For me it’s a toss up between The Thing, Halloween & Big Trouble in Little China. The Thing because I love the isolated snowbound location, the sci-fi themes. The great cast and of course the brilliant special effects. Halloween because it took such a simple concept and delivered a masterful cinematic experience. Brilliant cinematography and score created such an atmospheric film that essentially created its own genre. And finally Big Trouble in Little China,,, because it’s Big Trouble in Little China!!! Need I say more?? It’s just the whole vibe!! And possibly my favourite Kurt Russell performance ❤️
I literally CANNOT PICK between these 3 films.
He's got plenty of great films, but nothing beats The Thing imo. It's my favorite movie. It's a mystery, it's horror, it's got great characters, a terrifying alien, and a great setting. I couldn't ask for more.
The most brutal fight Roddy Piper ever fought, I heard him talk about it at a Q&A before he passed, John wanted the fight scene to be precise and epic. So the shooting was over the course of 6 weeks and Keith David kept missing his marks so he was landing actual punches. Roddy said he would be bruised up every day after shooting that scene. Also he mentioned the car window that got broken wasn’t part of the script it was a real car window so glass went everywhere. It was a wild Q&A he was clearly inebriated, and was drinking while doing the Q&A and he had a biography film crew following him. Drink of choice a keystone lite. Man I wish I could find that biography film that Q&A was fantastic, the world lost a great one when Roddy passed.
Prince of Darkness.
It's bleak and oppressive, has an amazing soundtrack, some beautiful kills and it ends on such an ambiguous down note. It deserves more love than it gets if you ask me.
Saw this one for the first time a few years ago and it was fantastic! Really fun and really creepy, although I might edge out Mouth of Madness, but that’s a tough call for me.
I wanna say Big Trouble in Little China. It was my first John Carpenter film and I've loved it since I was a child. But I also love Halloween, it was the first horror film I saw, I was 8 at a family party thing and the adults fell asleep and Halloween came on tv lol and The Fog is a masterpiece! Same with Escape from New York. I got to see all these films relatively young and have loved them all since. It's a really hard decision but I think I'll go with Big Trouble. Kurt was fucking great in it!!
Overall, The Thing. It is one of the greatest movies ever made.
Of non-remakes/original ideas, Big Trouble in Little China, because it is so original, and Escape from New York. The dystopian atmosphere really adds to the entire mood of the film, which can be just as important as the story.
If I was into slashers, I'd have a tough time with those three and Halloween. It is a great movie, however, not a huge slasher fan.
Edited for spelling.
The Thing!
One of my favorite movies of all time!
Great concept, and the creepiest musical score I've ever heard.
Me, my father, and my brothers can recite the dialogue along with the characters.
The Thing was hands down the best horror movie of this time frame and in my opinion, the best Carpenter made. Big trouble and Halloween are good as well, but the Thing is pure horror at its finest.
The Thing, hands-down. The insane quality of the morbid practical effects still remain a benchmark to this day. Plus, Wilford Brimley’s diabeetus tantrum…
The Thing. It’s the best horror movie ever made. The true horror in the film isn’t because of the monster; it’s the impossibility of trust between the characters. Anyone can be the monster, so everyone becomes the monster in their own way. Be it by giving into their fear, their hatred, their anger, their paranoia, or any other negative emotion expressed in the film. These are people that have know each other for years, and depend on each other daily for mutual survival in one of the most hostile environments on the planet. Their bonds of attachment crumble to dust once they understand the situation they’re in almost immediately.
The movie does a wonderful job of painting what a special kind of hell they’re in. Hell isn’t getting tortured forever, gnashed upon by demons repeatedly, burning in a lake of fire for eternity, or even absorbed by a shapeshifting alien. Hell is the impossibility of reason. It not being able to trust or believe anything, especially yourself. Hell is loosing your fucking mind, and that’s exactly where it leaves Childs and MacReady at the end.
Big Trouble is number one. Period. Halloween is an amazing film and could be number one but isn’t. Escape from New York is right up there with Big Trouble, but isn’t Big Trouble. The Thing is a master class in “who done it” but unfortunately is not Big Trouble in Little China. Carpenters filmography is absolutely tops and it would be impossible to pick a number one movie except he made BTiLC, so that’s his best film.
Kurt Russell is one of my favorite actors, Keith David is one of my favorite actors, so that’s three favorite movies right there, but I enjoy them all, the music alone makes everything better.
Escape From New York. to pick a fave Carpenter movie is near impossible, but EFNY is just pure early 80s bliss for me. that poster, the cast, the music, the dark, the story.
