Many people consider John Carpenter to be the master of horror, but the living legend hasn’t actually directed a horror movie in over a decade. These days, he’s more interested in making music with his son, making comic books with his wife, and playing video games. Although, he has just lent his name to a new anthology TV series – Suburban Screams. Just don’t tell him about the reviews.
In a hilarious new interview, it’s abundantly clear that the now 75-year-old John Carpenter has no pitchforks left to give, he’s not holding anything back or pulling his punches. He’s not particularly interested in discussing his legacy or his status as a “master director” that some of the best horror movies of all time – such as Halloween, The Fog, The Thing, Christine, or They Live – have bestowed upon him.
“Look, I’m not a master of anything. I just want to play video games and watch basketball. That’s all I care about doing. I don’t want to bother anybody,” he told Insider, while eating a popsicle.
The interviewer informed Carpenter that some reviews of his new horror series Suburban Screams say that it’s so bad it “ruins his reputation,” to which Carpenter responded; “There you go. Oh yeah, somebody’s spreading sunshine somewhere…I made a little series. If you don’t like it, fuck off. If you do like it, I like you. So there you go.”
When asked if there were any movies from his career that he wishes he was asked about more, Carpenter responded; “No, I don’t care. I’d rather talk about basketball.” 2023 has seen significant anniversaries of Halloween, Christine, and They Live – so he’s had a particularly busy year of being asked about his legacy.
Regarding the horror genre, Carpenter sounded more hopeful; “the next generation will come along and pick up the pieces of horror, the tropes, the stories, and remake it. And I love that. That’s something that keeps renewing it. But I’ve preached long enough.”
While Carpenter has been critical of the many Halloween sequels and reboots, he does praise director David Gordon Green in the interview, as well as name-checking Jordan Peele and David Fincher. Green has now concluded his Halloween reboot trilogy (to an extremely mixed reception), and has moved his sights onto The Exorcist.
As it’s the season for it, check out our guides to watching the Halloween movies in order, as well as the best Halloween movies and the best slasher movies. We’re also looking forward to Wednesday season 2.