John Carpenter will return to the director's chair for the first time in 13 years for the Peacock TV series John Carpenter's Suburban Screams. The Ward, the last movie directed by Carpenter, dropped in 2010.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Carpenter directed one of six episodes of the unscripted horror anthology series that bears his name. He also produced the show and composed the theme music. The official Peacock description reads:
“John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams is a genre-busting unscripted horror anthology series from the mind of legendary director, writer, and producer John Carpenter. The series explores the dark secrets and unspeakable evil that sometimes lurks beneath the surface of the sun-drenched streets, manicured lawns and friendly neighbors of suburbia. Each episode focuses on one true tale of terror, told by the real people who lived through it. Their firsthand accounts are brought to life through premium cinematic scene-work, news clips, home photos, and archival footage, combining the visual language of horror films with the tools and techniques of documentaries, creating a uniquely frightening experience for viewers.”
Halloween Director John Carpenter Is Most Proud of The Thing
Carpenter directed, co-wrote, and scored 1978's Halloween (pictured, above). The seminal holiday slasher film introduced the world to masked boogeyman Michael Myers and final girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Carpenter also directed genre favorites such as The Fog (starring Curtis and her mother, Janet Leigh), Escape from New York, Starman, The Thing, Christine, Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness, They Live, In the Mouth of Madness, Escape from L.A., and The Ward. The latter, starring Amber Heard, received poor reviews and seemed to kill Carpenter's interest in directing for years. Instead, he released four studio albums, toured with his band, and composed the music for Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends.
Earlier this year, Variety asked Carpenter what he thought was his greatest skill as a filmmaker. Carpenter said:
“Man, I don’t evaluate myself at all. I don’t know. I’m really proud of one film I made: The Thing. I really think I did a great job with that. I would love to have made more serious films like that, that aren’t teenage movies and not geared to young people. That was a movie I’m proud of. I don’t know what my strength is. I have no clue.”
In the same interview, Carpenter talks about the advice he would give his younger self. “Well, I probably wouldn’t listen to myself, so I don’t know if it would be worth it saying anything,” says Carpenter. “But I’ll sum up John Carpenter: I dreamed of being a movie director ever since 1956, and my dream came true. Whether it’s hard, whether I’m always successful, I don’t care. I’m living my dream, and there is nothing better as a human being. So I would say to myself, ‘Man, go to it. You’re going to have a drink. You’ll have your dream fulfilled. Go make your movies.'”
John Carpenter's Suburban Screams premieres on Peacock on October 13.