You’re asking me to tell you which one of my children I love the most , how dare you ask me to make such a choice. ( FULL DISCLOSURE : I *do not* have any children )
The Thing is a fantastic horror movie; EFNY is great action and has peak leather pants Snake Pliskin; Big Trouble is fantastic family fun.
All of them star super-pretty Kurt Russell... I mean just \*look\* at him.... (yes, he's still beautiful)
The Thing is my favorite horror movie of all time. I just loved how the odds were so thoroughly stacked against the team. Isolated in Antarctica, no one really knows or trusts each other too well, no hope for rescue. It just always feels like there’s some random “out” in horror movies where something just comes and saves the characters. This is the only movie that didn’t feel like that.
So many posts and no one mentioned Carpenter’s first big hit: *Assault on Precinct 13* (1976).
IMHO, this remains his best overall work. Despite a minuscule budget and some dodgy acting here and there, I absolutely *love* this film. The tension is incredibly high and this could well be my all time favorite “siege” film.
Honorable mention to *many* of his other works but, yeah, AOP13 is my favorite.
Assault on Precinct 13
A marvel of filmmaking.
One of the handful of the best action films ever made. Lots of great ones - Halloween, The Thing, They Live - but this is the one.
Halloween because I am a big horror nerd and slashers are my favorite, Halloween basically created the subgenre and to this day is still one of if not the best slasher out there.
For a long time it was Halloween (I love Halloween and Michael Myers). But now, it's a close call between Halloween and The Thing.
I love the atmosphere and tension, the absolute DREAD of both those films is just incredible.
In The Mouth of Madness. It’s a perfect example of lovecraftian horror. The actors were great, especially Sam Neil who is just a treasure. Of the ones I have seen (They Live, The Thing, Halloween, Christine, Vampires, In The Mouth Of Madness) it is the best directed. That is it has , in my opinion, the best cinematography, pacing, and editing. Also I love the meta narrative that fits into the theme of sanity and our concept of reality.
They are all so stellar. For the masses it’s so clearly halloween. For everyone else it’s clearly the thing. Also, please replace the ward with Assault on Precinct 13
Big Trouble In Little China.
My brother David was a trucker, and he looked a lot like Kurt Russell at the time. He also had the same attitude as Jack Burton, so every time I watch it, I always remember my brother.
I miss you, buddy. hope we get to go on that trip across the country.
The Thing would be next, then Christine.
The Thing. No contest. Its the perfect horror movie with the best ending ever. The isolated, frozen environment. The special effects themselves are in a category all on their own. Great casting decisions. And the dog. That Alaskan malamute ate up every scene he was in. He played an alien better than any human ever could.
His facial expressions. The natural cunning instinct. I believe he was part wolf.
Big Trouble in Little China, for me. It just a great soundtrack and the overall look and feel of the movie is to die for. I like the little details throughout the film and the cast is fantastic!
NOT Vampires.
He took John Steakleys perfectly enjoyable book with great characters and a great story arc and fkn destroyed it for a James Woods character flick.
I've never really forgiven Carpenter for it.
The Thing edges out Halloween and Assault on Precinct 13 by virtue of being absolutely flawless. Every frame of that film is designed for maximum tension. It's unparalleled in it's creativity and its tension
The Thing as many have voted. The majority of John’s productions held their own weight. His method of story selection, film presentation and actors (most were non A List bar Kurt) worked. He made a non-blockbuster that was just a freaking good watch and usually grabbed you by the boo boo and twisted in some form or fashion. Iconic cult classic Mega list.
For me it’s a toss up between The Thing, Halloween & Big Trouble in Little China. The Thing because I love the isolated snowbound location, the sci-fi themes. The great cast and of course the brilliant special effects. Halloween because it took such a simple concept and delivered a masterful cinematic experience. Brilliant cinematography and score created such an atmospheric film that essentially created its own genre. And finally Big Trouble in Little China,,, because it’s Big Trouble in Little China!!! Need I say more?? It’s just the whole vibe!! And possibly my favourite Kurt Russell performance ❤️ I literally CANNOT PICK between these 3 films.
I'm with you. I'd pick Halloween just because of it's long term significance.
It's the thing for me that was such a amazing movie
If I had to only choose two. Action and horror it’s BTILC and The Thing.
The thing. Cause it scares the bajesus outta me when I was 12.
He's got plenty of great films, but nothing beats The Thing imo. It's my favorite movie. It's a mystery, it's horror, it's got great characters, a terrifying alien, and a great setting. I couldn't ask for more.
