Director Rick Rosenthal lost the war before the battle even began. Critics and fans alike were incredibly pessimistic that a 2nd Halloween could ever come close to the level of suspense and terror that the first film successfully provided. Well, they were quite right, in my humble opinion. It’s not as good as Carpenter’s venerable and iconic “Halloween” but it’s pretty damn close. It’s a miracle this film is as good as it is, considering that director John Carpenter begrudgingly accepted to write and produce, with Debra Hill, but refused to direct the feature.
Carpenter even reached out to his friend Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween III: Season of the Witch, It, Fright Night II) to direct and he politely declined. So, here comes first time director Rick Rosenthal to pick up the pieces to not only make a decent film, but a solid horror sequel, and Rosenthal succeeds brilliantly. There are two distinctive components to “Halloween II,” that make it apparently successful: A good script and wonderful cinematography by Dean Cundey. Writers John Carpenter and Debra Hill decided to start the film directly at the end of the first and have it take place on exactly the same night, on Halloween, in Haddonfield.
Michael Myers
This was a brilliant and a decisively smart decision. That immediately linked it to the first “Halloween” and got the train moving without having to explain any back story. This is a classic case of “if you haven’t seen the first, don’t bother.” One of the criticisms leveled against “Halloween II,” over the years is how much bloodier and violent it is than the first. That is absolutely true and accurate. It is most certainly more violent but the blood is never over the top and the shots of gore never linger. Also, compared to your average “Saw” film, it’s incredibly tame. The main focus is on the suspense and it’s build up. With the shift in location changing from a normal suburban neighborhood to a small town hospital, where staff and patients are vulnerable, it still retains that creepy familiar feeling.
The hallways appear eerie and desolate. The darkness, surrounding every little corner seems to be hiding something evil, and the hand held camerawork is fantastic. Also, without giving anything away, the ending to “Halloween II” is extremely satisfying. I have always thought of “Halloween” and “Halloween II,” to be one complete three hour film that should have ended right there, at the end of the second entry. It wraps up the Laurie Strode, Michael Myers, and Dr. Loomis stories as well and tight as you can. If you’re in for an enjoyable and classic horror marathon, watch them back to back with the lights off. It’s a scary good time. Highly Recommended!
Vic’s Notes –
“Halloween II”
On the strength of a short film named “Toyer,” Carpenter and late Producer / Writer Debra Hill, decided on rookie Rick Rosenthal to helm the film.
Rosenthal has stated, in the past, that upping the blood and nudity was not his idea at all. It was due to Carpenter coming in, and making some changes, after a rough cut was too tame. Rosenthal feels that Carpenter (who had a strong post presence) damaged his cut, which he felt was fine the way it was paced.
The budget was 2.5 million on this movie. The first’s was only $320, 000.00. Yablans and Akkad both plunked down some serious coin for this entry.
Composer Alan Howarth (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), returns to co-score the film with Carpenter. Howarth has worked on various Carpenter films like “Escape from New York,” “Christine,” and the horror movie, “Prince of Darkness.”
The Theatrical and TV cuts of “Halloween II” are almost the same length. In the TV cut, we find out the real fate of the EMT, Jimmy, who earlier in the film, slips on a pool of blood.
In “Halloween II,” young actor, Ty Mitchell, plays a young boy who bites into an apple and gets a razor blade stuck in his mouth. He is then rushed to the hospital where Myers chases down Laurie. Ty Mitchell also played, Andy, the son of Adrienne Barbeau in Carpenter’s Pirate Ghost Story, “The Fog” (1980)
SNL alum, Dana Carvey makes a cameo as a cameraman.
“Jaws” actor Jeffrey Kramer plays Graham the M.E. In “Jaws” he plays Hendricks, an Amity PD deputy.
John Carpenter and Debra Hill originally had planned to write the sequel with Myers tracking down Laurie Strode, a few years later, at a high rise apartment building.
Other horror films that year, including “Omen III: The Final Conflict” and “Friday the 13th” were bested by “Halloween II” at the box office.
In many circles, “Halloween II” is still considered a splatter film instead of a slasher. Also, many fans feel that the first 2 films, along with “Halloween: H20,” are the only true canon. Though, many adore the other sequels (Return and Revenge of Michael Myers) which also starred Donald Pleasence along with a young Danielle Harris.
