The Thing. My favorite John Carpenter film, and depending on the day, often my favorite horror film. A nearly perfect film. There is not a moment in the film that doesn't feel real, and that's extremely rare for sci-fi and horror flicks. Great pacing in the film, it slowly builds in paranoia and insanity of what's going on. So well put together, and very scary, because it so very effectively puts you in the paranioa. You have no idea what is trying to get you, it could be anyone, you could have already changed and not known it, this all mixed with the tight spaces, and no chance for a rescue. I love the open ending with the possibility that one of them is still the Thing.

The Thing also includes some of the most deliciously gruesome effects ever created for film. Almost 20 years later and they still show no flaws. The monsters created when the Thing is between transformations are just insane.

Halloween being my second favorite, the originator of the slasher films, and still the best. Just don't even bother with any of the sequels except #2. Also very fond of Christine, one of the better Stephen King adaptions. Big Trouble in Little China and Escape From New York are both very fun sci-fi / comedy films, with Kurt Russel being very cool in both. In the Mouth of Madness, is an effective horror film. Starman, is a rarity for Carpenter, showing his soft side, a fun movie. Assualt on Precinct 13 is cool little film, being his first feature film, with all his characteristics showing already.

Vampires, They Live, The Fog and Prince of Darkness are all very watchable, but only ok films. Escape from LA, a horrible remake of the first. Memoirs and Village of the Damned are just both god awful. The rest of his filmsI haven't seen yet.

At least one thing you can always expect from his films, is one kick ass character who doesn't take any shit. Everyone of his films has very cool photography, he uses the anamorphic lense better than almost anyone working. Another cool trait is that he's done the score for almost everyone of his films, I can name no other director that does that. You can always expect a good time watching a Carpenter film.