Legendary Horror Filmmaker John Carpenter To Make His First Talk Show Appearance In Decades
John Carpenter has shared the news on Twitter that he's set to appear as a guest on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" tonight, marking his first return to the late show circuit in decades. The filmmaker has popped up on late shows before, discussing "Halloween" on David Letterman's show in 1982 and returning to talk to Letterman (by then in Colbert's current "Late Show" post) in 1999. But the horror master isn't a big late show guy, and the pre-21st century Letterman appearance seems to have been the last time anyone saw him give a traditional late show interview aside from an appearance on "The Daily Show" in 2001. Thus, his spot on "The Late Show" tonight is certain to be a rare treat for horror fans eager to hear from the brilliant writer, director, producer, and composer behind films like "The Thing" and "Escape From New York."
Carpenter has had an active few weeks in the press, as his series "John Carpenter's Suburban Screams" dropped on Peacock earlier this month. The series is a high-concept hybrid between documentary-style interviews and cinematic, thrilling reenactment scenes, all of them in service of true (or "true") stories of terror. The stories told hinge around a topic Carpenter pioneered with 1978's "Halloween": Danger in suburbia. Carpenter executive produces "Suburban Screams" and also directed an episode of the series titled "Phone Stalker," about (obviously) a woman who is terrorized over the telephone.
Carpenter hasn't dropped by a late show since 1999
"John Carpenter's Suburban Screams" hasn't exactly received glowing reviews — "at least a legend got paid," RogerEbert.com's Brian Tallerico wrote in summary — but it has given Carpenter a reason to give some already-iconic interviews. The latest comes via Insider, and features Carpenter eating a Popsicle while telling anyone who doesn't like the "little series" to "f**k off." He also told the outlet he wasn't concerned with his legacy as a filmmaker, saying, "I'm not a master of anything. I just want to play video games and watch basketball." It'll be exciting to see how the filmmaker's singular personality translates to an interview with Colbert.
Before "Suburban Screams," Carpenter hadn't worked as a director since 2010's "The Ward," but he did continue his career as an acclaimed composer. Carpenter contributed scores to the new "Halloween" trilogy, along with films "Studio 666" and last year's "Firestarter" remake. As for what's next for the director besides video games? The may or may not be a sequel to "The Thing" in the works. Hopefully, Colbert will get all the details.
John Carpenter's episode of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" airs today, October 26, 2023, at 11:35/10:35pm central on CBS and Paramount+.