John Carpenter

Known for his horror, action, and science fiction films, most notably the Halloween franchise, John Carpenter also also composed music for many of his films.  

Carpenter's films are characterized by minimalist lighting, panoramic compositions, and distinctive scores. They include box office hits such as Halloween (1978), one of the most successful independent films of all time, The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), and Starman (1984), as well as cult classics Dark Star (1974), The Thing (1982), Prince of Darkness (1987), They Live (1988), and Escape from L.A (1996).

Raised in a musical home, Carpenter wrote or co-wrote the scores for nearly all his films. His early adoption of synthesizers inspired many electronic artists.

While his commercial film success peaked in the 1980s, Carpenter’s legacy as a filmmaker continues to grow. The U.S. Library of Congress selected Halloween for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2006, and, in 2019 Carpenter was presented with the Golden Coach Award at the Cannes Film Festival.