John Carpenter is a hero among horror and sci-fi enthusiasts, though acclaim for the “Halloween,” “Escape from New York” and “The Thing” director doesn’t often seep into more quote-unquote respectable circles. Guillermo del Toro, himself a vaunted figure in the realm of genre filmmaking — his films include “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Cronos” and “Pacific Rim” — took to Twitter over the weekend to lament what he sees as a lack of respect for the veteran auteur.
READ MORE: John Carpenter Performs the ‘Escape From New York’ Theme Live — Watch
When I think of John Carpenter, I am amazed at the fact that we take him for granted. How can we? Why should we? He is lightning in a bottle
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Assault on Precinct 13 by John Carpenter. Carpenter flexing his muscles, revamping the archetypes of a Western and establishing his own.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Halloween by John Carpenter. A genre supernova. Creates a taxonomic category that still lives. Unsparing precision, simplicity and elegance.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Sidebar: We must all agree that Carpenter is a brilliant writer / director. A rare breed. A true auteur. Oh, and a hallowed composer.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
READ MORE: Why John Carpenter Is the Most Underrated Filmmaker Of Our Time
The Fog by John Carpenter. 1/2 One of my favorites. Highly original blend of bare bones folk tale horror and metaphor.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Fog by John Carpenter. 2/2 The film works like JC’s scores, by spare rhythmic punctuation. Its origin reveals a literary streak in JC
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Carpenter’s scores fluctuate w his films. Listen to them: they embody the spirit of each film perfectly. They are his final auteur voice.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Second sidebar: John Carpenter doesn’t give a fuck whether we like his films or not.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
John Carpenter is one tough motherfucker.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Del Toro had the most to say about “The Thing,” Carpenter’s masterful reimagining of “The Thing from Another World.” Kurt Russell stars in the film, which tells of an all-male research outpost in Antarctica that gets overrun by an alien entity that invisibly invades hosts’ bodies.
The Thing by John Carpenter. 1/4 A game-changer (again) and one of the finest horror films ever made. It cannot be matched. Holy Grail.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter. 2/4 Make up effects, score, cinematography, production design are all utter perfection. But so is the script.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter. 3/4 the irony is that most reviewers at the time were entirely blind to the virtues of story and character.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter. 4/4 The movie bombed and was panned both. And I believe it fragmented Carpenter’s heart somewhat. Fuck them all
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter 5/4 Carpenter chose (like Scott in Alien) to define character and story through audio-visual coding and…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter 6/4 …their interactions. Viewers needed to pay attention to the way characters related and spoke. Structure…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter 7/4 …not neatly packaged into a pre-digested structure. The movie was fiber, not pablum. You had to chew…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter 8/4 …but we were at the peak of pre-chewed regurgitation.We MUST atone for the errors of the past. Masterpiece
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The filmmaker closes with an anecdote:
Anecdote 1/2: One night, over dinner, I told John Carpenter, how much all generations love The Thing. How amazing it was that it had…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Anecdote 2/2: …over time, “found its audience” and was now revered. “What fucking good does that do to me” he said. We ordered dessert.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Final thought for the day: Carpenter creates masterpiece after masterpiece and they are often ignored. Now, go to bluray church and pray.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Amen.
For more, watch the “Crimson Peak” trailer:
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