Over the years, “Halloween II” has gained more respect among horror fans and critics. Some initial criticisms remain quite stinging, though. Many do recognize the strengths of this sequel. Some have been known to change or re-review the film with a more favorable (if not glowing) outlook.
Director Rick Rosenthal returned to helm “Halloween: Resurrection” which was met with a very chilly response and is not as admired or respected as his other film, “Halloween II.”
Halloween’s Tony Moran the subject of Horror Icon documentary
Horror Icon: “Inside Michael’s Mask” with Tony Moran coming October 2015
Official poster available now!
Tony Moran may not be a household name, but his face is an integral part of horror movie history. Moran portrayed Michael Myers in the final scenes of John Carpenter’s Halloween, including the unmasked sequence. His life hasn’t been the same since the influential film’s release in 1978.
Insomniac Productions and Lock it Down Productions are excited to announce Horror Icon: Inside Michael’s Mask with Tony Moran and release the official poster artwork.
The independent documentary gives viewers a rare look at the life of a genre celebrity. Co-directors David Langill and Jordan Pacheco were given unprecedented access to Moran’s life for the project. From horror conventions to home life and everything in between, nothing was off limits.
Director John Carpenter and Actor Tony Moran
The film features special appearances by Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Dee Wallace (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), Andrew Bryniarski (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Debbie Rochon (Tromeo and Juliet), Jonathan Tiersten (Sleepaway Camp), John Dugan (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre), Timothy Patrick Quill (Army of Darkness), Vernon Wells (Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior) and more.
“I want to show Tony for who he is,” explains Langill. “A father, a friend, an actor and a horror icon. Tony is a passionate man with a big heart and, like all of us, Tony has his ups and downs. Viewers get to see Tony as most have never seen him before.”
Pacheco adds, “This is a unique chance to see how a hit film can effect an actor years after its release, the relationships a life of acting and traveling doing conventions have made and what happens after the conventions doors close. Tony has lived an incredible life, and I’m grateful for the chance to share some of it with everyone.”
“Start the album up and let the music sink in with the imaginary movies in your mind”
– John Carpenter
Vic’s Note:
Hey gang, just wanted to get this out right away before you all read on. I have no idea how to write a music review. Sure, I can say that I like a tune, a CD or even a live performance but how to get into the vernacular, depth and intricacies of taking a musical work apart and analyzing it, I have no frakking idea. I know when I like a piece of music and I know when I dislike a piece of music. But, I am not incredibly ignorant of all musical terms and provisos. I know what a beat is or what a key is or even an andanto but using all of that in a steady and proper write up is pretty beyond my prowess and expertise (which of, I have still very little).
So, that being said, I recruited the help of two very knowledgable music writers, reviewers and bloggers (and they both did not want to be named or given any credit for their invaluable help). We all had our numerous exchanges which consisted of me asking questions (some of which were pretty dumb, but they were patient) about terms and tempos (It was a bit more complicated than that, but you get the idea) along with what certain musical terms indicate and how they are explored, played and executed. For their incredibly well timed help, I am gratefully and proudly dedicating this post / review of John Carpenters’s “Lost Themes” to them. Thanks Amigos!
Hope you all enjoy!
Vic
For over 30 decades, not only the films of re-nowned film-maker John Carpenter, have gained cult status and fringe culture prominence. His music most surely has, as well. Carpenter, now 67, has enjoyed a very prosperous life and career as a film composer also, delivering such iconic soundtracks, for his feature films, like “Halloween,” “Escape from New York” and one of my favorites, “Assault on Precinct 13.”
Carpenters’s later scores like “Ghosts of Mars,” “Vampires” and “Escape from LA” (recorded along with the late and brilliant Shirley Walker) reflected growth and a steady penchant for a more electric guitar heavy presence. A presence that had Carpenter successfully experimenting with a more hard rock vibe to the films. “Ghosts of Mars” (a prime example) had Carpenter working with the insanely gifted guitarist Buckethead and the metal band, Anthrax, even.