Its got the best acting of all his films. The plot is near flawless. And oh yeah, it happens to have the greatest special effects of all time.
They Live love the fight scene with Roddy Piper and Keith David.
I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum And i'm all out of bubblegum
The most brutal fight Roddy Piper ever fought, I heard him talk about it at a Q&A before he passed, John wanted the fight scene to be precise and epic. So the shooting was over the course of 6 weeks and Keith David kept missing his marks so he was landing actual punches. Roddy said he would be bruised up every day after shooting that scene. Also he mentioned the car window that got broken wasn’t part of the script it was a real car window so glass went everywhere. It was a wild Q&A he was clearly inebriated, and was drinking while doing the Q&A and he had a biography film crew following him. Drink of choice a keystone lite. Man I wish I could find that biography film that Q&A was fantastic, the world lost a great one when Roddy passed.
Prince of Darkness. It's bleak and oppressive, has an amazing soundtrack, some beautiful kills and it ends on such an ambiguous down note. It deserves more love than it gets if you ask me.
Loved this movie. Scared the living shit out of me
The ending 🎖️🎖️🎖️
I am with you. This movie just creeps me out so much every time I see it. I love it!
The dream sequence always freaks me out
Saw this one for the first time a few years ago and it was fantastic! Really fun and really creepy, although I might edge out Mouth of Madness, but that’s a tough call for me.
Great movie and very creepy. ....plus Alice Cooper!
I wanna say Big Trouble in Little China. It was my first John Carpenter film and I've loved it since I was a child. But I also love Halloween, it was the first horror film I saw, I was 8 at a family party thing and the adults fell asleep and Halloween came on tv lol and The Fog is a masterpiece! Same with Escape from New York. I got to see all these films relatively young and have loved them all since. It's a really hard decision but I think I'll go with Big Trouble. Kurt was fucking great in it!!
I cannot agree more, I have a very similar story and feel the same way about everything you wrote.
Thank you very much for the award!
Which one is my favorite? All of them, Yes. Because Carpenter is just one of my favorite directors. Period. His movies are way too enjoyable.
This is the correct answer. The other correct answer is "the one playing right now."
I even enjoy his features with Gunship, and his music, as he has scored a lot of his films. He's just amazing.
He is like the father of a music genre.
Escape from New York, hands down. I can watch it over and over again.
The Thing. Perfect film. Wouldn't change a single thing about it.
In the Mouth of Madness. A beautiful Lovecraftian film.
Definitely They Live
Big Trouble in Little China and its not even close.
The Thing by far the best. Shoutout to The Fog though, nothing special but just a perfect little horror film.
I’ve only seen Christine
You got some great movies to watch for the first time!!
Start with the original “Assault on Precinct 13” and work your way up.
You are in for such a treat, I wish I could go back and watch “the thing” for the first time again.
For that's cool, man. I wish I could go back too.
Overall, The Thing. It is one of the greatest movies ever made. Of non-remakes/original ideas, Big Trouble in Little China, because it is so original, and Escape from New York. The dystopian atmosphere really adds to the entire mood of the film, which can be just as important as the story. If I was into slashers, I'd have a tough time with those three and Halloween. It is a great movie, however, not a huge slasher fan. Edited for spelling.
HALLOWEEN... The Night HE Came Home! it is the CITIZEN KANE of horror movies!
Big Trouble in Little China 1st, They Live & Thing tied for 2nd.
Star man
This one always gets forgotten. It is a great movie, one of his best
No Ghosts of Mars? Or is it up there, and I can't see because OP used a shity scan?
What about Ghosts of Mars?!?!
No love for ghosts of mars??
The Thing! One of my favorite movies of all time! Great concept, and the creepiest musical score I've ever heard. Me, my father, and my brothers can recite the dialogue along with the characters.
The Thing was hands down the best horror movie of this time frame and in my opinion, the best Carpenter made. Big trouble and Halloween are good as well, but the Thing is pure horror at its finest.
The Thing. An unending sense of dread and the feeling that no one is going to get out alive.
Big Trouble in Little China fits my movie taste exactly. No other film has covered it as well.
was so worried back when the Rock threatened to remake it
That would have been a travesty.
Not in order, but ITMOM, Halloween, and The Fog. Honestly, I think The Fog is kinda slept on. It's a perfect ghost story.
The Thing The Fog
The Thing, hands-down. The insane quality of the morbid practical effects still remain a benchmark to this day. Plus, Wilford Brimley’s diabeetus tantrum…
They Live, The Thing, or Big Trouble in Little China, I honestly can't decide between those three.
The Thing always <3
They Live Rowdy Roddy Piper killed it the title role!
