John Carpenter: Live in Chicago, IL 7/16/16

If you're a Horror movie fan, chances are that you have your list of favorite soundtracks and scores and, no doubt, there's one man who you own multiple works from...

When it was first announced that legendary filmmaker John Carpenter would be playing a show somewhere Europe, performing some of his classic film themes and selected tracks from his twin Lost Themes records, I never dreamt that I'd be able to see it myself.   However, that all changed when the John Carpenter Retrospective tour made a stop at Chicago's Thalia Hall this past Saturday night (the US leg of the tour wrapped up last night in Milwaukee, with a European run starting in August).


Having missed similar performances by Goblin (still kicking myself for missing their live score of Suspiria at The Metro), I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this show.  If Horror had the equivalent to Thrash Metal's "Big Four", it would arguably consist of George Romero, the late Wes Craven, David Cronenberg, and of course, John Carpenter;  I've met or seen all of those guys in a convention setting, but always missed out on Carpenter, so this was definitely surreal proposal to say the least.



Had this been done back in the late 70s or early 80s, the John Carpenter Retrospective would likely have been one of those "you had to have been there" moments for Horror fans; there likely would've only been a few photographs from such an event, with only those who were there passing down stories of it to the next generations. 


With a stark stage production consisting of a four-paneled movie screen, some amazing lighting, and minimal special effects (that dry ice fog during the main title from The Fog though!), Carpenter and his band took the stage promptly at 9pm to deliver over an hour's worth of music and visuals that rocked those in attendance.   Starting with the "Main Title" from Escape From New York, the evening started on a high note which only increased as the show went on; the film montages started brilliantly with Escape From New York's 3D map of Manhattan island before giving way to the bevy of classic film clips as the track went on.  The crowd ate it up as the opening one-two punch continued with the "Main Title" to Assault on Precinct 13!


The set continued with Carpenter -- clad all in black, looking like Lee Van Cleef in Escape no doubt! -- remaining center stage at his synth rig, only pausing to read from a scripted banter as he introduced each track.  Along with the ten film themes performed, the band also threw in several cuts from the Lost Themes records, which fit in perfectly amongst their motion picture brethren. 


It's difficult to single out any one particular film theme as "the best of the night", but the "Main Title" from The Fog stepped up the game big time, as the combination of the film's visuals playing on-screen and the dry ice fog creeping across the stage made for one hell of an all senses experience! 

Another standout was "Coming To L.A" from They Live, which saw the band donning familiar black sunglasses as the film's large, subliminal messages flashed across the screens, garnering the night's biggest cheers thus far!

The highlights just kept on coming with an Ennio Morricone cover of "Main Theme - Desolation" from The Thing -- wherein I found myself STILL marveling at Rob Bottin's phenomenal practical special effects -- and "Pork Chop Express" from Big Trouble In Little China, which Carpenter introduced citing that, out of the five projects with Kurt Russell, was their favorite.


Being that the crowd was made up of mostly Horror fans -- everyone sporting t-shirts of their favorite Carpenter classic -- it was expected that the night's biggest reaction would go to only one theme . . .









The night's main set ended perfectly with the title track from In The Mouth of Madness, again accompanied by intense visuals from Carpenter's 1994 shocker.  There was a brief break before the band returned for an encore consisting of "Darkness Begins" from Prince of Darkness and two more Lost Themes cuts.  As the second installment to his "Apocalypse Trilogy", seeing Prince of Darkness in a live setting just reaffirmed that film's underrated power and overwhelming sense of dread. 


The night ended with Carpenter wishing everyone a safe drive home and an ominous warning about an evil '58 Plymouth Fury named Christine before launching into "Christine Attacks (Plymouth Fury)" from 1983's Stephen King classic! 

Overall, the show was incredible; the music was timeless, the visuals and presentation were nothing short of spectacular, and the band was on fire and an well-oiled machine (the Maestro himself throwing some awesome dance moves throughout, too)!  There was quite a selection of merch available at the show as well; limited edition vinyl, numerous t-shirts, tour posters,  and even a They Live tote bag (complete with CONSUME screened across the back)!  Post-show, Carpenter eventually came out to his tour bus and happily greeted the handful of us waiting to meet him (1 item signed or 1 photo op).


One more bonus to the night's festivities?  There were a handful of cameras on-hand filming the show and interviewing several fans for, what will hopefully be, an eventual DVD/bluray of the show! 

 

The Thing (1982) - A Crazy Brainfreeze Theory

First and foremost, as it shouldn’t need to really be said, there will be spoilers in this piece…so if you haven’t seen this film, stop reading NOW!

John Carpenter’s The Thing has become one of the all-time cult classics, often revered by fans as a perfect film – and rightfully so, as it pretty much is.  The 1982 film was initially killed at the box office by E. T., as moviegoers preferred a friendlier alien that summer, but in the decades since, it has rightfully found its audience through home video.  In debates about remakes, The Thing is usually cited at the top of the list, due to its skillful expansion on the original source material of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Who Goes There?

The success of The Thing can be attributed to many different factors; its brilliant script by Bill Lancaster, the jaw-shattering practical special effects by Rob Bottin, its claustrophobic Antarctica setting and, most importantly, its top-notch cast of characters.  Each actor, from Wilford Brimley to Keith David to Kurt Russell brings their A-Game and ups the ante of suspense, making the audience constantly second-guess “who is The Thing?”

Even today, fans still debate the ambiguous ending where Russell’s MacReady and Keith David’s Childs sit across from one another in the burnt out remains of US Outpost 31, their guard still up as to which one of them may be The Thing.  Of course, the general consensus is that Childs is The Thing as he shows no breath coming from his mouth.  This theory is only further cemented by the fact that Russell is the star of the film and there’s absolutely NO way the hero could actually be the villain right?  There have even been fan theories that MacReady is aware that Childs is The Thing as he offers him a drink – which may or may not be gasoline and not truly liquor (as The Thing wouldn’t be able to tell the difference). 

But…what if R.J. MacReady was actually The Thing all along?

Think about it; The Thing’s ultimate goal is to survive by any means possible.  As any great horror/sci-fi protagonist would, MacReady surely goes to great extremes to ensure his survival by the films’ final reel.  Throughout the film, MacReady desperately tries to convince his companions that he is truly human and that one of them is actually The Thing; I’m not saying that one of them ISN’T…but that they’re also The Thing.  If MacReady was The Thing as well, wouldn’t the ultimate sign of self-preservation be to expose and eliminate a lesser version of itself – in a basic sacrificial lamb fashion?  In this particular case, the blood test sequence and, especially the scene where Bennings Thing has its freak out in front of everyone out in the snow. 

Each time the group believes to have exposed and killed The Thing after it has copied one of their own, the extermination is not in vain as it’s for the Greater Good of The Thing’s survival.  This also adds a win for MacReady Thing, as its number of antagonists dwindles with each reveal and destruction.  

 

If The Thing is all about adapting and learning, why couldn’t MacReady Thing assimilate quicker and learn the blame game that is being played out amongst the characters?   After all, the computer game of chess that MacReady is playing when we first meet him is shown for a reason.  He’s either under the radar or making himself stand out as the “leader” by organizing the tests and finger-pointing those who are The (lesser advanced) Things.  If MacReady was The Thing, hiding in plain sight and orchestrating the events of the film would be a flawless cover.

 

Ultimately, the greatest ruse that The Thing could do would be to fool not only all the men at US Outpost 31, but also the film's audience for the past 30+ years!