Prior collaborators have included the talented Alan Howarth (Halloween III and Christine) and Dave Davies, who impressively co-composed the eerie score to Carpenters’s 1995 remake of “Village of the Damned.” So, Carpenter, is not unfamiliar with working with others and has even occasionally passed the baton to the likes of Ennio Morricone (The Thing), Jack Nitzsche (Starman), his son Cody Carpenter (Pro-Life) and most recently, Mark Killian (The Ward). Wondering whether or not Carpenter decided, picture to picture, that scoring was either a budget, executive or creative decision is pretty moot by now, since we have been given so many really good scores that are immediately recognized, singularly, as Carpenters’s work.
According to Carpenter, between playing video games (he is an admitted huge fan of Borderlands 2 and Assassins Creed) and watching the Lakers, he was toying and messing around frequently on a music recording system bought by his wife, Producer Sandy King of Storm King Productions. Eventually, when approached by Sacred Bones Records to whip up an album, Carpenter rose up to meet the challenge.
Released in early February of this year, “Lost Themes” is a highly welcome piece of musical work from Carpenter. It is moody, atmospheric and precise in tone and reverence. No 2 tracks sound the same and his longers pieces completely envelop and immerse the listener. And, to me, most importantly, it comes with absolutely no burden and distraction of directing a motion picture that can get troublesome, onerous and taxing. Carpenter is free to work solely on the tunes and with the help of his son, Cody and Godson Daniel, he has produced an exciting album that is both nostalgic and authentic.
This is Carpenter’s first solo, non-film soundtrack. But when one starts to listen, you just can’t be blamed for creating images in your mind, whether it be your own original visual imagery or perhaps images from a film directed by JC. “Lost Themes” is easily recognizable as work from Carpenter from “Vortex” alone. “Vortex” is the pleasing, exciting and sentimental first track and it rocks right out of the gate. The tune has a quickly like-able motif by keyboard/piano with that classic Carpenter-esque repetition. Under that, is the familiar driving low frequency beat or pulsation that just provokes images of dread and sometimes even anxiety. The track may find you being afraid of being in a dark room by yourself or looking out the window to see if shapes are lurking about behind trees.
“Lost Themes” though, is not just a nostalgic piece. Where once Carpenter ruled and took advantage of the analog music making world he used back in the day, this new work finds JC using digital technology to press on, grow and excel in composition, to create an ethereal soundscape. “Purgatory” is an insanely eccentric and haunting track that includes pounding pianos and freaky and funky percussions. Here, the drums are strong and steady making it one of the more layered tunes on the album. Carpeneter doesn’t readily stick to the basics and his mininalism is not so apparent on every track, which is not a bad thing.
Keen movie score listeners will immediately be reminded of Giallo styled tunes as well, sometimes even evoking the work of the popular musical group Goblin, whose score for Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, is practically legend. But it is “Obsidian” that really excels. It is practically a film score on to itself. A tune that is desperately in search of a movie to latch itself onto. I will let you all just listen to it and decide for yourselves. With “Lost Themes” Carpenter’s world is idiosyncratically his and his alone. He finds himself in good form, using the approaches that worked during the analog era, in the now complicated digital universe.
He has total tonal command and the tracks flow and and impress. With some, where some percussion and some hokey keys quite don’t gel, we are reminded that Carpenter can get a little stuck with past melodies especially from the 80’s. “Obsidian” though a solid track, suffers a bit with that over the top “shredding” which evokes recent works by JC. But don’t fret over this, gang. The album never loses it’s footing long enough for one to disregard other tracks or the piece as a whole.
“Lost Themes” is s great listen and JC is in rare form here, he delivers a very pleasing trip down memory lane while still incorporating the tried and true methods of implementing mood, dread, visualization, stimulation and atmosphere. “Lost Themes” has it all from JC, the characteristic creepy vibes, the portentous arpeggios (broken chords that go up or down in octvaves) and the sinister sounding synths that are so much his staple. The album provokes a visual experience and is almost a true filmic work.
Much of the album may leave much to the imagination in parts and won’t please everyone to the maximum. “Lost Themes” is a “what is old is new” kind of experience, where JC re-conciles the past, present and future of his musical legacy. It is a bold, refreshing move on his part and the very doleful and melancholy “Night” is the perfect track to end the album as it comes full circle and Carpenter manages to embrace his minimalism to a satisfying conclusion.
Where, “Domain” and Mystery” can be a bit too modern, forced and overworked in places. Still, this is a must have album for fans (and non-fans) of all things John Carpenter and his music. It is a radical and desciplined effort and proves that in this medium at least, Carpenter still has that passion and fire in his belly.
