad" at all...

Manuel Johnen

I love that movie... it's flawed as fuck and Carpenter can't direct action worth a shit, but there is just something about it that gets me...

Manuel Johnen

I once met John Carpenter at a horror convention in 2010 around when The Ward came out. The person in front of me in the autograph line suggested to Carpenter that he make a straight up zombie film. Carpenter politely said something to the effect of "Yeah, maybe." It might have just been that he hadn't had a cigarette in 10 minutes, but the tone of his voice when the idea of making a movie was suggested to him was complete and total exhaustion. I'm glad that he seems to be getting joy out of making music.

Jim Rocco

Oh my god, I have "The Fog" also at number 7, Jay, marry me...!

Manuel Johnen

The only good thing I can say about Ghosts of Mars is that it had a great song on the soundtrack that I used as an alarm ringtone. It's called Slashing Void. My brain gave me some very trippy dreams knowing that's gonna wake him up.

Rade Karanović

"The man looked like he is 83 years old for the last 45 years"... I'm a Facebook fan of the official John Carpenter Profile and once remarked, when the profile pic was changed or something, that on the foto he only looked 109 years old instead of 123 as usual... I got some shit for that from random guys, but the blue checkmark John Carpenter said that he had hoped it was the mirror's fault... god, I so wish that was really him... :P

Manuel Johnen

"Someone's Watching Me!" is NOT very good... just sayin'... But luckily, I don't have to get hold of copy of "Elvis" now, because that's the one John Carpenter movie I've never seen, too... :P

Manuel Johnen

I haven't seen Halloween yet, so I have to find something else to hate Rich for (kidding). I haven't seen Halloween, and it's probably just a coincidence, but Donald Pleasance played "The Doctor" in one of the Bud Spencer/Terence Hill movies, "Watch Out, We're Mad" from 1974. He's the personal doctor of the local Mafia boss, and mainly manipulates the boss with bad psychological advice. That movie is one of my cherished childhood movies, and though today I don't ride my bike and climb trees anymore, the movie still has some sentimental value to me, since it shows an easier way of life in a little town in Italy, which isn't my home country, but man, everybody should visit Italy, if it's only to see all those colorful houses everywhere in the country.

Marvin Falz

Rick's low ranking of "Halloween" makes little sense given his much he likes the music. The effective music is one of the primary things that elevates the movie to its lofty horror classic position.

DonMac

Aaah! Monster!! Oh, wait. It's just Rich Evans and William Shatner.

Lance Pendergrass

Have you ever seen Red Dwarf? The creators of that show credit Dark Star as their inspiration.

QB

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/all-john-carpenter-movies-ranked-by-tomatometer/ this is interesting the top ranked is Assault on precinct 13 and a 98%

The Thinking Cat...Former Cthulhu Pofit Neo Normie and Masked fat guy but now a Cat ??

Wonder were Christine and Starman fit in being there my 2 favourite Carpenter movies being the most out of the box carpenter movies I also have a love for in the mouth of madness being a Lovecraft Stan and assault on precinct 13 is the carpenter movie I consider his first masterpiece and a cut above Halloween.

The Thinking Cat...Former Cthulhu Pofit Neo Normie and Masked fat guy but now a Cat ??

Not surprisingly so far trending more with Jay. I have a soft spot for Dark Star tho I get the criticisms. Hope you do this format again for other directors.

JTruts

needs more Vampires talk

This was fun! Thanks!

Michael Matzat

The Thing is the absolute best of his work. From visual and characters and most of all atmosphere

Dr Trash

Disappointed you didn't do a satire of the usual S - F ranking graph that every YouTuber does now a days but I'm also excited to hear you guys talk about Big Trouble in Little China.

Joshua Mannix

My favorite Carpenter project has to be my chair.

Dirrdevil

I've been slowly working my way through Carpenter's filmography. In the Mouth of Madness has been my favorite of his not named The Thing

Adam K.