John's Gems: A Carpenter Throwback

 John's Gems: A Carpenter Throwback

  With the reemergence of John Carpenter, both through extending his Halloween story, and then his TV directorial debut in Suburban Screams, I have the unyielding desire to boast upon my favorite horror director and two of his lesser known horror films.

  What’s cool is one of these you can find for free on streaming, the other, you have to spend like $3 on. But first, a quick history of the man himself … so, if that bores you then just skip to the next paragraph (but please don’t … I’m pretty good at this).

While Bob Clark is credited with creating the first modern day slasher film with Black Christmas (1978), complete with “moral killings” and the infamous “body reveal”, John

Carpenter is credited with being the Godfather of tone. With a strong background in music and auditory techniques, he himself created the iconic dark tone that SET the tone for the success of 1979’s Halloween. Through the decades he took his strong musical understanding, along with his great instinct for meshing tone to action with him, and along with his artistic eye for simply directing a damn good story, his films always became something extraordinary. At least, more so than any other horror director could hope to accomplish. It’s what makes him unique. That also goes with these next two hidden gems in Carpenter’s collection. I say “hidden” only for the fact that, while they may be staples for horror hounds around the world, mainstream viewers can easily miss them. But never fear … your Movie Master is HERE!!!

    First, found on the streaming service Shudder, we have the 1987 horror classic, Prince of Darkness. Ok, now … just hang on with me here, please. I know that the title sounds cheesy and maybe a little on the nose, but, that withstanding it does describe quite accurately what the film is about. Just right off the bat, this film is high production value (for its time), with good writing, fun practical effects that will make your skin crawl, and a GREAT cast! The year prior, in 1986, John Carpenter directed an odd, but very fun, little action film called Big Trouble in Little China. It starred Kurt Russell, Dennis Dun, and Victor Wong. A year later, in 1987, veteran Victor Wong and rising star Dennis Dun reunite with Carpenter. Except this time they’re not facing a 1000 year old sorcerer (like in Big Trouble) … this time they’re facing … THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS!!!

We also get the biggest treat of all. The reuniting of John Carpenter and the hero of Hadenfield (Halloween, 1979), Dr. Samuel Loomis! That’s right, Donald Pleasance is back and this time, again, he spearheads the fight against the forces of evil as he plays a Catholic Priest. Upon discovering secrets that can pull down the pillars that faith, society, and humanity are built on, he assembles his own team of scholars to uncover further secrets of the distant past in order to try and save the near future! If THAT isn’t enough then how about a special appearance by another prince of darkness in . . . Alice Cooper! Looking more menacing than ever before, get ready to see a side of Cooper fans would DIE to see.

    Now, the story itself is well written and definitely leaves you with a sense of dread throughout. The fate of the film feels inescapable from the onset, regardless of who fights, how hard or smart they fight, or how faithful they fight. From the beginning there’s a sense of hopelessness that is nurtured with every passing scene. But, its also just so damned entertaining and entrawling that you just HAVE to keep watching to see what happens and how it ends. While the visual effects are grim and round out the horror for the imagination, they simply serve to further drive the feeling of despair you might feel if this were YOU in this horrifying situation. Then you have the absolute climax of the film. It is one of the most straightforward, yet spine-tingling shots designed to show, what is essentially, Satan. You only see a part of him, but, through the directing of Carpenter and the imagination of his team, that part is really all you want to see.

 Almost a decade later, in 1995, you’ll find another gem of John’s on Amazon Prime for a super low rent cost of about $3. As a fellow writer it has a special place close to my horror heart and so I am excited to talk about the film, In the Mouth of Madness! Here we have another all-star cast, including the heavyweight icon Charleton Heston, Jurgen Prochnow as the protagonist he’s always so epic at playing, and leading the way (when not going for a walk in the park) is Sam Neil. While Jurassic Park gave him household name status throughout the world, before that he was a little known horror heavyweight of the 80s and 90s. Not to mention he had already become a seasoned vet in the film industry and so, therefore, was a perfect fit for the film.

The story itself is something that, I think, most horror fans, most writers, certainly all horror writers, fantasize about . . . to a degree. That being, that your work is so profoundly powerful that it actually has an effect on people who experience it. Not just any effect, but an effect that absolutely frightens! And in many movies we’ve already seen where different mediums of entertainment have done this to humans. For film, of course, there is The Ring, for video games there is Stay Alive, and even for board games there is the Tom Hanks 1980s film Mazes and Monsters (more real world psychological, but still scary). But have you ever wondered what would happen if you picked up a

horror book, maybe a new Stephen King novel, and as you read it you could feel things … changing. Your time going missing, shadows at the corner of your eye creeping further and further into view, nightmares so real you don’t know if you’re still awake or asleep. Then, what do you do? Do you try to live with it? Do you accept that as your new nightmare of a reality, or do you dare read on and hope that the end gives your mind some kind of closure? Then again, the real question might just occur while you’re wrestling with yourself trying to decide, staring at the book laying at the foot of your bed while you keep covered under the blankets soaking in whatever comfort you could . . . does it even matter, either way?

So much of this is the premise of Sam Neil, an insurance fraud investigator who sets out to find a missing author . . . one who is said to, in the movie, out sale Stephen King! The writer goes missing right before his latest book is set to come out, his final book. Something strange about his books though, they seem to change whoever reads them. Not just with what they do, but what they are! Eventually he stumbles across this hallowed horror author and discovers a truth he isn’t ready to accept until he absolutely must, and that is, where this author’s true inspiration and “talent” come from. 

    While the story itself is inspired from H.P. Lovecraft’s At The Mountains Of Madness, we see in this production more modern day story telling with similar practical effects of the 80s and 90s that truly bring this great work to life! The same kind of effects seen in The Prince of Darkness, From Beyond, Event Horizon (Sam Neil’s possibly even DARKER film of the 90s), and so many others which come together to astound and disgust lovers of gore galore. You get really good and clear shots of so many monsters and creatures throughout, it really is a treat to behold such terrifying art bring this story to life.

    Now, as a final word. While I didn’t really talk about John Carpenter’s The Thing (Shudder), I should make quick mention of it. I do this only for the fact that it is part of this unique movie list above. You see, in an “unofficial” sort of way, The Prince of Darkness, The Thing, and In The Mouth Of Madness are part of a self-proclaimed trilogy from the director himself, John Carpenter. He says that these three films, they represent, to him, the Apocalypse Trilogy! While there are no official box-sets or titles to name them as such, if the creator says it is so, then it is so . . . sort of like In The Mouth Of Madness. That can make you wonder all sorts of things about the true ending of the movie, The Thing. Especially considering it has the most optimistic ending of the three . . . on the surface, at least. So go and get your scare on, enjoy, and keep geeking on the horror!