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John Carpenter is a hero among horror and sci-fi enthusiasts, though acclaim for the “Halloween,” “Escape from New York” and “The Thing” director doesn’t often seep into more quote-unquote respectable circles. Guillermo del Toro, himself a vaunted figure in the realm of genre filmmaking — his films include “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Cronos” and “Pacific Rim” — took to Twitter over the weekend to lament what he sees as a lack of respect for the veteran auteur.
READ MORE: John Carpenter Performs the ‘Escape From New York’ Theme Live — Watch
When I think of John Carpenter, I am amazed at the fact that we take him for granted. How can we? Why should we? He is lightning in a bottle
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Assault on Precinct 13 by John Carpenter. Carpenter flexing his muscles, revamping the archetypes of a Western and establishing his own.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Halloween by John Carpenter. A genre supernova. Creates a taxonomic category that still lives. Unsparing precision, simplicity and elegance.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Sidebar: We must all agree that Carpenter is a brilliant writer / director. A rare breed. A true auteur. Oh, and a hallowed composer.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Fog by John Carpenter. 1/2 One of my favorites. Highly original blend of bare bones folk tale horror and metaphor.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Fog by John Carpenter. 2/2 The film works like JC’s scores, by spare rhythmic punctuation. Its origin reveals a literary streak in JC
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Carpenter’s scores fluctuate w his films. Listen to them: they embody the spirit of each film perfectly. They are his final auteur voice.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Second sidebar: John Carpenter doesn’t give a fuck whether we like his films or not.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
John Carpenter is one tough motherfucker.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter. 1/4 A game-changer (again) and one of the finest horror films ever made. It cannot be matched. Holy Grail.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter. 2/4 Make up effects, score, cinematography, production design are all utter perfection. But so is the script.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter. 3/4 the irony is that most reviewers at the time were entirely blind to the virtues of story and character.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter. 4/4 The movie bombed and was panned both. And I believe it fragmented Carpenter’s heart somewhat. Fuck them all
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter 5/4 Carpenter chose (like Scott in Alien) to define character and story through audio-visual coding and…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter 6/4 …their interactions. Viewers needed to pay attention to the way characters related and spoke. Structure…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter 7/4 …not neatly packaged into a pre-digested structure. The movie was fiber, not pablum. You had to chew…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
The Thing by John Carpenter 8/4 …but we were at the peak of pre-chewed regurgitation.We MUST atone for the errors of the past. Masterpiece
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Anecdote 1/2: One night, over dinner, I told John Carpenter, how much all generations love The Thing. How amazing it was that it had…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Anecdote 2/2: …over time, “found its audience” and was now revered. “What fucking good does that do to me” he said. We ordered dessert.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
Final thought for the day: Carpenter creates masterpiece after masterpiece and they are often ignored. Now, go to bluray church and pray.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 22, 2016
For more, watch the “Crimson Peak” trailer:
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