Horror maestro John Carpenter was interviewed by the AV Club about the new ‘Halloween’ movie and his endless obsession with video games. Yes, with the exception of scoring the upcoming “Halloween Ends,” Carpenter is now mostly retired and just playing video games all day.
One tidbit that I found amusing was Carpenter’s total disregard for Ari Aster’s films. The interviewer asked the filmmaker about his thoughts on “elevated horror,” more specifically Ari Aster’s “Midsommar” and “Hereditary”:
AVC: Shifting gears slightly: Are you familiar with the phrase “elevated horror?”
JC: I don’t know what that means. I mean, I can guess what it means, but I don’t really know.
AVC: People usually use it to refer to A24’s movies, horror that’s very heavy on the metaphorical. Hereditary, Midsommar, movies like that.
JC: I have no idea what you’re talking about.
It’s rather amusing to think that such a well-renowned shapeshifter of the horror genre would have no idea what these movies are. Carpenter is probably more interested in playing his video games these days than keeping up with the current cinema.
Last month, Carpenter did hint at possibly returning to the director’s chair. At last year’s Cannes, Carpenter admitted that he wanted to “make a little horror film.
The 74-year-old filmmaker hasn’t made a film since 2010’s “The Ward.” That one was met with negative reaction but, ironically enough, ever since his sabbatical began, Carpenter’s filmography has resonated with younger filmmakers and a whole generation of movie fans.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.