# The best John Carpenter movies

From Halloween to The Thing: the Master of Horror's films ranked (Paste, JustWatch, Rotten Tomatoes).

- 172 votes · 12 items
- Nov 23, 2025 · filmbuff_boston
- https://even.best/en/l/2033/the-best-john-carpenter-movies

## Top 12

1. **The Thing (1982)** (20 · ▲21 ▼1) — A masterpiece by any measure, effects included.
2. **Escape from New York (1981)** (17 · ▲18 ▼1) — Snake Plissken rescues the President.
3. **Big Trouble in Little China (1986)** (16 · ▲16 ▼0) — 99 minutes of pure joy.
4. **Halloween (1978)** (10 · ▲13 ▼3) — His most iconic film and one of the scariest slashers ever.
5. **Christine (1983)** (10 · ▲12 ▼2) — A possessed Plymouth Fury, from Stephen King.
6. **They Live (1988)** (10 · ▲11 ▼1) — Sunglasses that reveal the hidden messages.
7. **Prince of Darkness (1987)** (10 · ▲11 ▼1) — Scientists, a church basement and pure evil.
8. **Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)** (8 · ▲10 ▼2) — A besieged police station.
9. **In the Mouth of Madness (1994)** (6 · ▲9 ▼3) — An investigator and a horror writer's dangerous books.
10. **Starman (1984)** (6 · ▲8 ▼2) — Jeff Bridges as a gentle alien; an Oscar nomination.
11. **The Fog (1980)** (5 · ▲10 ▼5) — A ghostly fog over a coastal town.
12. **Dark Star (1974)** (4 · ▲8 ▼4) — His low-budget sci-fi debut.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.