John Carpenter talks Halloween and taking a break from directing

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

“My home in the Hollywood Hills, no one comes by. It’s very quiet so I sit here and watch basketball or play video games.”

If you’ve ever wanted to know how John Carpenter spends his Halloweens, there is your answer. In a new interview with USA Today, the director of HALLOWEEN talks a little bit about the phenomena of the film some 35 years later. In typical Carpenter fashion, he’s fairly blasé about the whole thing:

In response to whether or not it feels like 35 years since the first Halloween:

Yes and no. Yes, because I’m older and I can feel my aches and pains as an old guy now. And I’ve made a lot of movies in between. But no, because I can look back on it and remember vividly the experience making it. So it’s a mixed thing.

Carpenter on what he thinks the most underrated aspect of the film is:

I must be really frank with you — I think people like the movie more than I do. (Laughs) I look at it and I see, oh my God, we only had $300,000. The sound in that scene is just awful. Why did I do that? Why didn’t I shoot it better? But other people ignore that, which to my delight makes the movie play.

When asked about the irony that kids buy Michael Myers masks for Halloween, Carpenter responds:

It’s hilarious, are you kidding? The fact that we took a Captain Kirk mask and spray-painted it white, and now people are buying brand new masks and dressing up for Halloween is ridiculous. It’s absurd! But it’s great. I love all of it.

Perhaps of most interest is Carpenter’s admission that he’s pretty much taking a break from directing for the time being… to focus on playing video games:

I’m working on a couple things, but you know what, I’ve turned 65 and I’ve decided it’s time to relax a little bit. I’ve had a long career, and making movies puts really serious miles on your physical and emotional life. I like kicking back. I’m really a big fan of video games so I play a lot.

That’s sad news for those of us who are always intrigued by what Carpenter is cooking up, but between these video games and basketball, the fans are going to have to take a back seat…