Highly Recommended!
You Can Purchase John Carpenter’s “Lost Themes” from SACRED BONES RECORDS HERE and at other retail online vendors.
Cover to Composer John Carpenter’s new CD called “Lost Themes”
Here are some very cool behind the scenes photos originally posted by the Master himself, John Carpenter on his Facebook page. These are pics of the Recording Session for his new CD aptly named, “LOST THEMES.”
Enjoy!
Vic
Director and Composer John Carpenter along with Son Cody and Godson, Daniel recording for the new CD named “LOST Themes.”
Love this Angle of the “LOST THEMES” recording session. Those “King Kong” prints on the wall are so wicked
That is one mean looking Guitar and the Keyboards are out! This CD is going to rule.
An alien takes the form of a young widow’s husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona. The government tries to stop them.
Directed by John Carpenter
By Vic
Director John Carpenter (The Thing, Dark Star, Christine) has been, by default, labeled as a “Horror Film” director. Obviously, because of his predilection for making multiple films in that particular genre. A few of them being very highly regarded, like “Halloween,” “The Thing” and even the under-rated “In the Mouth of Madness” which starred “Jurassic Park’s” Sam Neill.
Carpenter’s adaptation of “Christine,” released in 1983, was a moderate success for him (and Columbia) even as he proclaimed afterwards, that it was a “paycheck” gig and he needed a job after the disastrous box office performance that hampered his earlier effort, “The Thing.” Meanwhile, back at Columbia Pictures, the script for “Starman” stood languishing for several years. At Michael Douglas’ request the story was purchased but was bumped around, at times involving big names like Ed Zwick, John Badham and Adrian Lyne. Eventually the project was narrowed down to directors Peter Hyams (2010) and Carpenter.
What sold Columbia (and was a perfect decision) was Carpenter’s approach to the story, relying greatly on the “Road Trip” aspects of the story allowing the characters of Starman and Jenny Hayden to flourish and develop. Jeff Bridges (King Kong) was cast as Scott Hayden (Starman) and Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark) as Jenny. And of course, the directing duties went, smartly, to Carpenter. Carpenter’s film is a unique sci fi tale of honest proportions and it has a clear and emotional message that is very reminiscent of older films where the two leads establish a rapport under singular circumstances.
Columbia decided to minimize the similarities to Spielberg’s “ET” and keep the overtly political themes under control in order to comply with Carpenter’s vision. The result being a significant entry in Carpenter’s, Bridges and Allen’s careers. “Starman” is an intelligent sci fi story which benefits from the tight and respectable writing of Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon. Along with JC, Composer Jack Nitzsche and Director of Photography Donald Morgan (who also shot “Christine” for Carpenter), create a beautifully rendered universe that is rural, down home, real and endearing. Nitzsche’s score will have you hooked from that first electronic note.
After receiving the multi-lingual messages left on the “Golden Disc” aboard “Voyager 2” (launched in 1977), an alien race sends an emissary to earth in the form of a glowing “energy ball,” to make contact. But, (borrowing from films like “The Day The Earth Stood Still”) as a response to the visitor’s approach, the Air Force reacts with hostility and shoots down the craft. It ends up landing violently in Wisconsin, where widow, Jenny Hayden is drowning her sorrows while watching home movies of her late husband, Scott (Jeff Bridges).
Eventually, as it tries to find a way to survive, the alien re-shapes itself using DNA from a strand of Scott’s hair, lifted from Jenny’s photo album. As he evolves into an adult, in a very awesome practical FX sequence, Jenny looks on in disbelief. After the initial shock wears off, Jenny realizes that her dead husband, Scott, has been re-animated as “Starman,” who, in response to the hostile nature of the Government (aside from SETI scientist, Mark Shermin, played by Charles Martin Smith), tells his people to pick him up at Arizona’s Berringer Crater in 3 days (yeah, the movie is packed with religious allegory). Starman coerces Jenny into helping him get there in time to meet his rescue party and avoid detection from NSA Chief George Fox (Richard Jaeckel) during his stay.
