Horror master John Carpenter forever changed the genre in 1978 with Halloween. This Friday, the filmmaker and composer turns 78. We’re celebrating with a themed John Carpenter Week, including a handy streaming guide of John Carpenter gems, from his horror classics to some deeper cuts.
Catch up on this week’s titles, then keep the synth vibes going by heading to Screambox for the special concert event Halloween Night: John Carpenter Live from Los Angeles.
As always, here’s where you can stream this week’s streaming picks.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Christine – Netflix, Pluto TV
John Carpenter’s Stephen King adaptation saw a nerdy teen undergo a dramatic personality transformation after purchasing and bonding with his new car. There’s more than meets the eye with his Plymouth Fury, Christine. It turns out she’s got one severe jealousy streak, and she’s willing to kill anyone that would get between her and her owner. Christine is one slick killing machine, and her film is made memorable by Carpenter’s direction, clever approach to the car’s resurrection, and score.
Eyes of Laura Mars – Roku Channel, Tubi
Before famously helming The Empire Strikes Back, director Irvin Kershner tackled a neo-noir Giallo feature based on a treatment/source story by horror master John Carpenter. Faye Dunaway stars as the titular Laura Mars, a fashion photographer that develops a bizarre ability to see through the eyes of a killer targeting those around her. While played straight, the ending goes off the rails in the most wonderfully dramatic way. It’s stylish and studded with an all-star cast, including Tommy Lee Jones, Raul Julia, and Brad Dourif.
The Fog – Fawesome, Kanopy, Moviesphere+, Roku Channel
A coastal town approaching their centennial celebration instead find themselves combating mysterious evil brought in by an unnatural, dense fog. Evil in the form of vengeful ghosts of shipwrecked leprous sailors from a century ago. John Carpenter gives a classic ghost story a nautical makeover, with his own sense of style. The Fog boasts an all-star cast of horror stalwarts, from Jamie Lee Curtis to Tom Atkins, but it’s Adrienne Barbeau’s radio DJ Stevie Wayne that steals the film.
In the Mouth of Madness – AMC+, Shudder, Tubi
Do you read Sutter Cane? Written by Michael De Luca and directed by John Carpenter, this descent into madness isn’t directly lifted from Lovecraft’s works but feels like it could be. Sam Neill plays John Trent, an insurance investigator hired to look for a missing bestselling author whose books affect his fans in brutal ways. The further into the investigation that John gets, the more surreal and dangerous things become. Hobb’s End is an insidious little town full of insanity, creatures, and death. In the Mouth of Madness closes out Carpenter’s apocalypse trilogy, this time adding a hefty dose of cosmic horror to the doom.
Someone’s Watching Me! – Tubi
John Carpenter’s made-for-television thriller follows a TV director (Lauren Hutton), Leigh, who relocates to Los Angeles for a professional fresh start, only to find herself in a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse when her new apartment leaves her exposed to a stalker. It’s a precursor to Carpenter’s more famous stalker, Michael Myers; this thriller was filmed immediately before Halloween. It’s efficient and suspenseful, and a solid look at Carpenter’s early career. Also look for Carpenter mainstay Adrienne Barbeau, who assists Leigh with her stalker plight.
Keep up with John Carpenter Week here.
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