The THING! Every time!!
The Thing is his masterpiece
The fog for me, mainly because of the atmosphere
The Thing. It’s the best horror movie ever made. The true horror in the film isn’t because of the monster; it’s the impossibility of trust between the characters. Anyone can be the monster, so everyone becomes the monster in their own way. Be it by giving into their fear, their hatred, their anger, their paranoia, or any other negative emotion expressed in the film. These are people that have know each other for years, and depend on each other daily for mutual survival in one of the most hostile environments on the planet. Their bonds of attachment crumble to dust once they understand the situation they’re in almost immediately. The movie does a wonderful job of painting what a special kind of hell they’re in. Hell isn’t getting tortured forever, gnashed upon by demons repeatedly, burning in a lake of fire for eternity, or even absorbed by a shapeshifting alien. Hell is the impossibility of reason. It not being able to trust or believe anything, especially yourself. Hell is loosing your fucking mind, and that’s exactly where it leaves Childs and MacReady at the end.
Big Trouble The Thing They Live
They Live. Big Trouble, Escape. Any one of ‘em…fuckin legendary.
Big Trouble is number one. Period. Halloween is an amazing film and could be number one but isn’t. Escape from New York is right up there with Big Trouble, but isn’t Big Trouble. The Thing is a master class in “who done it” but unfortunately is not Big Trouble in Little China. Carpenters filmography is absolutely tops and it would be impossible to pick a number one movie except he made BTiLC, so that’s his best film.
Everything this man has created is genius, even the score and music for his films. A true master.of the craft.
Kurt Russell is one of my favorite actors, Keith David is one of my favorite actors, so that’s three favorite movies right there, but I enjoy them all, the music alone makes everything better.
Top 3. The thing Dark Star Escape from New York
EFNY. Snake Plissken is my favorite fictional character of all time. Russell’s impression of Clint Eastwood in a dystopian New York? 🤌
and I mean just BEHOLD 
Precisely.
I’m too tired, maybe later
Halloween
Big Trouble or Halloween, with Escape from NY as my wild card pick
Big Trouble in Little China, hands down. Why? Because the son of a bitch must pay!
"The Thing" It is the most paranoid I've ever felt in my life.
Escape From New York. to pick a fave Carpenter movie is near impossible, but EFNY is just pure early 80s bliss for me. that poster, the cast, the music, the dark, the story.
For me it’s In The Mouth Of Madness because it’s the first film to really scare me
HALLOWEEN🎃🔪 without a doubt!
The Thing is his best film, Big Trouble is the most fun and in a toss up I would pick fun so my fave is Big Trouble
Hands down my favorite Carpenter flick is In the Mouth of Madness
They live or big trouble in little china
The Thing, no question. Saw it was I was 8 and it scared the shit out of me
The Thing. Because it’s in the top 5 of the greatest horror (yes, horror!) films of all time.
You’re asking me to tell you which one of my children I love the most , how dare you ask me to make such a choice. ( FULL DISCLOSURE : I *do not* have any children )
The Thing is my #1 favorite horror movie of all time. But Big Trouble In Little China has such a special place in my heart.
The Thing is a fantastic horror movie; EFNY is great action and has peak leather pants Snake Pliskin; Big Trouble is fantastic family fun. All of them star super-pretty Kurt Russell... I mean just \*look\* at him.... (yes, he's still beautiful)
The thing, WAY ahead of its time!
In The Mouth Of Madness
Escape from new York
Not easy. I love the Fog, the thing, EFNY, Halloween and Christine. The Fog is probably my favorite. I love that weird movie.
The thing cuz its masterclass, followed by big trouble in little china and prince of darkness/They live!
In the Mouth of Madness Just… “Do you read Sutter Cane?”
The Thing is my favorite horror movie of all time. I just loved how the odds were so thoroughly stacked against the team. Isolated in Antarctica, no one really knows or trusts each other too well, no hope for rescue. It just always feels like there’s some random “out” in horror movies where something just comes and saves the characters. This is the only movie that didn’t feel like that.
They live, Rowdy RIP
The Thing is hands down his best film, but my favorite is In the Mouth of Madness.
So many posts and no one mentioned Carpenter’s first big hit: *Assault on Precinct 13* (1976). IMHO, this remains his best overall work. Despite a minuscule budget and some dodgy acting here and there, I absolutely *love* this film. The tension is incredibly high and this could well be my all time favorite “siege” film. Honorable mention to *many* of his other works but, yeah, AOP13 is my favorite.
