Good hands. Bad taste in cars.

Even though we've lost a lot of horror heroes this year, there are still some with us, including my favorite, John Carpenter! I love his films for their thoughtfulness, humor, streamlined storytelling, often radical ideology, and incredible tension. I mean, he turned Rowdy Roddy Piper into an antifascist superhero who is more relevant now than when They Live was made in the 80s. The man is a genius!

Carpenter is a real auteur--he writes, directs, edits, and composes music for his films. His synth scores are part of what make his films so recognizable as his own. For instance, have you ever heard the urgent, pulsing tones of the Halloween theme and not had the specter of Michael Myers pop up in your brain? Or seen an image of Michael Myers and not imagined that theme? The same goes for many of Carpenter's other films.

Lately John Carpenter has been spending a lot more time on his music than on directing. In 2015 and 2016, he released two Lost Themes records, which consist of theme music to imagined films. However, in just a few days (10/20), Carpenter will release a new album of re-recorded themes to his classic films, called Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998. Luckily we don't have to wait any longer for a video from the new album. Recently he released one for the theme to Christine, which, naturally, he also directed. As if John Carpenter back in the driver's seat of that furious Plymouth Fury wasn't exciting enough, look sharp for a cameo by The (Volkswagen) Thing!