John Carpenter is considered a seminal figure in contemporary horror and science fiction. A craftsman of images who trained in the school of the old film classics. In reality, the scope of his cinema has proved much broader by becoming a witness to the terrifying anxieties of the public (from Halloween to Prince of Darkness), by recounting fear toward the unknown (from The Fog to The Thing) or by sometimes experimenting with totally distant and unthinkable genres such as romance in Starman or irony in Big Trouble in Chinatown. Above all, John Carpenter pursued an idea of cinema that was anarchic and countercultural, capable of looking deeply into today’s society, and further than others. A cinema where great spectacle (the cult 1997 – Escape from New York speaks for itself) blends with powerful reflection. John Carpenter. The Antihero of American Cinema is the monograph that was missing to delve into and learn about this great director. A modern overview of the restless world of his films, full of trivia and critical insights.

The essay, edited by Luigi Boccia, is written by Mario A. Rumor, Massimiliano Ruzzante, Giuseppe Carradori, Giada Cecchinelli, Michele Caricola and Lorenzo Ricciardi.

Inside the volume is an exclusive interview by Lorenzo Ricciardi with the director.

BOOK CHAPTERS:

Under Siege. John Carpenter’s early films
(by MARIO A. RUMOR)

The Mask of Evil
The Birth of the Slasher Movie, Behind the Mask of Halloween
Michael Myers: The Witch’s Shadow, The Serial Killer: The Boogeyman of Modern Society
Halloween: a forty-year saga
The Night He Came Home
(by MASSIMILIANO RUZZANTE)

The Fog
(by MARIO A. RUMOR)

He who is weak succumbs
Escape from Los Angeles
(by LUIGI BOCCIA)

Christine
(by GIADA CECCHINELLI)

La fin absolue du monde
The Thing, The Lord of Evil,The Seed of Madness
(by GIUSEPPE CARRADORI)

Big Trouble in Chinatown
(by MICHELE CARICOLA)

They live
(by MARIO A. RUMOR)

Forays into science fiction
Starman (1984), Adventures of an Invisible Man (1992)
Village of the Damned (1995), Vampires (1998)
Ghosts from Mars (2001)
(by MICHELE CARICOLA)

It’s back to the ward
(by LORENZO RICCIARDI)

The small screen
(by LORENZO RICCIARDI)

Title: John Carpenter – The antihero
of American cinema
Author: AA.VV.
Publisher: Weird Book
Series: Revolution
Genre: Nonfiction
Pages: 212
Price: 23.00 €
Format: 15 x 22 cm
Features: Paperback
ISBN: 978-88-31373-15-9
Release Date: June 2020

You can purchase your copy HERE.