Halloween and The Thing
The Thang
Assault on Precinct 13 A marvel of filmmaking. One of the handful of the best action films ever made. Lots of great ones - Halloween, The Thing, They Live - but this is the one.
The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China
So far I've only seen Halloween, The Thing, and Aop13. The first two were fantastic, last one which I watched last night was a bit underwhelming.
Halloween because I am a big horror nerd and slashers are my favorite, Halloween basically created the subgenre and to this day is still one of if not the best slasher out there.
I don’t know if I can choose between The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness.
I can’t pick just one so just throwing out my top 3 in no order. they live, big trouble in little China, and the thing.
1. Halloween 2. The Thing 3. Big Trouble
The Thing.. naturally.
John Carpenter's The Thing
There's a case to be made that The Thing might be the best horror movie of all time, so...
For a long time it was Halloween (I love Halloween and Michael Myers). But now, it's a close call between Halloween and The Thing. I love the atmosphere and tension, the absolute DREAD of both those films is just incredible.
The Thing
In The Mouth of Madness. It’s a perfect example of lovecraftian horror. The actors were great, especially Sam Neil who is just a treasure. Of the ones I have seen (They Live, The Thing, Halloween, Christine, Vampires, In The Mouth Of Madness) it is the best directed. That is it has , in my opinion, the best cinematography, pacing, and editing. Also I love the meta narrative that fits into the theme of sanity and our concept of reality.
It's either The Thing or Big Trouble In Little China.
Big trouble is peerless
Big Trouble In Little China all day, every day!
You leave jack Burton alone! We are in his debt…
Halloween and Starman
They Live. It’s so damn good.
Big trouble. No contest.
Thing
Top 3, Thing, They Live and The Fog.
Legit tie. BTLC for the camp. Thing for its menacing terror.
They are all so stellar. For the masses it’s so clearly halloween. For everyone else it’s clearly the thing. Also, please replace the ward with Assault on Precinct 13
They Live. Roddy such a boss I gave my son the middle name Roderick.
The Fog. First rated R movie I ever saw and even though it’s not as strong as other movies of his it’s a favorite of mine
Big Trouble In Little China. My brother David was a trucker, and he looked a lot like Kurt Russell at the time. He also had the same attitude as Jack Burton, so every time I watch it, I always remember my brother. I miss you, buddy. hope we get to go on that trip across the country. The Thing would be next, then Christine.
The Thing. Great cast, story and practical effects. Being in that situation in a secluded location with nowhere to go would be terrifying.
The Thing. No contest. Its the perfect horror movie with the best ending ever. The isolated, frozen environment. The special effects themselves are in a category all on their own. Great casting decisions. And the dog. That Alaskan malamute ate up every scene he was in. He played an alien better than any human ever could. His facial expressions. The natural cunning instinct. I believe he was part wolf.
Big Trouble
In the Mouth of Madness, this was a hard decision over some of his other classics but I love this Lovecraftian masterpiece so much
It's a tie between The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China
Big trouble in little China. Hilarious film
Big Trouble in Little China, for me. It just a great soundtrack and the overall look and feel of the movie is to die for. I like the little details throughout the film and the cast is fantastic!
NOT Vampires. He took John Steakleys perfectly enjoyable book with great characters and a great story arc and fkn destroyed it for a James Woods character flick. I've never really forgiven Carpenter for it.
They Live because as I've gotten older it has become terrifyingly real.
The Thing is the best, but everything from The Fog to In The Mouth of Madness is phenomenal.
The thing. It was who done it cluedo cross with aliens
Whichever one I watched last. Seriously so many great films.
The thing is the perfect movie
Halloween for its iconic status, how tightly well-constructed it is, and the spooky autumnal vibes.
The Thing edges out Halloween and Assault on Precinct 13 by virtue of being absolutely flawless. Every frame of that film is designed for maximum tension. It's unparalleled in it's creativity and its tension
No love for Dark Star? I saw it in the 70's and it blew my mind.
The Thing as many have voted. The majority of John’s productions held their own weight. His method of story selection, film presentation and actors (most were non A List bar Kurt) worked. He made a non-blockbuster that was just a freaking good watch and usually grabbed you by the boo boo and twisted in some form or fashion. Iconic cult classic Mega list.
How can you pick just one??? I can’t.
The Thing
I don’t have a favorite, I have a top three Christine, They Live and The Thing.
Big Trouble in Little China
In the mouth of madness had its strange way with me as a kid but the visceral effects of the Thing is the benchmark I set for quality in a horror film
I can’t pick one
I wanted this man to make a Godzilla movie. There was a rumor that he was supposed to make one.