FILM CLUB: The Masters of Horror

JOHN CARPENTER DOUBLE FEATURE

Prince of Darkness (1987 • R • 1h 42m)

The Thing (1982 • R • 1h 49m)

"Halloween" was hardly the first slasher movie; Hitchcock's "Psycho" helped inspire the genre, and Italian giallo filmmakers had fleshed it out amidst the '60s and '70s. 1974's "Black Christmas" was already a hit when "Halloween" hit theaters four years later, but Michael Myers became synonymous with the term. The striking image of an unkillable monster wearing a William Shatner mask identified a primal fear; what if a killer could reach you anywhere, even in the comfort of your home?

Creating Myers alone is impressive, but Carpenter has crafted many horror classics. 1980's "The Fog" is a haunting ghost story, 1982's "The Thing" is a masterfully tense dissection of anxiety, and "Christine" stands as one of the strongest Stephen King adaptations. Although not all of Carpenter's films were immediately hailed…