John Carpenter: Low-Budget Horror
on Saturday, August 20, 2022“B movies on well-worn themes can still launch film careers if successful examples are copied enough” — John Carpenter
“One could make money and get a career going with a low-budget horror film about killers attacking on holidays. It is always flattering to have somebody copy you” — John Carpenter
In this quote, John Carpenter is reflecting on how he helped establish the slasher film genre with some of his early works like Halloween. He notes that it was possible to “make money and get a career going” by producing low-budget horror movies about “killers attacking on holidays,” referring to films that followed his model.
Carpenter also states that while derivative works may copy his ideas, “it is always flattering” in a way to see others emulate his successful formulas.
Overall, the quote suggests Carpenter takes pride in spawning the slasher genre even as he acknowledges others capitalized on the template he helped create, seeing imitation as a form of flattery for his influence on the industry according to this interpretation.