Some filmmakers get all the good stuff. They get tremendous budgets and the full compliance of the studio to make a shiny and slick definitive vision. Some directors, get a little less but are able to make due and make indelible images that have withstood the test of time.
When you say “Cult Classic,” you might immediately think of one or several John Carpenter movies. But when so many of his films have entered the Pop Culture landscape and lexicon, are they really niche, or mainstream? Always ahead of his time, here are the top ten John Carpenter movies, to watch ol’ Jack Burton style, “on a dark and stormy night.”
The Fog (1980) – 6.8
While fog might seem a little eery, in John Carpenter’s hands, The Fog is pretty terrifying. Antonio Bay, California is getting set to celebrate it’s centennial, but all kinds of strange activity grip the city instead. It turns out one hundred years prior, the town’s founders sank ship heading for the town to establish a Leper Colony and now the town is cursed.
Starman (1984) – 7.0
Long before he became known as the iconic Dude, Jeff Bridges was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as an alien discovering life and love on Earth as Starman, who has answered the call of Voyager 2.
As with many Carpenter movies, the concept does seem a little far fetched and cheesy, but it’s Bridges and Karen Allen’s performances that bolster the film immensely.
Elvis (1979) – 7.0
In the first-ever pairing of Kurt Russell and John Carpenter, the visionary duo made a TV movie, centering on the King Of Rock N Roll. The movie focuses on Elvis Presley’s life up until the seventies without focusing on his tragic death. It might be your standard “movie of the week” fare that TV was known for in the seventies, but’s it’s also the first collaboration between two pop visionaries.
Escape From New York (1981) – 7.1
Kurt Russell had long been Disney’s top star. All of that was tossed by the wayside when he again teamed up with Carpenter for the now-iconic Escape From New York. Russell introduced the world to one of his most iconic characters here as Snake Plissken – an actual real rebel without a cause. But the government gives him one by shooting him up with a virus. The only way to get the cure is to head into the now prison island of New York and rescue the President.
In The Mouth Of Madness (1995) – 7.2
John Trent was an insurance investigator on the trail of a story that drove him In The Mouth Of Madness. He is asked to look for horror writer, Sutter Cane and the manuscript for his final novel. As he starts investigating, elements of the novel come to life. With nods to horror icons, the film plays out like a version of the novel that Trent it searching for.
Big Trouble In Little China (1986) – 7.3
It’s always a dark and stormy night when Jack Burton heads to town. The poor guy thinks he’s some sort of American hero. But he’s woefully out of his element when he and his friend Wang delve deep into the world of Chinese mysticism to save Wang’s girlfriend and the world from an ancient evil, Lo Pan trying to require his youth. The entire movie seems like a run of the mill outdated eighties action movie until you realize Jack Burton is clueless.
They Live (1988) – 7.3
After wrestling legend Roddy Piper supposedly had his big retirement match at WrestleMania III, he went on to team up with Carpenter for the dystopian Sci-Fi flick, They Live.
Piper comes into town and finds a pair of sunglasses that reveal the truth about the world – one that plenty of people actually think might be true. We’ve been ruled by aliens for years using subliminal messages in our advertising. It has one of the best fight scenes in movie history, and Piper’s delivery of the “Bubble Gum” line helped to elevate the film to iconic status.
Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) – 7.4
Gang warfare comes to Los Angeles in an early classic from Carpenter. A cop, a crook, and several others have to defend and abandoned police station from a wild gang looking for blood and vengeance. The story of Assault On Precinct 13 has been retold several times over the years in episodes of The Punisher Netflix series and most notably, the 2005 remake.
Halloween (1978) – 7.8
Michael Myers makes his auspicious debut in John Carpenter’s Halloween. Fifteen years after murdering his sister, Michael escaped the sanitarium and came hunting for babysitter Laurie Strode on Halloween night.
Freddy, Jason, all of the new wave horror icons – it all started with Michael Myers and horror fans have Carpenter to thank for that.
The Thing (1982) – 8.1
Kurt Russell stars again as helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady, flying an expedition team of scientists in Norway. They find something a lot more sinister – The Thing. The alien kills anything in its way and finds a way to copy it as well, leaving the team to try and act fast before the Thing assimilates all human life. Like a lot of Carpenter’s films, The Thing wasn’t looked fondly at when it was released but became a cult classic and a perfect showcase of how ahead of his time Carpenter is.
