Director/Composer Interview: John Carpenter (Halloween)

Film.Music.Media

Composer, producer, writer and director John Carpenter is regarded as one of the most influential auteur filmmakers in all of cinema. He has been behind some of the most iconic films in the horror and sci-fi genre such as Assault On Precinct 13, Halloween, Christine, The Fog, Escape From New York, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China and many more. What sets John apart from most other writers and directors is that he is also the composer on his films. His music has become as iconic as the images he has brought to life onscreen. John makes his long-awaited return to the Halloween franchise that he gave birth to in 1978 by coming onboard to score and executive produce David Gordon Green's Halloween sequel. Green's film is ignoring all the sequels and picking the story up 40 years after the events of the original film. We had a small window to chat with John about his career in the industry, dating back to what made him fall in love with cinema in the first place. We touch on several subjects such as coming up with a story and what makes a great horror film. Hear stories such as what inspired the Michael Myers character, the true story of how John worked with Ennio Morricone on the The Thing, working with Alan Howarth, the difficulties of production across his films, when he starts the composing process on his films, and how he collaborated with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies to co-score the newest chapter in the Halloween franchise. It was such an honor to have this brief and engaging chat with one of the greatest storytellers of cinema.

Interview Produced & Presented By: Kaya Savas

Special Thanks: John Carpenter, Storm King Productions