13 John Carpenter movies ranked from worst to best

6. They Live (1988)

A film ahead of its time and with such a political tone would be They Live. The film, according to John Carpenter, explores a political commentary that was fueled by Carpenter’s own rage with then-President Ronald Reagan’s economic policies and how it affected both popular culture and the politics of the era.

John took his anger with the Reagan administration and created a sci-fi horror political thriller in They Live. He touches on politics, religion, and social matters which almost always lead to divisive conversations.

The lead actor Roddy Piper was an excellent choice for the role of “Nada” in that he was different and set apart from other leading men in Hollywood at the time. He brought a more authentic take to the character and grounded the role to be more relatable. It’s never easy to tell stories that involve and provoke viewers to think about their religious and political beliefs. Carpenter took that challenge and created a thrilling tale and it’s still relatable to this day.

5. In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

Another match made in Horror Heaven is crossing the style of H.P. Lovecraft with that of John Carpenter. 1994’s In The Mouth of Madness is a fantastic piece of horror cinema that shows homage to Lovecraft.

The film centers on an insurance agent played by the incredible Sam Neil on a search for a missing horror novelist but finds much more than he could ever imagine and all hell breaks loose. The story is mind-bending and mad just as the title illustrates it to be which is inspired by Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness novella.

Carpenter and writer Michael De Luca nail the tension with this one and really puts the audience in the front seat on this wild descent into madness. Like many of Carpenter’s films, this one was received with mixed reviews but gained a massive cult following with many revisiting the title later on. It’s ambitious, it’s original and it’s a delight for any true horror fan to watch.