Tag Archives: John Carpenter

Hot Time at the Carpenter Fest at the Midway

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Over the weekend, we travelled out to Dixon, IL, once again, to the Midway Drive-in, for their John Carpenter Fest, where they screened The Thing (1982), Halloween (1978), Prince of Darkness (1987), and Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). We were one of the vendors set up outside for the event. Now, let’s just say that not only is the sun not my friend, but neither is the heat. But those are two things we had to deal with for most of the day. Getting there around 1pm to make sure we can unload everything and set up, such as our tent and all the merch, takes time. Doing it in those conditions makes it even more of a challenge, especially as I’m about to hit the big 60. In fact, standing there in the blazing heat was just brutal. And it makes one ponder why we even bother going through that misery.

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Dusk to Dawn Carpenter Fest!

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The Midway Drive-in will be celebrating all things John Carpenter on their spring Dusk to Dawn show this June 28th! As of now, they only have announced 2 of the 4 features that will be screening, The Thing (1982) from a 35mm print (!!!) and Prince of Darkness (1987) from DCP. I know I’ve mentioned here on this site before, but my very first viewing of The Thing was at a drive-in theater, and I have seen in numerous more times since then at the drive-in, and it never has lost its charm. When you have a perfect movie like that one, it is always an experience. And even more so seeing it projected on a 90ft screen!

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Making Monsters!

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Back in 2022, Howard Berger, Oscar winning special makeup effects artist, and journalist Marshall Julius gave us Masters of Make-Up Effects: A Century of Practical Magic, which covered some of the best makeup artists and their work over the last 100 years. That volume is a real page turner, as well as a tome of a massive about of amazing information about these incredibly talented artists, many who don’t get the credit they deserve. Now they are back with a whole new book, entitled Making Monsters: Inside Stories from the Creators of Hollywood’s Most Iconic Creatures!

Due out this September, this 320-page hardcover edition (also available on Kindle for $24.99) is priced at $49.95, has Berger and Julius reaching out to dozens of legendary makeup effects artists from Hollywood, asking them a simple question: What makes a great movie monster? What we get is answers from a huge list of talented makeup and digital artists like Tom Savini to Phil Tippett, to directors like John Carpenter & Ti West, to actors such as Simon Pegg and Barbara Crampton, to composers, and writers. It also has a foreword by Robert Englund and Afterword by Alex Winter. Like their previous volume, this one is filled with hundreds of images, from film stills to person, behind-the-scenes pics, as well as plenty of stories from the brilliant minds that helped bring our nightmares to life!

Peter Jason – Rest in Peace

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Peter Jason is one of those actors that you might not know the name, but you know the face. Director John Carpenter, who worked with Jason in 7 of his films, such as Prince of Darkness (1987) and In the Mouth of Madness (1994), called him “one of the great character actors in cinema.” With well over 250 screen and TV credits, Jason appeared in just about everything and every kind of genres. His first role was in Howard Hawks’ last film, Rio Lobo (1970). One of my favorites of his work, even though the overall picture isn’t that great, is the 1982 film Treat or Treats, where he plays someone who’s a bit crazy.

But no matter what he was in, he was always on spot and always entertaining, whether he was trying to be funny, or sometimes scary. Jason passed away yesterday at the age of 80 years old. But he has left us hundreds and hundreds of hours of entertainment that we can watch and remember this incredibly talented man. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

New Carpenter Book from FAB Press

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Coming out sometime next Spring/Summer, FAB Press will be releasing Bringing Darkness Instead of Light: Conversations with John Carpenter by Michael Doyle. This 600+ page book will feature interviews the author did with Carpenter for over 15 years, with subjects ranging from his films, H.P. Lovecraft, politics, drugs, as well as different films and their productions. The book will also have a bunch of previously unpublished photos.

They have the pre-order price listed as £59.99 ($77.60 in US dollars) but hasn’t confirmed that will be the actual price. It does sound like there might be multiple editions, each at a different price, but they do state there will be a Collector’s Edition with a “stunning slipcase inspired by In The Mouth of Madness.

