John Carpenter

The eyepatch-wearing antihero originated by Kurt Russell is resurrected in this reimagining of the 1981 John Carpenter classic, adapted by Black Hawk Down's screenwriter Ken Nolan and writer/director Jonathan Mostow. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

When the troubled son of a high-profile governor is placed briefly behind bars as part of the Scared Straight crime-prevention program and subsequently taken hostage during a violent prison riot, the resourceful teen joins forces with a group of other street kids and a sympathetic convict (Nicolas Cage) in order to escape his captors and take back control of the chaotic correctional institution in this tense jailhouse thriller from horror legend John Carpenter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The Devil's Rejects director Rob Zombie resurrects one of the most notorious slashers in screen history with this re-imagining of the 1978 John Carpenter classic that spawned numerous sequels and countless imitators. As a child, young Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch) committed one of the most unspeakable crimes imaginable. Subsequently locked in an asylum and placed under the care of Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), the hollow-eyed boy grew into an emotionless man determined to escape back to his hometown of Haddonfield and complete the murderous mission that he began so many years back. These days, the long-abandoned Myers house sits decrepit and overgrown on a peaceful suburban street, its boarded windows and rotting wood a silent testament to the slaughter that has haunted Haddonfield for decades. Now Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) is back, and as the children of this typical Midwestern town fill the sidewalks for a fun-filled night of tricks and treats, Haddonfield is about to find out that there is no escape from pure evil. Brad Dourif, William Forsythe, Udo Kier, Dee Wallace, Sheri Moon Zombie, Danny Trejo, and Adrienne Barbeau co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A pregnant girl trapped in a woman's health clinic makes a disturbing discovery about the child growing inside of her while attempting to fight off her father and three heavily armed brothers in director John Carpenter's second Masters of Horror episode. A young couple is driving down a darkened country road when frightened Angelique (Caitlin Wachs) darts frantically into their headlights. Realizing that the young girl is terrified beyond consolation and shaken by the near accident she caused, the kindly couple informs Angelique that they are currently en route to a nearby clinic and would be happy to give her a ride. Shortly after arriving at the clinic with their young charge, however, Angelique's enraged father, Dwayne (Ron Perlman), arrives with two sons in tow and enough firepower to stage a small war. Staunch anti-abortion activist Dwayne is determined to liberate his daughter from the evil clinic in which she has sought sanctuary, but as he prepares to storm the building, Angelique makes a horrifying discovery about her unborn child. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Hollywood has delivered more than it's fair share of memorable movie villains throughout the years, and now viewers have the opportunity to learn more than ever before about their favorite silver-screen boogiemen in this documentary featuring interviews with Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone, Halloween director John Carpenter, and Star Wars director George Lucas. Spanning over 100 years of cinema, this collection of blood-curdling clips also features excerpts from the films of the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This action-packed remake of the John Carpenter classic tells the tale of an under-manned Detroit police precinct on its last day of operation that finds itself under siege by a ruthless force that will not stop. This time, a notorious cop-killer and mobster Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishbourne) is unexpectedly brought into the precinct during a blizzard on New Year's Eve, much to the dismay of police sergeant Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke). By nightfall, the remaining cops and prisoners find themselves fighting for their lives against a group of rogue cops intent on taking down Bishop before he testifies against them in the courtroom. Now it's up to the officers, secretaries, and inmates on the inside to band together just to survive this one night. Also starring Gabriel Byrne, John Leguizamo, Drea de Matteo, and Brian Dennehy. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Masked serial killer Michael Myers makes his seventh appearance in the eighth installment of this long-running slasher series. Although the climax of the previous installment, Halloween: H20, depicted heroine Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) finally finishing off her brother/tormentor, the opening sequence of Halloween: Resurrection reveals that Laurie actually beheaded the wrong guy. Now confined to a mental institution, she quickly falls victim to her brother and longtime foe (played this time out by Brad Loree). Cut to Haddonfield, IL, where a sextet of college students is assembling for the production of an online reality show in which they'll spend the night locked up in the killer's childhood home being filmed by dozens of cameras and broadcast over the Internet. Presided over by fast-talking producer Freddie Harris (Busta Rhymes) and his girlfriend/business partner, Nora Winston (Tyra Banks), the players range from fame-hungry Jen (Katee Sackhoff) and food-obsessed Rudy (Sean Patrick Thomas) to rakish Jim (Luke Kirby) and cerebral Donna (Daisy McCrackin). As these photogenic youngsters hunt for clues about Michael's tortured childhood, engage in on-camera sexual escapades and discover the phony props planted by Freddie and Nora, Michael arrives to stalk them relentlessly one by one. To complicate matters, Freddie himself is skulking around in a Michael Myers mask hoping to scare up some ratings. As the bodies begin to pile up, thoughtful cast member Sara (Bianca Kajlich) manages to survive thanks to wireless email instructions from high-school dork Myles (Ryan Merriman), but even the latest technology might not be enough to outwit Michael Myers. Halloween: Resurrection was directed by Rick Rosenthal, who previously helmed 1981's Halloween 2. The cast also features Thomas Ian Nicholas of American Pie and Billy Kay of L.I.E. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

