15-Minute Video Ranks the Films of John Carpenter from Worst to Best! Agree or Disagree?
Cinematic rankings aren’t a perfect science, as they’re base of subjective criteria: Box office success, cultural impact, and (most often) personal opinion, as examples. Still, it’s always entertaining to read a Worst to Best list, as they make for enjoyable strolls down Memory Lane while sparking inevitably fierce debates.
A recent video ranking from our friends at WhatCulture is absolutely worth sharing. Not only does it feature The Masters of Horror, John Carpenter, it uses a concrete metric: Rotten Tomatoes. Yes, I know Rotten Tomatoes is hugely unreliable (especially when it comes to horror), but it’s an established measure that reflects a film’s cultural standing at a specific moment in time.
WhatCulture’s list works on a few levels: There’s the aforementioned nostalgia factor, but it’s also a handy checklist for newer Carpenter fans who, after the success of 2018’s Halloween, might be inspired to investigate the icons entire filmography. And, depending on your personal opinions, it might validate your stance on the accuracy of Rotten Tomatoes in general
One thing’s for certain: I was shocked by the Carpenter film that tops the ranking with a 98% Freshness Rating. And I think you’ll be surprised as well, especially when it comes to In the Mouth of Madness, The Thing, and the one that launched The Master towards super-stardom, 1978’s Halloween!
If you can’t stream (or simply don’t have the patience for a 15-minute retrospective), you can skip straight to the ranking. You should know, however, that the narrator is a stunning red-head with a hypnotic British accent. Totally worth it!
The films of John Carpenter Ranked from Worst to Best
Ghosts of Mars (2001): 21% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992): 23% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Village of the Damned (1995): 29% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
The Ward (2010): 33% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Vampires (1998): 38% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Escape from LA (1996): 52% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
In the Mouth of Madness (1994): 54% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Prince of Darkness (1987): 56% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Christine (1983): 69% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
The Fog (1980): 75% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Dark Star (1974): 79% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Starman (1984): 81%
Big Trouble in Little China (1986): 82% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
The Thing (1982): 83% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
The Live (1988): 85% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Escape from New York (1981): 86% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Halloween (1978): 95% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Assault on Precinct 13 (1977): 98% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
What do you think of WhatCulture/Rotten Tomatoes’ definitive ranking of the films of John Carpenter? Which rankings surprised you most? Sound off in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