What ensues is a heart warming sci fi romance that may surprise and enlighten many of today’s audiences used to big, over the top, CGI and loud and overdone action sequences. “Starman” ain’t that type of movie, folks. It is a bit of a timeless fare that still holds up very well by today’s standards. Propelled by the amazing performances of it’s leads, the film is a lesson in simplicity and raw emotional honesty. The complexities are kept to a minimum and Carpenter’s direction flows nicely and still exploits that great cinematic eye for composition and detail that is a brilliant staple in all of his films.
Despite the convention of the Government being the “bad guy” (Fox has little to no motivation for chasing down Starman, here) and the “by the book” turn by C. Martin Smith as the one caring person who is trying to look out for Jenny and Scott, the movie is an impressive collection of touching and poignant rural vignettes.
Carpenter’s film explores themes of companionship and harmony. Jenny shows Starman how to fit in, in an already somewhat, xenophobic society that is full of the fear of the unknown and of those who “aren’t from around here.” Bridges plays incredibly well opposite of Allen as he learns to walk, talk and even comically drive (“yellow light means go faster”). Bridges’ unique take and interpretation of what an alien in a “human suit” would act, look and feel like is incredibly profound. Carpenter and Bridges took this very seriously and had multiple discussions on how to establish the look and feel of Starman / Scott. It turned out to be an amazing performance that earned Bridges an Oscar Nomination for Best Actor in 1984 and the only Actor nod for a Carpenter film.
Using his various steely looking “energy marbles,” Starman also displays his powers when provoked and his ability to heal and repair when faced with loss. In a stunning moment, Starman learns in a Truck Stop, about the consequences of hunting animals and when he does not understand, he is faced with more questionable behavior from the locals. But whether or not you agree with the various approaches to these dilemmas, Carpenter never shies away from letting his leads really act. They really bring their A game in this movie and it genuinely shows.
“Starman,” which I actually saw in the theaters back in 1984, is a quirky film about a quirky alien. It is very moving at times and often silly fun as well. The balances are well kept in place by Carpenter’s deft direction and the extremely sweet exploration of the characters by Bridges and Allen. Even by it’s conclusion, after the wonderful ‘road trip” mid-section, the audience is left very satisfied that this “alien meets a widow” story has gone full circle. Carpenter’s vision and focus sheds any pretense he may have had as a schlocky horror movie director.
Carpenter and company flex their artistic muscles in this great sci fi film from 1984. It is often over-looked or even forgotten but once someone discovers it, it definitely becomes a movie that resonates on a few levels. I wanted to keep the spoilers at a minimum for those who would like to re-visit it or watch it for the first time. Highly recommended!
My sincere thanks to Todd from “Forgotten Films,” for the gracious invitation to review “Starman” for his 1984-a-thon. I had a blast and I hope you enjoyed it!
Vic’s Note: John Carpenter’s “Starman” is available on Netflix Streaming and on Amazon for Prime Members.
Hello, Gang! Here is another older review from my bud, Brian Volke. It has been re-edited and I have added New Images! Hope you all enjoy it and thanks for checking in on my re-vamped reviews during my hiatus! Thanks for checking into Vic’s Movie Den.
– Vic
What’s it About?
A Northern California fishing town, built 100 years ago over an ancient leper colony, becomes shrouded by a killer fog containing zombie-like ghosts seeking revenge for their deaths.
All of John Carpenter’s best films take simple ideas and he expand upon them by the use of creative and atmospheric worlds and scenarios. “Halloween”took a normal neighborhood and made it terrifying, “The Thing” created a sense of gloom within the snow and cold of Antarctica, and “The Fog” uses darkness and shadows to create one of my favorite ghost stories ever put to screen. His movies are also more dependent on the setting, suspenseful dynamics and locations than most filmmakers use to create immersive mood.
The opening of the film really sets the stage with the legendary John Houseman telling a scary story around a campfire and then dropping us right into the island where we’ll spend the next 90 minutes. “The Fog” is a classic sleepover ghost story similar to the one we’ve all hear a million times about the murderer coming back for revenge and scratching the car with his hook(ironically, the ghosts have hooks here too).
The script is really simplistic and silly. Supposedly, pirates were screwed over by the Church and now they’re back to re-claim their treasure. Now, before you start to get flashbacks of a Scooby-Doo episode, understand that this is a John Carpenter film and he is a master at creating suspense, mood and dread. Along with a healthy dose of fear and mysticism.
