John Carpenter on the Escape movies, horror gore, and the new Halloween movies
Carpenter shared thoughts on a wide range of subjects in a recent interview
John Carpenter has earned the ability to give any kind of interview he’d like to give. After writing, directing, and composing for an impressive, multi-decade run of films, Carpenter may now kick back and relax, spending more energy on playing video games and watching basketball than worrying about the perfect way to answer an interviewer’s questions.
His approach means that we get what we get from Carpenter at this point. Want to know his opinion about the Oscars nominees? That might not happen. Want to know what games he’s playing lately (Horizon Forbidden West), which Halo entry he thinks is best (Infinite apparently), or his thoughts about that ABBA single from last year? Well, you’re in luck.
With this in mind, we bring you a new Carpenter Q & A from The Hollywood Reporter that’s less an interview than it is a grab bag of the horror master’s opinions on a loose collection of topics.
On Escape From L.A. Versus Escape From New York
“Escape From New York had Donald Pleasence as the president of the United States, which to me was great. But Escape From L.A. has Peter Fonda and Kurt Russell surfing. Doesn’t get much better than that.”
On The Success Of The New Halloween Movies
“I feel fabulous about it. It is also fabulous when I look up from my perch on my couch and a check arrives in the mail. I feel extremely happy.”