Keep tabs on the book by checking out FAB Press’ website HERE or sign up for updates so you’ll be notified directly when it becomes available for pre-order.

Charles Cyphers – Rest in Peace

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I read the news today that we have lost another great character actor, one that made his mark as an actor, but definitely in the horror genre, usually working with director John Carpenter. Charles Cyphers passed away on Sunday, Aug. 4th, at the age of 85. He’s best known for playing Sheriff Brackett in Halloween (1978), reprising the role in its sequel, Halloween II (1981). But he had worked with Carpenter before that in Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), as well as in Carpenter’s TV movie Someone’s Watching Me! (1978), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), and even reprising his role in 2021’s Halloween Kills, which was his last screen appearance.

He did a ton of television work, both as one-episode appearances to a regular cast, and he was always entertaining to watch. One of my favorite non-horror roles he did was in Major League (1989).

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family in this difficult time. Gone, but his memory will live on, especially around Halloween time.

Super-Horror-Rama at Sideshow Gelato!

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The Super-Horror-Rama shows have now moved to the Sideshow Gelato for screenings on the last 3 Wednesday nights in July! Each of the films that will be shown do have some sort of connection to ice cream, even if it might be a little twisted!

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, July 17th, they will be screening Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm (1979), where we have the all-time, coolest guitar-playing, dwarf-killing ice cream man around, the one and only Reggie Bannister! There is a reason this film is still regarded as a classic.

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Reunions Galore at Flashback Weekend!

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I know I posted something earlier in the year about Chicago’s Flashback Weekend, taking place Aug. 2nd-4th in Rosemont, IL, where they’re having a reunion for John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), with almost all the remaining cast attending. They had announced 6 of the cast, Keith David, Richard Masur, David Clennon, Thomas G. Waites, Joel Polis, and Peter Maloney, but now have recently announced Adrienne Barbeau. Sure, she may not physically appear in the film, remember that she did provide the voice for the computer chess game!

They had also announced a huge reunion for the cult film The Warriors (1979), with Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright, Brian Tyler, David Harris, Terry Michos, and Thomas G. Waites doing double duty.

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DtH Episode 71 – Infectious Body Horror

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Splinter (2008), Thanatomorphose (2012), and Contracted (2013)

When discussing films that deal with body horror, David Cronenberg and his work usually come up in the conversation. How can he not, when so many of his earlier films all dealt with some sort of body horror, mutations, and transformations? But there are plenty of films that go above and beyond (and even below) Cronenberg’s impressive genre efforts… sometimes even making us wonder why we’re watching them in the first place! Could it be that we just want to see how much grossness we can stomach? Or is there more to it?

Body horror is one of the most horrific of horror’s subgenres, tossing heaping handfuls of disgust into the usual bag of scares. And maybe it’s the hangover from the recent global pandemic, maybe it’s the fact that by a certain age all of us have watched someone close to us fight a serious illness, or maybe it’s just built into us by Mother Nature, but there’s something especially horrific about body horror from infection.  But what do we get from watching it? Disgust, discomfort, and maybe a deeper understanding of human experience and anxieties? We can for sure guarantee the first two- so let’s dig in!

Disclaimer: by the end of the episode, you will be forgiven if you catch yourself looking at your body in a full-length mirror thinking “well, at least no maggots fell out of there.”

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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Some THING is coming to Flashback Weekend!

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It’s pretty much standard knowledge that John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) is one of the greatest horror films ever made. If you disagree, well, you’re just wrong. Just kidding. Well . . .

Yes, we all our entitled to our opinion but I think you’d be hard pressed, in this day and age, to find a horror fan that doesn’t enjoy this incredible, not to mention more accurate version of John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella Who Goes There? The special makeup effects by the 23-year-old madman, Rob Bottin are not only ground-breaking, mind-blowing, and truly original and amazing, but that they still hold up today, even under the scrutiny in a 4k presentation. But even beyond the makeup effects, Carpenter weaves a beautiful tale of paranoia that makes everyone think Who Goes There?

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