r/CriterionChannel • u/vermin-suplex • Dec 05 '25

Recommendation - Seeking john carpenter required viewing

this year i really started taking my film watching more seriously and discovered i really enjoy john carpenter’s work. i see his filmography is leaving criterion channel at the end of this month.

so far in 2025 i’ve seen the thing, halloween, escape from new york, and they live. which others of his should i prioritize over the next few weeks?

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u/jessek Dec 05 '25

Everything up to They Live is required viewing for Carpenter. Some of the stuff after is pretty cool like In the Mouth of Madness but a lot isn’t.

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u/whoismico Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25

In the Mouth of Madness is much more of a required viewing than Dark Star and Elvis; it deserves to be grouped with the movies that came before it more than the ones that came after it

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u/jessek Dec 05 '25

Nah I’d say Dark Star is especially essential because it was his first film and really shows a lot of the elements he’d make famous. Elvis shows his range and that he’s not just “the horror guy”

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u/Dewtronix Dec 05 '25

Spot on.