7/11
Christine (1983) – 6.7


Adapted from Stephen King's novel of the same name, Christine isn't one of the most famous works of either horror icon, but it is considered one of the better movies based on King's work.

The titular cursed car captures the eye of a bullied young man itching to mature into his own confidant kind of persona. Its dark influence on his development makes for an interesting character arc, but the true source of horror comes when Christine literally comes to life and kills for herself. Making a car scary is no easy feat and Carpenter's skill with atmosphere didn't go to waste here.

6/11
Prince Of Darkness (1987) – 6.7


John Carpenter blended scientific and supernatural themes together with this wholly unique siege movie that sees a group of researchers studying what they believe to be the physical manifestation of the devil as they are beset by an army of people that the entity has possessed.

Many of these same themes and ideas would go into Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars years later and with much less success, but they have endured as genuinely creepy concepts in Prince of Darknessthanks to the limited scope that Carpenter was still applying to his films in this point in his career. The film was the spiritual successor to The Thing and the second entry in what would become known as the director's Apocalypse Trilogy, so while it may be the lowest-ranking of the 3, it should still be considered essential viewing to a John Carpenter fan.

5/11
The Fog (1980) – 6.8


Though John Carpenter did not return to direct Halloween II, he did re-team with Jamie Lee Curtis to make one of his standout films of the 80s. The Fog tells an original ghost story set in a sleepy coastal town in California, revolving around a vengeful group of spirits who only appear in a strange and supernatural fog.

Still using the low-budget approach that made the original Halloween such a success, The Fog was a rare hit in Carpenter's career that was appreciated by audiences on release as well as by later generations who improved its status and turned it into a cult movie. A remake of the film was released in 2005 but was not as warmly received, though it was still also financially successful.

4/11
In The Mouth Of Madness (1994) – 7.1


Ranked by voters on IMDb as the last truly great movie of John Carpenter's career as a director thus far, In the Mouth of Madness was the final film of the Apocalypse Trilogy and lives up to the wild ideas and designs shown in the other entries.

The plot follows an insurance investigator as he searches for a missing horror author and their final manuscript. The mind-bending journey shows clear allusions to the work of H.P. Lovecraft as well as the style of horror popularized by Stephen King, though it doesn't satirize or really comment on those styles, and has rather become considered to be one of John Carpenter's best horror movies for its progressively surreal atmosphere.

3/11
They Live (1988) – 7.2


A biting satire of 80s consumerism that feels very ahead of its time even today, They Live revolves around an alien conspiracy in Los Angeles that can only be seen when wearing special sunglasses.

The film is funny and insightful, and it contains one of the best fight scenes in movie history. The fact that the story's message about the relationship between capitalism and the media has only grown more relevant to everyday life since its release demonstrates Carpenter's skills as a writer as well as a director.