John Carpenter: The Occult Auteur

This thesis examines the films of John Carpenter and asks why they have remained popular despite many of them receiving mixed financial and critical success upon their initial release. The conclusion drawn from this study is that Carpenter’s films benefit from contemporary viewing practices where audiences notice intertextual elements within a given work while not requiring this of their viewers like many modern fantastical franchises do. This is primarily due to Carpenter’s portrayal of the fantastic as something that leaves his films open to complex interpretation while still remaining approachable and enjoyable for his audience.