John Carpenter Despises This Dark and Beloved Oscar-Winning Horror Movie on HBO’s Max
John Carpenter is currently living his best life. He might not know what a Letterboxd is (and he’s certainly not directing any more movies), but one of the seminal masters of horror is really just out here vibing. He’s playing lots of video games, occasionally dipping into film scores (his work on Halloween Ends ranks among the franchise’s best), and sharing any and every opinion that pops into his head. The filmmaker hated Oppenheimer, for instance, and while I disagree, I respect his moxie.
Oppenheimer isn’t even the only Oscar-winning film Carpenter hasn’t been too keen on. You might have missed it, but back in April, John Carpenter had a lot to say about the present state of horror filmmaking while sitting down with All the Right Movies. During the chat, the Halloween director took a subtle dig at Black Swan.
Per Max: Obsession drives a devoted ballerina (Oscar-winner Natalie Portman) to the brink of madness in this compelling masterpiece.
While the programmers over at Max might think Black Swan is a masterpiece, John Carpenter isn’t quite as keen on the film. Black Swan, like The Exorcist and The Silence of the Lambs before it, is one of few horror films to ever garner serious consideration from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At the 83rd Academy Awards, Black Swan was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, and Natalie Portman ultimately won Best Actress for her portrayal of obsessive ballerina Nina Sayers.
Since its release, Black Swan has been the subject of several horror think pieces. Is it really a horror movie? Should Natalie Portman have won? Is it just Suspiria but worse? No matter your perspective, there’s no denying Black Swan is a noteworthy piece of horror history, in no small part because of its mainstream awards recognition. Director Darren Aronofsky would later return to the horror genre with Mother!, one of 2017’s most polarizing horror releases. Broadly, though, it’s been pretty innocuous stuff, but that hasn’t stopped John Carpenter from suspecting Aronofsky of secretly hating horror.
Asked about the present state of horror filmmaking in general, especially the new generation of so-called “masters of horror,” John Carpenter didn’t hold back. He thinks David Cronenberg takes himself too seriously, isn’t especially fond of Eli Roth’s Hollywood hair, and, again, suspects Aronofsky secretly hates the genre.
You can check out a clip from the interview below:
John Carpenter is at a point where he’s content to let these “geniuses” do their thing. He’s just going to stay home and play Xbox. Good for him.
I want to know what you think, though. Was John Carpenter too harsh? What are your thoughts on this current generation of horror filmmakers? Sound off on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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