History of John Carpenter in Timeline

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John Carpenter

John Howard Carpenter is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor primarily known for his horror, action, and science fiction films from the 1970s and 1980s. Considered a master of horror, he has also composed music for many of his films. In 2019, he received the Golden Coach Award at the Cannes Film Festival, with the French Directors' Guild praising him as a "creative genius."

January 16, 1948: Birth of John Carpenter

John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York on January 16, 1948.

1951: The Thing from Another World

The 1951 film "The Thing from Another World" by Howard Hawks used the same source material as Carpenter's "The Thing," though Carpenter's film adhered more closely to the original novella.

1953: Move to Bowling Green

John Carpenter's family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1953.

1958: Release of The Crawling Eye

The Crawling Eye, which inspired The Fog, was released in 1958.

1958: The Year of the Plymouth Fury

The car featured in "Christine" is a 1958 Plymouth Fury.

1962: Early Short Films

Around 1962, John Carpenter created several short films, including Godzilla vs. Gorgo and Terror from Space.

1968: Transfer to USC

Carpenter transferred to the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1968 to study filmmaking.

1969: Captain Voyeur

Carpenter wrote and directed Captain Voyeur in 1969.

1970: The Resurrection of Broncho Billy

In 1970, The Resurrection of Broncho Billy, which Carpenter co-wrote, edited, and scored, won an Academy Award.

1974: Release of Black Christmas

Bob Clark's Black Christmas was released in 1974.

1974: Start of Movie Theme Anthology Period

The earliest movie themes included in Carpenter's "Anthology" album date back to 1974.

1976: Release of Assault on Precinct 13

Assault on Precinct 13 was released in 1976.

1978: Eyes of Laura Mars

Eyes of Laura Mars, adapted from Carpenter's script Eyes, was released in 1978.

1978: Release of Halloween

Halloween was released in 1978.

1978: Meeting Adrienne Barbeau

John Carpenter met actress Adrienne Barbeau on the set of his television film "Someone's Watching Me!" in 1978.

January 1, 1979: Marriage to Adrienne Barbeau

John Carpenter married actress Adrienne Barbeau on January 1, 1979.

1979: Collaboration with Kurt Russell

John Carpenter and Kurt Russell began their collaborations with the TV movie Elvis in 1979.

1980: Release of The Fog

John Carpenter released The Fog in 1980.

1981: Release of Escape from New York

Escape from New York was released in 1981.

1982: The Thing

In 1982, John Carpenter released "The Thing," a science fiction horror film with notable special effects and a score by Ennio Morricone. Based on the novella "Who Goes There?," the film is part of Carpenter's "Apocalypse Trilogy."

1982: Halloween III: Season of the Witch

In 1982, John Carpenter was involved with "Halloween III: Season of the Witch."

1983: Christine

Carpenter directed the film adaptation of Stephen King's "Christine" in 1983, a story about a teenager obsessed with a supernatural car.

May 7, 1984: Birth of Cody Carpenter

John Carpenter's son, Cody Carpenter, was born on May 7, 1984. Cody later became a musician and composer.

1984: Loss of "Firestarter" Project

Due to "The Thing's" poor performance, Carpenter lost the opportunity to direct the 1984 film "Firestarter." His contract with Universal was also bought out.

1984: Starman

In 1984, Carpenter directed "Starman," a romantic comedy about an alien, which received award nominations for Jeff Bridges' acting and Jack Nitzsche's musical score.

1985: Carpenter's Interview with Starlog

In a 1985 interview with Starlog, Carpenter publicly discussed the negative reception of "The Thing," expressing surprise at being labeled a "pornographer of violence."

1986: Release of Big Trouble in Little China

Big Trouble in Little China was released in 1986.

1987: Prince of Darkness

"Prince of Darkness," a film influenced by the BBC series "Quatermass," was released in 1987.

1988: They Live

"They Live," which developed a cult following, was released in 1988.

