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Growing up drawn to 20th-century popular culture that skews toward the macabre was to obsess over the Carpenter catalogue.
Carpenter doesnt care about all that stuff, though.
What sparked your interest in synthesizers?
It was a Technicolor film, and the soundtrack was electronic.
The Barrons, a husband-and-wife team, recorded it.
They didnt have synthesizers then.
They had all sorts of other stuff that they used, but I remember that stuck with me.
The sounds were unusual but musical.
And of course, electric guitars are electronic-music instruments.
I fooled around with that.
I could do various parts.
That was why I got started.
Along comesDark Star, and I worked on a very primitive …
I cant even remember what kind of synth it was.
That was the thought.
Was that a coincidence?I dont think I ever heard Dark Star.
Not the florid English style, but the stories themselves, the imagination behind them.
When I was young, I loved Ray Bradbury and his science-fiction tales.
There are a lot of science-fiction writers I grew up on and love: Harry Harrison and others.
My dad gave me a book calledGreat Tales of Terror and the Supernatural.
Thats where I got my horror tales started.
Then, the movies were the big thing for me.
What was the first film that blew your mind?It Came From Outer Space.
Howd that go over?They have a similar origin.
Dan OBannon, the writer ofAlien,was a co-writer and actor onDark Star.
I was jealous because they had more money, and we didnt have any.
I wouldnt say that.
Its always better with more money.
Dont let anybody tell you different.
You worked on the scores for many of your most beloved films.
I likeHalloween, obviously, just because of its simplicity.
I like the music inPrince of Darknessa great deal.
Scores are meant to enhance the movies theyre with, so thats what theyre there for.
Thats why theyre important for a film.
Im proud of them all because I think they succeeded.
Musically, Im most proud of theLost Themesalbums my son and godson and I did recently.
And that music is for a nonexistent movie, for movies that are in your mind.
You provide the movie, and we provide the soundtrack.
You mentionedPrince of Darkness.
InThe Fog, your seaside-ghost story, the music is more ambient.
Movies have themes, and themes are important.
I always want to echo them, if possible, in the music.
Assault on Precinct 13gives a gang revenge story athemethat has an early hip-hop feel.
Theres a kind ofrock songplaying early on inBig Trouble in Little China.
Do you pay attention to what the public listens to when making film music?
Are you making music that might exist inside the world of a film?No, not really.
Im aware of the music on the radio, but Im not trying to re-create it.
Its project-specific is what it is.
What does the project require?
I dont think I knew at first.
Its the end of mankind.When you talk about the end of things, thats an apocalypse.
I have to give honorable mention to thisMasters of Horrorepisode I directed, Cigarette Burns.
That was an apocalyptic story, too.
Thats an honorable mention in the trilogy.
Is it disappointing, 40 years later, for that timeline to still be plausible?Its not fun.
I dont like thinking about it.
I made another movie that was also somewhat prescient calledThey Live.
It was about alien Republicans.
How do I feel about it?
I feel like going home.
You have this thing withHalloweenthat doesnt come along often, this franchise beloved across five decades.
Do you have to be protective of that kind of legacy?
I dont really care.
I dont thinkHalloween IIIgets the love it deserves.
Would you be doing something else entirely if it took off?Thats correct.
It didnt, but I wish it had because we could start telling other stories.
People wanted to see Michael Myers once again.
So there you go.
TheHalloweenmovie I love the most is the one I made back in 1978, the one I directed.
Others are other peoples visions.
Thats the way it goes.
Thats what happens when you give up.
I didnt want to direct sequels.
I didnt think there was story left.
Boy, was I wrong, huh?
But you dont regret not being more hands-on with the series …Hell no.
They have to pay me every time they make one.
Okay, but whats your scariest monster?I dont find any movie monster scary.
Real life is scary.
Whats the real-life monster keeping you up at night?Oh God, Syria, Russia.
Syria poisoning its own people.
Russia, whats going on in Ukraine.
Whats your assessment of that period?That was my blue period.
I was just trying to make movies.
Im a poor, old horror director trying to make a living.
Theres nothing more to it.
I get up in the morning, have coffee, and go to work.
My fear in movies is not finishing one, not having it come out.
Luckily, every movie I started has been finished and come out.
How do you feel about remakes?Im not going to answer that because I dont know.
Ill have others answer about if theyre good.
There are two kinds of remakes for me: One is where Im the originator of the material.
I wrote the screenplay.
Two: It was an assignment from the studio.
We want you to do this.
If its an assignment from the studio, they dont pay me when they do a remake.
They own the material.
If Ive generated the screenplay, they have to pay me.
Thats the kind of sequel I like.
You want to pay me a bunch of bucks, fine.
Have a great time.
How often do you watch your old stuff?Never.
I dont want to see it.
Why didnt I do this?
I dont want to do that, so I dont watch.
I care about my own movies.
I dont care about anybody elses the same way.
I dont have room.
Have you seen anything recently that you liked?Not in a bit.
I like Jordan Poole.
I think hes really good.
But we can talk about theWarriors.
Let me put it that way.
What does the typical day look like for you now?Day-to-day looks like preseason NBA and video games.
Which games are you playing?
What got you started?All kinds.
I started withSonic the Hedgehog.
I love that game.
It was very hard.
In the old days, they didnt put save points in the right place.
I evolved through the years.
Lets see:Horizon Forbidden West.Fallout 76, I really like.Crash Bandicoot.
Have you playedElden Ring?
Its set in this big, dark, decrepit world.
You might appreciate it.No, Ive never played that.
Your father was a music professor, and your son is a musician.
It may be genetic.
I dont know why.
Music is an astonishing art form.
If you could dabble in it, it is all the better.
That was a mistake.
I developed keyboard and guitar stuff.
I really wasnt that good.
I think people whove heard your stuff would find that hard to believe.I wasnt a virtuoso by any means.
My son is a virtuoso with the keyboard.
Do you have to strive toward the simplicity we hear in your music?I dont think about it.
Does it sound good?
Does it work for the movie?
I dont care how simple it is.
Simplicity is a blessing, sometimes.
When Im working with people, we attempt to keep a schedule.
Well meet at noon and start working and see when we get tired.
I work with an engineer differently than I would a co-creator.
Theres no one rule.
That can be tough, sometimes.
Which actors have been the easiest to work with over the years?Kurt Russell and Sam Neill.
I love both of them.
This interview has been edited and condensed
