John Carpenter Quotes

It's a very good time for horror. This business certainly has changed, but there's still room for serious horror films. Look at 28 Days Later, that's not a tongue-in-cheek picture.

The strongest human emotion is fear. It's the essence of any good thriller that, for a little while, you believe in the boogeyman.

Directing is all about storytelling. It's not about equipment, or anything else.

Evil hiding among us is an ancient theme.

To make Michael Myers frightening, I had him walk like a man, not a monster.

Movies are pieces of film stuck together in a certain rhythm, an absolute beat, like a musical composition. The rhythm you create affects the audience.

We all question our sanity. Everyone has had an experience of loss of control of something.

A lot of it [success] is luck. That's a huge part of it that no one wants to talk about. You just got to be in the right place at the right time.

Horror found me. I got into the movie business to make westerns.

I can play just about any keyboard but I can't read or write a note.

To make movies you just have to want it enough. You have to have the passion for telling stories. You have to get by the love-of-movies aspect. You can't just be a movie fan.

I enjoyed 'The Avengers.' I couldn't do that kind of movie though. Superheroes aren't my deal.

Halloween put me on the map, and I'm very sad to hear of his death.

I made a decision back in 1978 that, in a trade off for money when I directed Halloween, I would have my name above the title in order to basically brand these movies my own.

One could make money and get a career going with a low-budget horror film about killers attacking on holidays. It is always flattering to have somebody copy you.

You play with everything you've got. I'm not a lover of cheap tricks. I've always loved playing with people, but there's no rule about it. You try everything you can.

Way back in the '70s, I was approached to talk about the story I'd write for a Spider-Man movie. They also talked to me about Batman. I had to think about it, but that was way, way back when.

I'm always involved with casting my movies. I have final word on it.

I had a talent for scoring films; I just developed it.

There are a lot of movies that I don't care about, especially not remakes.

From a will: And to my communist nephew Oswald, I leave the sum of 10,000 pounds - to be shared equally with his fellow Britishers.

You have to fight really hard for a private life, and sometimes you don't have one. It just gets to you after a while. It's tough.

I just aim for basketball season to start. I don't really care about anything else in life.

I think there are certain subjects I don't want to tackle, that I don't think I could do a good job with. I don't think I'd be good with... broad comedy? I don't know. Maybe I would.

There's nothing better than being in an asylum, if you're going to have a bunch of crazy people in an asylum, and they're all beautiful Hollywood actresses.

First of all, I was a wrestling fan when I was young. Even when I figured out what wrestling was, I was still a fan.

Horror is a reaction; it's not a genre. Somebody's life would have to be in danger for it [story] to be a horror story.

As a filmmaker, it's about surviving and lasting. So many talented people that I've known in my life - directors and writers - just haven't made it and haven't had a chance.

Fears are all psychological. Being afraid of death, loss of a loved one and disfigurement are all powered by your mind, and that's very powerful stuff.

Remakes, in general, are a result of necessity being the mother of invention. They can't open movies consistently and break through the advertising clutter that's out there.

Anybody can make a movie, if you have the will. The digital revolution has made it very inexpensive to make a film. Anybody who wants to can do it.

I don't watch my films. I've seen 'em enough after cutting them and putting the music on. I don't ever want to see them again.

When you have no money, you need invention.