Director of Photography Dean Cundey (Jurassic Park, The Thing, Back to the Future, Escape from New York)was at the top of his game here too. The small, and almost Lovecraftian, coastal village of Antonio Bay is an absolutely perfect setting and his camera work, lighting and compositions are nothing short of stunning. He makes low budget films look a lot more expensive by his use of excellent framing as well as his use of darkness and shadows.
The performances are nothing to really write home about. But they are very adequate for this material. Jamie Lee Curtis is a bit bland at times, Tom Atkins is sometimes blah but nicely stoic enough. The wholesome Adrienne Barbeau (Swamp Thing, Escape from New York, Maude)is nice to look at but offers little else but being a stereotypical scrappy and lonely Mom who takes up the mantle of protecting Antonio Bay as a kind of monster watcher who issues warnings. So, why am I rating this an 8 with a simplistic story, somewhat bland acting, and a silly mystery? Because “The Fog”is all about atmosphere and suspense. And in that line of thinking, it delivers in spades.
Hello, Gang! Here is another older review from my bud, Brian Volke. It has been re-edited and I have added new images. Hope you all enjoy it and thanks for checking in on my re-vamped reviews during my hiatus!
– Vic
What’s it About?
A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.
Horror films have one ineffable quality that no other genre can lay claim to: Mood is more important than story. There are some that may disagree with that statement, but, think of some of your favorite horror flicks of all time. Most of them have simple premises that don’t hold a lot of weight (Halloween, Night of the Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) but they have a sense of mood and style that grips the audience and doesn’t let go. Prince of Darkness is not in the same league as the films I mentioned previously but it does share that one vital element: mood.
Director John Carpenter and Director of photography Gary Kibbe (his first film as cinematographer for Carpenter) populate the world with constant barriers that are being thrown up. It might be a door, or lunatics out in the street, or even a possessed person just around the corner. Carpenter creates a sense of claustrophobia that builds and builds as the story progresses until it reaches its climax.
The camera work throughout is top notch. Hallways go on forever, basements have corners that darken into nothingness, and the church itself feels like a shrine to evil. The cast of characters are generally wallpaper except for the great Donald Pleasance, who, as usual, anchors the film with a sense of believability that it otherwise would have lacked. His resume is exhaustive but his consistency throughout his entire career was nothing less than spectacular.
It will never be listed with the best of horror films ever, never won any awards, and is never even thought of as one of the better John Carpenter films. But, I have always had a soft spot for this movie. Time and time again we’re given “horror” films that are utterly boring and lifeless. The word horror refers to a sense of dread, shock and fear. By that definition, Prince of Darkness is a true horror film.
Enjoy the “Prince of Darkness” image gallery below!
Here are some projects you probably didn’t know John Carpenterwas directly or indirectly involved with…
10) The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) (writer)
A taut thriller with Carpenter’s trademark stalking and killing. Must see for Carpenter fans!
9) Black Moon Rising (1986) (writer)
Sci-fi, company espionage film with Tommy Lee Jones and Linda Hamilton
8) The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) (executive producer)
Sci-fi film rumored to be a true military experiment gone wrong.
7) Planet Terror (2007) (music)
Carpenter’s music compositions ‘Back to the Pod/The Crazies Come Out‘ used in the Robert Rodriguez“Grindhouse” film.
6)The Coupe de Villes – mid-1970s rock band
5) F.E.A.R. 3 – video game story line writer/consultant (with Steve Niles)
4) Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992) (director)
A Comedy starring Chevy Chase and Daryl Hannah
3) Gorgo vs. Godzilla (short)
In 1969 he made an independent short called Gorgo vs. Godzilla – I would love to see it – anyone have a copy?
2)ELVIS(1979) (director)
TV movie about ‘The King’ Elvis Presley starring Kurt Russell
1) Dark Star (1974)
Writer and Director – Low budget Sci-Fi comedy
Extras: He won an academy award for Best Live-Action Short Subject for ‘The Resurrection of Broncho Billy’ (1970). He was married to Adrianne Barbeau from 1979 -1984. They had one son together. He is currently married to Sandy King from 1990 to present.
Extras:Mr Carpenter is also responsible, along with his wife, Sandy Kingwith bringing us the popular “John CarpenterPresents: Asylum” Comic Book.
