John Carpenter really does not care if people think he’s a “master director of horror films”
The ever-quotable Carpenter responded to recent accusations of being a "master director" with a succinct, "That's nice; sorry, I'm eating a Popsicle"
Aux News John Carpenter
Few directors give better interviews than John Carpenter—despite, or maybe even because of, how little interest Carpenter often shows in being interviewed, and especially in talking about himself and his storied career. Case in point: A new conversation the horror legend had with Insider this week, ostensibly about his new Peacock docuseries Suburban Screams, but which memorably includes a moment where Carpenter is so disinterested in the question of whether he’s a “master of horror” that he decides to grab a snack Literally! When told “some people would view you as one of the master directors of horror films,” Carpenter responds with, “That’s nice. Sorry, I’m eating a Popsicle.”
Apparently sated, Carpenter goes on to suggest that, “I’m not a master of anything. I just want to play video games and watch basketball. That’s all I care about doing. I don’t want to bother anybody.” (On the topic of negative reviews of Suburban Screams, a category which includes, admittedly, our own, he’s equally succinct: “I made a little series. If you don’t like it, fuck off. If you do like it, I like you. So there you go.”)
On a personal note—and having interviewed Carpenter just last year—your humble Newswire writer can attest that this stance is not a posture or affectation on Carpenter’s part: Although he weathered our questions about his career and legacy with a blend of humor, courtesy, and humility, he also really doesn’t seem to find “John Carpenter” a very interesting topic of conversation; the man notably perked up once we stopped trying to bug him about movies, and moved the topic over to video games instead. Or, to quote him: “It’s a lot more fun than directing movies. That’s hard work. That’s stressful. This is relaxing.”
Of course, Carpenter also can’t help himself when it comes to talking a bit about the craft of horror: When asked by Insider about people finally taking horror “seriously,” Carpenter fires back with a quick historical analysis of the genre’s roots, noting that, “It’s always been with us. Every generation, a director will come along, a producer will come along, and reinvent the horror film. Look back at the Depression era—out came Dracula. It was a huge sensation followed by Frankenstein, also a huge sensation. Why were these movies a sensation? Because they spoke to the people of the generation who were going through a tough, tough, tough time.” Detailing the subsequent cultural shifts, tracing through Hitchcock, Romero, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Carpenter asserts, “These things happen, and they’re generational. Our generation is doing it, and the next generation will come along and pick up the pieces of horror, the tropes, the stories, and remake it. And I love that. That’s something that keeps renewing it.”
Then he goes back to apologizing for “preaching,” and, presumably, hits the freezer for a treat. That’s John Carpenter for you; we wouldn’t have him any other way.
29 Comments
I read the whole thing and it seems Carpenter is an awful interview. Even softball questions are answered with “I don’t know.” He is condescending and dismissive to the interviewer and clearly doesn’t want to be there.
I’ve heard (via a video essay of all things) that he actually struggles with deep depression. His I don’t care attitude is how he masks the whole thing.
A lot of those “I don’t knows” seem like a verbal tic before he attempts to answer the question. He just strikes me as an old man who has seen a ton of raves and pans in his career and has learned to let them all roll off his back, which is probably pretty healthy from a psychological perspective if less juicy for the reader. His most substantive answers are about his philosophy of horror and storytelling in general, but the interviewer keeps pressing him on the reception of his work and legacy, which clearly doesn’t interest him as much and ends up being kind of a dead end. So while there are some less fruitful topics here, it seems like it’s at least as much on the interviewer for not recognizing that pattern
Yeah you would think that by now interviewers would know not to ask him about the reception of his work/legacy as it has been clear FOREVER he is not concerned with either, which is IMO a good thing.
Contrary to what this article suggests I guess?
He gives me a very John Ford vibe, which I appreciate. Most questions interviewers ask are absolutely inane.
Ever since The Fablemans, I can’t stop paying attention to where the horizon is.The questions can be really bad, but that’s really no reason to say that he’s asking the best questions ever. That’s punching down.
Literally the first thing in my head when I saw that still from the clip.
That picture makes it look like he chose the wrong grail but got a slow acting one.
oh well, he cares enough to comment how much he doesn’t care, doesn’t he? oh yeah.
He cares enough to show people how much disdain he has for interview pap.
Who eats popsicles? Maybe if there’s nothing else. It’s frozen koolaid.
Maybe he is prepping for a colonoscopy
There may be something up in there.And no red or purple popsicles, of course.
“Who eats popsicles?”
People who have joy in their lives.
It’s a sweet treat that’s relatively low in calories, and banana popsicles are actually delicious.
Who doesn’t like popsicles? What’s wrong with you??
Are you just being sarcastic?
Serious as a heart attack. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like popcicles. You should be studied.
I always thought you were a thoughtful commenter. What TF happend to you?
You’re actually worked up about this? It was a joke, in a “why do you hate fun?” kind of sense. Take it easy.
I asked if it was sarcasm. I guess it was then.
John Carpenter’s movies, some of them, are tremendous & I think he knows will outlive him & be a legacy that he really doesn’t need to talk up since they speak for themselves Anything he could say about Halloween or The Thing would almost be counterproductive since they depend on the mystery & unknowability of the monsters and even on some level what is happening
Or, more simply, he’s been asked the same f*cking questions about those movies for over forty years.
Would you want to constantly be asked about what you did forty years ago?
Plus they’re both at least 40 years old so he’s probably pretty much talked out on them.
John Carpenter really does not care…You could’ve stopped right there.
Yet another in the long list of things that John Carpenter and I have in common!
John Carpenter is a national god damn treasure.
Getting a Chris Farley Show vibe from that interviewer’s questions.