1990: Marriage to Sandy King

John Carpenter married film producer Sandy King in 1990.

1992: Reevaluation of "The Thing"

By 1992, "The Thing" began to be reevaluated, with critics like Peter Nicholls recognizing its potential as a classic.

1992: Memoirs of an Invisible Man

In 1992, Carpenter released "Memoirs of an Invisible Man", which became a notable failure.

1994: Release of In the Mouth of Madness

In the Mouth of Madness was released in 1994.

1995: Village of the Damned and In the Mouth of Madness

Carpenter released two films in 1995: "Village of the Damned" and "In the Mouth of Madness", another Lovecraftian film, neither of which did well commercially or with critics initially.

1996: Escape from L.A.

Carpenter released the sequel "Escape from L.A." in 1996, which received mixed reviews.

1998: Vampires

"Vampires," a film starring James Woods, was released in 1998.

1998: Sentinel Returns Soundtrack

Carpenter composed the soundtrack "Earth/Air" for the video game "Sentinel Returns" in 1998.

1998: Saturn Award for Vampires

John Carpenter won a Saturn Award for Best Music for the soundtrack of Vampires in 1998.

1998: End of Movie Theme Anthology Period

The most recent movie themes included in Carpenter's "Anthology" album date to 1998.

1999: Carpenter's Reflection on "The Thing"

In a 1999 interview, Carpenter attributed the initial negative reception of "The Thing" to its nihilistic tone, which clashed with the optimistic atmosphere surrounding the release of "E.T." two weeks earlier.

2001: Ghosts of Mars

Carpenter released the unsuccessful film "Ghosts of Mars" in 2001.

2002: American Cinematheque Retrospective

A retrospective of John Carpenter's films was held by the American Cinematheque in 2002.

2005: Bob Clark Interview

In 2005, Bob Clark discussed Carpenter's inquiry about sequel ideas for Black Christmas.

2005: Masters of Horror: "Cigarette Burns"

In 2005, Carpenter directed "Cigarette Burns" for the Showtime series "Masters of Horror."

2005: Remakes and "The Fog"

Remakes of Carpenter's films "Assault on Precinct 13" and "The Fog" were made in 2005, with Carpenter having limited involvement in the latter.

2006: Masters of Horror: "Pro-Life"

Carpenter directed the episode "Pro-Life" for the second season of "Masters of Horror" in 2006.

2006: Halloween's National Film Registry Induction

In 2006, John Carpenter's film "Halloween" was deemed "culturally significant" and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress.

2007: Death of Bob Clark

Bob Clark passed away in 2007.

2008: "The Thing" in Empire Magazine

In 2008, Empire magazine ranked "The Thing" among the 500 greatest movies of all time, solidifying its status as a horror classic.

2009: Release of Clarkworld

The documentary Clarkworld was released in 2009.

September 13, 2010: The Ward Premiere

"The Ward," Carpenter's latest directorial effort as of November 2023, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2010.

October 10, 2010: Lifetime Achievement Award

Carpenter received the Lifetime Award from the Freak Show Horror Film Festival on October 10, 2010.

2010: Appearance in A History of Horror

John Carpenter was interviewed by Mark Gatiss for the BBC documentary series "A History of Horror" in 2010, appearing in all three episodes. He was also interviewed by Robert Rodriguez for "The Director's Chair" on El Rey Network.

July 2011: The Ward Release

"The Ward" was released in the United States in July 2011, receiving generally negative reviews.

2011: Rediscovery of Captain Voyeur

Captain Voyeur was rediscovered in the USC archives in 2011.

2012: Co-ownership of Storm King Comics

In 2012, John Carpenter and his wife Sandy King became co-owners of Storm King Comics.

February 3, 2015: Lost Themes Release

Carpenter's album "Lost Themes" was released on February 3, 2015.