It isn’t news to anyone that I am a very big John Carpenter fan and one of the best films in his filmography, “Starman,” is adored by many Sci Fi / John Carpenter / Jeff Bridges fans and I recently came across a great piece written by the late Roger Ebert that I wanted to share with you all. It was written back in 1984.
It is a great article and full of amazing info, insight and background regarding both the approach and style behind the role that landed Jeff Bridges an Oscar Nomination that year. Ebert provides an interesting perspective in the article and it is a wonderful look into what made Director John Carpenter and Actor Jeff Bridges tick for this Sci Fi Romance that was easily one of the best films of 1984. Enjoy and feel free to discuss any memories or feedback regarding the movie and / or Bridges and Carpenter. Thanks!
When director John Carpenter saw the script of “Starman” for the first time, it looked to him like a special-effects movie, and he thought that was the wrong idea. He was more interested in remaking “It Happened One Night,” with an extraterrestrial man in the Claudette Colbert role.
“The screenplay described the special effects in minute detail, but they seemed to be afraid of the story,” Carpenter said. “I saw it as the story of two people on the road, learning to deal with each other. They had Starman flying around like Superman. And they were utterly obsessed with how he looked. There was all this emphasis on the big transformation scene, where he turns from an alien into the clone of a human being. But how he looks while he transforms is just hardware; it has nothing to do with the story.”
By the time Carpenter came aboard about a year ago, “Starman” had been in various stages of production for four years. According to Hollywood folklore, this was the movie Columbia decided to make instead of “E. T.,” which went to Universal instead: Some hapless executive had decided “E. T.” was only a children’s picture, while “Starman,” which opened here Friday, was sort of the same story for adults.
The executive might have been right about the second part of that theory. “Starman” is one of those rare science-fiction movies with genuine emotional content. By the end of the film, when a woman from Earth and a creature from space look into each other’s eyes and smile, there is something of the same warmth and heart that “E. T.” projected.
There is, however, one very basic difference between the two movies. The challenge in “E. T.” was to make an alien seem human. The challenge in “Starman” is to make a human seem alien. When we first see the alien, it is a glowing ball of pure energy, floating out of a wrecked spacecraft somewhere in Wisconsin, and drifting into the living room of a young widow’s home. The creature sees a photograph of the widow’s late husband, does a quick three-dimensional scan, analyzes a lock of hair for genetic information, and generates itself into a human clone – a dead-ringer for the dead man.
In this form, which it will retain for the rest of the movie, the starman reminds the woman so sharply of her husband that she is at first terrified, then hostile, and only gradually accepting. That process of emotional accommodation could easily have seemed ridiculous, but not in “Starman,” where Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges manage to create one of the year’s warmest love stories in the unlikely setting of an s-f movie. (That’s especially ironic for Allen, whose previous movie, the dreary “Until September,” was supposed to be a genuine human romance, and failed abysmally despite Paris as a backdrop.)
“Jeff Bridges and I did a lot of talking about how the starman should look and move and behave,” Carpenter said. “He looks like a human but, intelligent as he is, he’s had no experience in living inside this human life form. He walks and talks strangely. His head movements are birdlike. We never wanted him to become completely human – and even at the end of the film, after he’s had some practice at being a human, there’s still something a little strange about him. Jeff took some real chances in playing the role. There was always the question of whether he was going too far or not far enough. A lot of actors would have been afraid of looking ridiculous, but sometimes, after we’d shot a scene, Jeff would offer to do it again, just a little more strangely.”
After the starman lands in Wisconsin (his craft was shot down by the Air Force), he enlists the widow to drive him to Arizona, where he has a rendezvous with his mother ship at the Great Meteor Crater. It’s at this point that movie buffs will begin to recognize aspects not only of “It Happened One Night,” but also of “They Live by Night,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Badlands” and the whole genre of road movies.
The formula remains pretty constant: Man and woman hit the road, pursued by authorities of an uncomprehending, hostile society. At first, they are suspicious of each other, but trust gradually builds into love. The moment of truth arrives in a final confrontation between the refugees and society. There are even some more-or-less obligatory scenes, including the stop at a roadside diner. (Bridges, ordering alien food in a strange land, turns this scene into a quiet extraterrestrial homage to Jack Nicholson’s classic chicken-salad scene in “Five Easy Pieces.”)
