Prep for the Assault on Precinct 13 Blu-ray Release by Counting Down the Top 10 John Carpenter Films
Steve Barton
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Prince of Darkness (1987)
Prince of Darkness is the second film in a trio Carpenter called his “Apocalypse Trilogy,” the first being The Thing and the third being In the Mouth of Madness. They all featured bleak endings for the characters and were dark, sinister tales. Prince of Darkness featured Carpenter regulars Donald Pleasence, Peter Jason and Victor Wong as well as an Alice Cooper appearance. Cooper also wrote a song entitled “Prince of Darkness” for the soundtrack. Which leaves one to ask, how is it possible that Alice Cooper didn’t already have a song entitled “Prince of Darkness” on his credits by 1987? Parts of the film were inspired by fictitious professor Bernard Quartermass, created by writer Nigel Kneale for BBC Television.
Escape From New York (1981)
“The name’s Plissken”. In Escape From New York Carpenter created the man who may very well be the coolest goddamn hero ever to hit the silver screen, Snake Plissken. It was Carpenter’s second film with Kurt Russell, as the two previously teamed up for a television movie entitled Elvis wherein Russell played Presley (and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance) two years earlier. Of course, in Escape From New York Manhattan has become a maximum security prison, and as luck would have it, the prisoners of Manhattan have captured the President after a crash of Air Force One and are holding him somewhere inside their prison home. It’s up to Snake Plissken to find him. Nick Castle, who played Michael Myers in the original Halloween, co-wrote the film with Carpenter. Escape From New York was another box office success for Carpenter, bringing in over $25 million just at the domestic box office. Not a bad haul for 1981.
The Thing (1982)
Is there any better film collaboration than John Carpenter and Kurt Russell creating Escape From New York and The Thing? And amazingly, the two movies came out less than one year apart with Escape being released in July of 1981 and The Thing arriving in June of ’82. Unfortunately for The Thing, another more positive film about an alien life form was released in theaters two weeks earlier – E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which was dominating the box office on its way to becoming the highest-grossing film of all time (a title it would hold for 10 years until relinquishing it to Jurassic Park). The Thing was incredibly underappreciated during its theatrical run. Thankfully it would later garner all the love it deserved. It’s claustrophobic. It’s filled with paranoia and real fear. Based on John W. Campbell, Jr.’s, novel Who Goes There? (adapted first in 1951 as The Thing from Another World), The Thing certainly goes down as one of the most beloved horror/sci-fi films of all time.
Halloween (1978)
And, of course, Halloween. Not only did John Carpenter create one of the most successful independent horror films of all time, he helped to set the groundwork for the slasher sub-genre of horror that would become so prevalent in the 80’s and beyond. Haddonfield, Dr. Loomis, Laurie Strode and Michael Myers – all staples of the horror genre and beloved by the subculture – were born in this movie. Halloween, and all its tie-ins to Psycho, launched Carpenter into stardom and got him going on a run of incredible films he created in the late 70’s and early 80’s that are still loved by viewers today. The legend that is John Carpenter began to grow as soon as Michael Myers escaped that mental institution and began his trek back to Haddonfield. And fans of horror cannot thank him enough for bringing us along for the ride.
Assault on Precinct 13 Collector’s Blu-ray/DVD Release Details:
Delivering more terrifying perils and action suspense, John Carpenter’s acclaimed pre-Halloween thriller ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 all-new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack hits home entertainment shelves everywhere on November 19 from Scream Factory. This definitive edition release of ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 boasts a bounty of all-new special bonus content, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art, and much more!
Assault on Precinct 13 Special Features
- Audio Commentary with writer/director John Carpenter
- NEW Audio Commentary with Art Director and Sound Effects Editor Tommy Lee Wallace
- NEW interview with actress Nancy Loomis Kyes
- NEW interview with actor Austin Stoker
- Interview with John Carpenter and Austin Stoker
- Theatrical Trailer
- Radio Spots
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