Since it's October, I thought I'd start a thread to honor 2 of the best genre directors of my lifetime. I suppose in some ways these 2 guys will always be linked together---a joke in Craven's Scream even acknowledges as such. Between them, they gave us Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger, not to mention a handful of the best horror and sci-fi movies of the 70s and 80s, and each has had their share of creative missteps...perhaps figuratively fatal ones, in Carpenter's case.

Halloween remains my favorite film that either created, but up until the last year or two, I probably would have said I ultimately preferred Craven's body of work over Carpenter's. I've never really "got" The Last House on the Left, but I really admire his two Freddy movies, A Nightmare on Elm Street and the postmodern Wes Craven's New Nightmare. I still think The Serpent and the Rainbow is a tremendously entertaining movie (and is also the best-looking Craven film), and I would much rather watch the first two Scream movies than any torture-porn flick of the past decade.

But I think I've come back around on Carpenter now. Besides Halloween, I just really love anything he did with Kurt Russell (with the exception of the Elvis biopic, which I haven't seen), especially the near-perfect The Thing. Assault on Precinct 13 has a great intense low-budget vibe to it. The Fog might actually be my favorite Carpenter film after Halloween. Christine was unremarkable but watchable, Prince of Darkness has some great atmosphere, and Starman still holds up for me.

Of course, both gentlemen regrettably also have way too many bad movies on their resume. Vampire in Brooklyn. Escape from L.A. Ghosts of Mars. Shocker. Scream 3, to name a few.

What about "Music of the Heart"?

Craven doesn't really have an identifiable style like Carpenter. I thought it was interesting that Carpenter originally invisioned the "Halloween" movies as a anthology series of different horror movies that could come out each Halloween. The only problem was the first one was so successful, that they had to bring back the Michael Myers story in part 2. They tried to recapture the anthology idea in part 3 with just a horrible, horrible story.

Carpenter is one of my favorites, unfortunately(or fortunately, depending on your p.o.v.), he hasn't done much lately. Some of his best work has been with Kurt Russell(Escape from New York, The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China) and Jamie Lee Curtis(Halloween, Halloween II and The Fog). He has his flops(as Tyler has pointed out), but you know what you're getting when you see a Carpenter film, especially if he does the soundtrack as well.

Carpenter didn't direct Halloween II.

He may have written the screenplay though, IIRC

Oh, and I think Carpenter is easily the superior filmmaker.

I gotta say how thrilled I am to see a bit of Halloween topic around here. I will forever side with Carpenter's work, and I know he has some duds under his belt. But they are easily forgiven with his masterpieces...he has a way of creating such a creepy, authentic atmosphere with characters who deliver chills no matter how often you watch them (Michael!). Craven just comes across as too campy for me.

I liked most of Wes Craven's Nightmare movies(The First one, The Dream Warriors, New Nightmare and one of the other Dream ______ movies). Didn't he also direct the original The Hills Have Eyes, or am I mis-remembering that?

Yeah, he did. 1977. The Nightmare movies are alright. Krueger is an awesome character, it'd just be cool if he translated better on screen. I feel like I'm supposed to be frightened by the idea of him, but I'm not.

THIS.

This is also why I am in favor of the remake. I'm hoping they can take an alright movie with a solid concept and actually make it good.

The first Nightmare film was really good, and Freddy came across as scarier in that movie than in any of the sequels.

The trailer looks decent, I'm thinking I may have to see this as much as I'm growing tired of the re-making every horror/slasher film from my youth.

That's because after the second movie, they didn't try to make him scary anymore. It was all jokes from then on.

John Carpenter is one of my all time favorite directors. I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen Halloween and In the Mouth of Madness.

That one came out around the time of Prince of Darkness and They Live, part of his "End of the World" theme. Right? It's one of my favorites as well, very Lovecraftian...

In the Mouth of Madness was well after They Live. But yeah, Carpenter is great, duds or not. I'm a huge fan. Big Trouble In Little China is easily one of the most quotable movies ever.

As to Wes, I'm also a fan. Nightmare, Last House, The Hills Have Eyes, Serpent and the Rainbow - - lots of solid stuff. Yes, Freddy stopped being scary once it was a franchise, but that first movie? Well...

"THIS... is God."

I could never get into Last House because of the "bumbling cops." They take me right out of the movie every time they're on screen which sucks, because there are some strong scenes in that film.

Looks like he may have a few things coming soon:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000118/

Anyone ever listen to the commentary on Big Trouble In Little China. I could be wrong, but Carpenter and Russell sound drunk, stoned, or both.

I haven't heard that one, but their commentary on The Thing was so good I figured I could pretty much listen to them do a commentary on ANY movie.

It's much in the same vein as the commentary on The Thing, just a shade loopier. They sound like they really enjoy working together which is cool.

He did both that and a pretty poor sequel in the mid-80s, The Hills Have Eyes 2 which Craven has admitted he did entirely for the money...to finance the original Nightmare on Elm Street, if I remember correctly.

THHE2 is noteworthy at least for having a flashback scene take place from the perspective and memory of...a dog.

I was sort of looking forward to this (although I too am beyond weary of the remake trend) and thought the casting of Jackie Earle Haley was inspired, but seeing the trailer before Zombieland has pretty much quashed that.

Krueger in the trailer sounded to me exactly like Col. Tigh from Battlestar Galactica and I couldn't get past that.