Bonus Song of the Day: Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes


Thanks to the one and only John Carpenter, the version of this sweet little song that The Chordettes recorded in the 1950s will be forever associated with the Night He Came Home.  Sadly, none of the Chordettes are with us anymore and I haven’t been able to find any interviews about how they felt about their song of teenage love being used in Halloween.

I’d like to think they would have appreciated it.  Michael Myers may not have had hair like Liberace but he did have a mask that looked a lot like William Shatner.

 

Horror Song of the Day: Main Theme From Prince of Darkness by John Carpenter


Today’s horror song of the day comes from the great John Carpenter!

Here is the main theme from his criminally underrated 1987 film, The Prince of Darkness.  Carpenter is really fortunate in that he not only has a vision but he also has the talent to create the music to go along with that vision.

Horror Song Of The Day: Theme From The Fog by John Carpenter


Today’s horror song of the day comes to us from John Carpenter.  Best-known as a director, Carpenter is also an accomplished musician and composer who is responsible for some of the most iconic horror themes of all time.  Today, we offer you the main theme from his 1980 film, The Fog.

As I’m sure you have guessed, there will be more Carpenter songs in the days ahead.

Scenes That I Love: The Duke Makes Quite An Entrance in Escape From New York


Continuing our celebration of John Carpenter’s birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from one of my favorite Carpenter movies, 1981’s Escape From New York.

In this scene, The Duke of New York makes quite an entrance.  Not only does he have an entourage but his car comes with its own chandeliers and a disco ball!  Along with writing and directing this film, Carpenter also composed the score.

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special John Carpenter Edition


4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 76th birthday to one of this site’s favorite filmmakers and a patron saint of the independent spirit, the great John Carpenter!

In honor of the man and his legacy, here are….

6 Shots From 6 John Carpenter Films

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976, dir by John Carpenter. DP: Douglas Knapp)

Halloween (1977, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

Escape From New York (1981, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

The Thing (1982, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

Big Trouble in Little China (1986, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

They Live (1988, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Gary B. Kibbe)

6 Trailers For October 29, 2023


As we reach the conclusion of our annual Horrorthon, how about another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film trailers?  Today, we pay tribute to the godfather of Halloween, Mr. John Carpenter!

  1. Halloween (1978)

Obviously, I was going to have to share the trailer for the original Halloween eventually.  This is still the best of the franchise.  In fact, all of the attempts by other directors to “improve” on it just serves to remind us of the fact that John Carpenter said everything that needed to be said in the first film.

2. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

How did Carpenter get the chance to direct Halloween?  Well, the producers were impressed with his previous film, Assault on Precinct 13.  Also impressed by this film was Angela Pleasence, who subsequently convinced her father, Donald, to read Carpenter’s script for Halloween.

3. The Fog (1980)

Carpenter followed up Halloween with The Fog, which featured several cast members of both Halloween and Carpenter’s next film, Escape From New York.

4. The Thing (1982)

Incredibly underappreciated when it was first released, Carpenter’s remake of The Thing has gone on to become one of his most popular and influential films.

5. Prince of Darkness (1987)

Speaking of underappreciated, it would also be several years before Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness started to receive the attention that it really deserved.

6. John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998)

Finally, with Vampires, Carpenter mixed the horror genre with the western genre and came up with a hybrid that continues to be influential to this day.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special John Carpenter Edition


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

This October, I am going to be using our 4 Shots From 4 Films feature to pay tribute to some of my favorite horror directors, in alphabetical order!  That’s right, we’re going from Argento to Zombie in one month!

Today’s director is the man who put Halloween on the map and a personal favorite of everyone here at TSL, John Carpenter!

4 Shots From 4 John Carpenter Films

Halloween (1978, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

The Fog (1980, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

The Thing (1982, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)

Christine (1983, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Donald M. Morgan)

Here’s The Trailer For John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams!


John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams is an upcoming horror anthology, in which “true” tales of horror are dramatized.  I’m not really sure how involved John Carpenter really is with the production but his name in the title is enough to ensure that I’ll be watching the premiere on October 13th.

Here’s the trailer!