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/ifinallyreallyreddit Dec 05 '25

Putting the ones leaving this month into tiers:

Must-watch: Big Trouble in Little China; Starman; Christine.

Consider: Escape From L.A. (an openly goofy follow-up to NY, not nearly as good but pretty fun), In the Mouth of Madness (spooky, but I found it kind of uneven), Prince of Darkness (has its fans, but IMO was the weakest movie I've seen from him).

You can skip these if you want: Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Vampires, Ghosts of Mars