“The story here is a whole lot more important than the science fiction,” Carpenter said. “We reduced the s-f down to almost a magical fairy tale.” That would continue a tendency in his work that you could see last Christmas in “Christine,” the whimsical, terrifying movie about a used car with a mind of its own.
Carpenter has worked within the thriller and supernatural genres for most of his career, but he often seems to be testing their boundaries. After his early “Assault on Precinct 13,” a superior police movie shot on a midget budget, his first big hit was the classic thriller “Halloween” (1978), in which an escaped killer turned into an indestructible engine of violence. Then he made such slick thrillers as “The Fog,” “Escape from New York,” “The Thing” and “Christine.” In all of those films, special effects had at least equal importance with character; “Starman” clearly contains Carpenter’s most three-dimensional people, even if one of them is from another world. Although there’s a tendency to think of the movie as a fairly small one by Carpenter’s standards – after all, it’s basically about two people in a car, and this is the man who used special effects to make Manhattan into a prison city of the future – Carpenter told me it was a giant logistical job.
“We had 150 people moving across the country in trucks and vans,” he said. “The low point was shooting only at night for six weeks. We used 16 helicopters for the scene at the Great Meteor Crater. We used nine simultaneous camera setups for some of the explosions. We had 70 or 80 extras in some of the scenes. This picture probably could have been done on a low budget, shooting around L.A., but the story is about how Starman falls in love as much with Earth as he does with her. We wanted to show the whole sweep of the countryside. Towns, fields, rain, sunrises – a planet seen by eyes that have never seen it before.”
If that was the case, then the character played by Karen Allen is a woman seen by eyes that had never seen one before. Carpenter said he saw Allen through fresh eyes himself: “From ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ I got a very definite impression that she was strong, self-willed, with a sort of cute sexuality, I was unprepared for the effect she had when I saw her in person. She is beautiful. I softened her hair from the way she looked in ‘Raiders.’ I gave her a curl, a permanent, to frame those beautiful eyes, and she’s gorgeous in this movie.”
That left the tricky problem of casting the starman. “If you used a Hollywood star, a Stallone or a Richard Gere, the audience would have hooted,” Carpenter said. “Jeff Bridges is able to disappear into his roles. He’s elusive. He looks like he could be a house painter from Wisconsin. And he’s not afraid to make a complete fool of himself, which is a special kind of courage for an actor.”
Carpenter himself, for that matter, looks like he could be a house painter from Wisconsin. He was wearing a VistaVision sweatshirt, slacks and a pair of sneakers, and he looked more like a scruffy film student than a Hollywood director. He recently became a father for the first time; he and his wife, actress Adrienne Barbeau, have a 7-month-old son named John Cody, who was born in the middle of a tornado in Tennessee during the filming of “Starman.”
“When I was going to film school,” he said, “what I wanted to be was a commercial filmmaker in Hollywood – that’s where I feel I can tell stories. I knew in my heart I could do anything. Musicals, gangster movies, Westerns, love stories. Having grown up on the movies, the only question was: Would they offer me those kinds of projects?”
“Starman” is Carpenter’s first love story, of sorts, unless you include the rosy early days of the love affair with Christine the car. Now he’s working on a project named “Chickenhawk,” about helicopter pilots in Vietnam, drawing from his own experience as a licensed helicopter pilot.
That led inevitably to my next question, about the charges facing director John Landisin connection with the helicopter crash that killed three people during the shooting of “Twilight Zone.” Carpenter said he didn’t want to comment, apart from observing that a pilot is the unquestioned captain of his ship, with the absolute right to refuse orders he believes are unsafe. “A lot of laymen think it’s safe for a helicopter to hover at low altitudes,” he said. “It isn’t.”
It’s dumb, it’s derivative, and it at many times looks cheap. It’s also the film that sent John Carpenter into obscurity after it was critically panned and failed at the box office. And yet, it’s just so much god damn stupid fun. I particularly like the sense of claustrophobia created when the monsters surround the main characters and they’re forced to fight back and survive. It won’t win any awards, it will never be thought of as among Carpenter’s best work but I still have fun every time I watch it.
Vic’s Note: I had the pleasure of seeing this in the theaters with Brian back in 2001 here in Rochester. I had a fucking blast!
