John Carpenter is enjoying a second life. He’s doing it playing music with his son and godson, and he says it’s great. His brand-new album Anthology: Movie Themes 1974 -1998 has just been released, too, in time to enjoy for Halloween. After all, what would October be without Halloween? Carpenter is The Horror Master and for many fans, THE soundtrack of the scary season.
He’s been touring with his son, Cody and godson, Daniel this past year. They’ve been performing his movie themes and his solo pieces around the world. Carpenter admitted to Billboard’s Brian Leak that he was terrified when the tour started. But he’d been part of a cover band in Kentucky before he moved to California to attend film school, so making music was a way of life at one time. What’s different for Carpenter this time around is that he’s performing with his family, to sold-out crowds, and fans who have loved his film scores for years. He’s also had Tenacious D’s as back-up, and he absolutely loves them.
Even better … as if it were possible to top all the current excitement… Carpenter is scheduled to score the new Halloween film by David Gordon. Carpenter is an executive producer and he’s looking forward to all of the options he has for the newest film. He’s planning to consult with the director to get a feeling for what he’d like. Right now, there are several possibilities. Carpenter may create a completely new score, the original score could be updated and amplified with new instrument technologies which were not available when the original film was scored, or developing a combination of those two options is possible. Carpenter’s planning to see the movie and create something based on what he sees.
Carpenter is scheduled to perform in Los Angeles on October 31. Lucky local fans will see him at the Hollywood Palladium beginning at 7:00 PM. Tickets range in price from $64 to $215. He’s also scheduled to perform at The Grove of Anaheim on November 2 at 8:00 PM, which is a great option for Orange County concert goers. Fans everywhere else can buy his new album. It’s full of newly recorded versions of Halloween, The Thing, They Live, Escape from New York and In the Mouth of Madness. It’s being released by Sacred Bones Records.
It’s going to be a while for the next chapter of Carpenter’s horror series to arrive. Halloween 2018 is a wait. Jamie Lee Curtis is due to return, and fans are excited. The new film will pick up starting where the original one left off. Ignoring the films in between has caused an uproar with some, because Halloween II will not be kept in the canon. The new direction is dependent upon co- writers Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, John Carpenter’s executive producer sensibilities, and Blumhouse Productions. The vision for the new movie “blew away” Carpenter, and he says that it is going to be revolutionary and incredible. Halloween 2018 will pick essentially pick up in 1978 where the original left off, for better or worse.
David Gordon Green and Danny McBride have traditionally been associated with comedy films. The gutsy choice of the two allows them to use their versatile skills, which also include dramatic and horror genres in the past. Their unique take on the Halloween series so completely impressed Carpenter that fans should be able to trust The Master of Horror’s judgement. The film will not be a reboot, nor an origin story, nor a re-make. It’s going to be a brand-new project, with a unique vision, and Carpenter’s robust horror genre chops. When all the possibilities emerge as Halloween 2018, all questions will be answered. One thing’s certain. Carpenter’s new film score will be amazing.
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