This Day in Horror: Happy Birthday John Carpenter
Born on this day in 1941: director John Carpenter
You cannot call yourself a horror fan and not be familiar with John Carpenter. His Halloween is one of my all-time favorite films. We all know his long list of films, which include The Thing, Escape From New York, The Fog, Christine, They Live, In the Mouth of Madness, and Assault on Precinct 13.
Some fun, obscure facts about Carpenter:
He was originally set to direct Firestarter, but after The Thing didn’t deliver the financial success Universal hoped it would, they kicked him off the project.
He wrote a spec script called Eyes that would eventually become The Eyes of Lara Mars, starring Faye Dunaway.
He was offered the chance to direct Santa Claus: The Movie. Carpenter liked the idea of trying something more family friendly, but he insisted on complete control of the project, including the opportunity to write the script and co-compose the music. The offer was withdrawn.
He was also offered the chance to direct The Exorcist III, but he and writer William Peter Blatty couldn’t come to an agreement on the film’s climax.
Categorized:News This Day in Horror