October 19, 2015: All Tomorrow's Parties Announcement

On October 19, 2015, it was announced that Carpenter would perform his compositions in London and Manchester.

2015: Release of Lost Themes

Carpenter released his studio album Lost Themes in 2015.

February 2016: Lost Themes II Announcement

In February 2016, Carpenter announced "Lost Themes II," released on April 15 of the same year.

2016: Carpenter's Music Focus

In 2016, John Carpenter prioritized his music career over filmmaking, prompted by renewed interest in his music due to Death Waltz reissues and his "Lost Themes" albums, leading him to tour as a musician for the first time.

2016: Release of Lost Themes II

Lost Themes II was released in 2016.

2016: Influence on The Void

The 2016 film "The Void" is considered by many critics and fans to be heavily influenced by John Carpenter's works.

October 20, 2017: Anthology Release

Carpenter released his album "Anthology: Movie Themes 1974–1998" on October 20, 2017.

2017: Release of Anthology: Movie Themes 1974–1998

Anthology: Movie Themes 1974–1998 was released in 2017.

October 2018: Halloween (2018) Release

In October 2018, John Carpenter returned to the Halloween franchise as executive producer, co-composer, and creative consultant for the film simply titled "Halloween." This marked his first direct involvement since 1982's "Halloween III: Season of the Witch." Notably, this film disregarded previous sequels, acting as a direct sequel to the original 1978 film.

2018: Halloween (2018) Involvement

Despite focusing on music, Carpenter was still involved in the 2018 reboot of "Halloween" and its subsequent sequels.

2018: Return to Halloween Franchise

John Carpenter returned to the Halloween franchise as a composer and executive producer for the 2018 film.

2019: Golden Coach Award

In 2019, John Carpenter was awarded the Golden Coach Award at the Cannes Film Festival and recognized as "a creative genius."

February 28, 2020: Destructive Field Release

John Carpenter was featured on the track "Destructive Field" on his godson Daniel Davies' album "Signals," which was released on February 28, 2020.

July 2020: Skeleton and Unclear Spirit Release

Two tracks, "Skeleton" and "Unclear Spirit," from the album "Lost Themes 3: Alive After Death" were released in July 2020.

October 27, 2020: Weeping Ghost Release

The single "Weeping Ghost" from the forthcoming album "Lost Themes 3: Alive after Death" was released digitally on October 27, 2020.

December 2020: The Dead Walk Release

The track "The Dead Walk" from the upcoming album "Lost Themes 3: Alive After Death" was released in December 2020.

February 2, 2021: Lost Themes 3: Alive After Death Release

Carpenter's third solo album, "Lost Themes 3: Alive After Death," was released on February 2, 2021.

2021: Release of Lost Themes III: Alive After Death

Carpenter released Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

2021: Work on Halloween Kills

Carpenter worked on Halloween Kills in 2021.

2022: Work on Halloween Ends

Carpenter worked on Halloween Ends in 2022.

June 2023: Toxic Commando Announcement

During Summer Game Fest in June 2023, John Carpenter's collaboration with Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive on a zombie first-person shooter video game, "John Carpenter's Toxic Commando," was announced.

August 2023: Anthology II Announcement

A fifth collaboration with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies, "Anthology II: Movie Themes 1976-1988", was announced in August 2023.

October 6, 2023: Anthology II: Movie Themes 1976-1988 Release

John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies' collaborative album "Anthology II: Movie Themes 1976-1988" will be released on October 6, 2023.

March 2024: Lost Themes 4: Noir Announcement

A fourth "Lost Themes" album, subtitled "Noir," was announced in March 2024, to be released on May 3rd on Sacred Bones Records, featuring collaborations with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies, and preceded by the single "My Name is Death."

2024: Toxic Commando Release

"John Carpenter's Toxic Commando" is set to release in 2024 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows via the Epic Games Store.

2024: Release of Lost Themes IV: Noir

Lost Themes IV: Noir is set to be released in 2024.

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