Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – WTF Happened to This Horror Movie?

We’re getting the week started with a new episode of the WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? video series, and in this one we’re looking back at an early film from one our of legendary “masters of horror”: John Carpenter. The movie in question is the very cool action thriller Assault on Precinct 13 (watch it HERE), and you can find out all about it in the embed above.

Written and directed by John Carpenter, who was drawing inspiration from the Howard Hawks / John Wayne Western Rio Bravo and George A. Romero‘s Night of the Living Dead, Assault on Precinct 13 has the following synopsis: When the LAPD kills several members of the South Central gang Street Thunder, the remaining members avenge themselves by way of a bloody war waged against cops and citizens alike. Caught in the crossfire is Lt. Ethan Bishop, who’s managing a skeleton crew at the local and soon-to-be-closed police precinct. As the gang members close in, Bishop forms an unlikely alliance with a group of prisoners in order to defend the station and the lives of everyone in it.

The film stars Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Martin West, Tony Burton, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Loomis, Peter Bruni, John J. Fox, Marc Ross, Alan Koss, Henry Brandon, Kim Richards, Frank Doubleday, Gilbert De La Pena, Peter Frankland, Al Nakauchi, James Johnson, and Gilman Rankin.

This is what the WTF Happened to This Horror Movie series is all about: Hollywood has had its fair share of historically troubled productions. Whether it was casting changes, actor deaths, fired directors, in-production rewrites, constant delays, budget cuts or studio edits, these films had every intention to be a blockbuster, but were beset with unforeseen disasters. Sometimes huge hits, sometimes box office bombs. Either way, we have to ask: WTF Happened To This Horror Movie?

The Assault on Precinct 13 episode of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written by Mike Conway, Edited by Lance Vlcek, Narrated by Jason Hewlett, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

A couple of the previous episodes of the show can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

What do you think of Assault on Precinct 13? Let us know by leaving a comment!