In the late '60s, the tone of American horror films began to shift in the wake of the startling success of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead -- horror films became gorier, bleaker, and began to subtly reflect the political and social upheaval gripping the country. Through the '70s and '80s, films like Last House on the Left, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Halloween held a distorted mirror up to American culture, reflecting its fear and chaos in the wake of Vietnam and Watergate. The American Nightmare is a documentary that looks at the transgressive horror films of the '60s and '70s and the people who made them. Directors Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, and David Cronenberg, special effects man Tom Savini, and film critics Tom Gunning and Adam Lowenstein are among those interviewed by director Adam Simon. The American Nightmare was produced for the premium cable outlet The Independent Film Channel. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Escape from L.A. finds Kurt Russell once again in the role of Snake, which he played in the 1981 film, Escape from New York. Los Angeles has finally had the really big earthquake everyone was afraid of, and what remains is now an island. Because the country's ultra-righteous President-for-Life (Cliff Roberton) wants it that way, all the weirdos and freaks that previously inhabited New York in large numbers, and the rest of the U.S. in smaller concentrations, have been quarantined on the island of L.A. The president has Snake taken from the nice, decent prison he was living in for a special mission in L.A. The president's daughter has joined the resistance movement determined to overthrow his one-man rule, and has stolen his secret "black box" (a doomsday machine) to boot. Snake is given a poison which will kill him in a few hours unless he returns to the president for the antidote. His mission is to recover the black box and kill the president's daughter. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Everyone has to start somewhere, even if they are Martin Scorsese or John Carpenter. This documentary takes a look at their beginning works and film school clips along with those of Richard Donner Lethal Weapon 4, Ron Howard Cocoon, John Milius, director and writer, and Susan Seidelman Desperately Seeking Susan. Also includes clips from their most popular films and interviews featuring the directors talk about opportunities and frustrations and the industry in general. ~ Leslie Birdwell, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of Mel Brooks, this Italian comedy offers an episodic parody of classic thrillers and horror movies. Film includes cameos from several stars including Mel Brooks, John Astin, Larry Storch, Phyllis Diller, John Carpenter, and John Landis. The story begins as director Ezio Greggio is being stabbed ala Psycho in his shower. Before he dies he recaps the events leading to his deaths. The scene was L.A. and FBI rookie Jo Dee Fostar has been assigned to interview psycho inmate Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza. Meanwhile Fostar's girlfriend swipes $400,000 bucks from her boss and ends up hiding in the Cemetery Hotel, run by Antonio Motel. Inspector Balsam investigates cases of dead hotel victims. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Chevy Chase stars, though not always visibly, as Nick Halloway, a low-level businessman with an acerbic approach to life and work, whose humdrum existence utterly bores him. Nick gets an unexpected jolt of excitement when, nursing a hangover, he's the only one not to evacuate an office building that becomes a disaster area after a mishap involving nuclear testing equipment. An unexpected by-product of the accident is that it turns the molecules of the building, as well as Nick and the clothes he's wearing, transparent. When a team of shady government agents, led by David Jenkins (Sam Neill), notices that a human has been turned invisible, they try to take him into custody, planning to use him as the most dangerous secret intelligence agent the world has ever known. Distrusting their motives, the frantic and confused Nick escapes, and quickly begins learning new information about his unusual condition, such pragmatic details as trying to sleep when he can see through his eyelids and any unprocessed food he eats will give him away. Soon, however, he discovers that the scientist in charge of the experiments (Jim Norton) has no idea how to return him to normal, and begins plotting how best to live a semblance of a normal life while steering clear of his pursuers. Nick involves a beautiful woman he met the night before the accident (Daryl Hannah) in his dilemma, and soon she too becomes a target. Memoirs of an Invisible Man was adapted from a book by H.F. Saint. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide