It has been 15 years since John Carpenter directed a film, but he absolutely must remake a forgotten Stephen King failure before he retires. Though it took a while for his reputation to be cemented, Carpenter is undoubtedly one of the greatest directors of the horror genre. Infusing influences from action and drama, Carpenter’s movies always crackle with life.
He broke on the scene with Halloween in the late 1970s, and helped kick off the slasher movie craze that dominated the ’80s. Ironically, as everyone else was trying to catch up, Carpenter had already moved on to bigger and better things. Films like The Thing and Escape from New York, have become beloved, though financial success often evaded him.
While most of John Carpenter’s movies earned praise from film fans (critics were often split), he struggled to deliver consistent box office numbers over the decades. By the early 2000s, Carpenter was more or less retired, and began focusing on other endeavors. He returned for 2010’s The Ward, but it was a pale imitation of his earlier work.
Since then, Carpenter has become an elder statesman of horror, and even his obscure films have gained cult classic status. This has created a push for the legendary director to return behind the camera, and a lesser-known Stephen King story would be perfect for Carpenter to sink his teeth into. The original movie bombed, but Carpenter could do it justice.
John Carpenter Would Be Perfect For A Remake Of Graveyard Shift
1990’s Graveyard Shift is one of the most notorious Stephen King films, and it has the unfortunate distinction of holding a rare 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Ralph Singleton-directed effort adapts the eponymous short story, but was forced to make some considerable changes because of the scarcity of the source material.
The movie trots at a leisurely pace, and feels quite long despite only being a standard 90-minute affair. It features plenty of fun monster effects, but the writing falls apart when the movie isn’t delving into pure horror. This is where John Carpenter’s deft direction could be of the best use, and his work with character is vastly underrated.
Movies like The Thing illustrate the filmmaker’s ability to creatively showcase an ensemble that feels unique. If Carpenter were to tackle Graveyard Shift, he could do a much better job of establishing dynamics while still focusing on the central narrative thrust. What’s more, his keen eye for suspense would make the moments without the monsters feel more exciting.
The 1990 version of Graveyard Shift opted for one monster rat, which is quite different from the short story. A remake could feature even more creature effects, something Carpenter has consistently excelled at directing in the past. He also works well with richer themes, and the Stephen King short story has plenty of those as well.
It might seem like a story about giant killer rats, but Graveyard Shift is actually about industrial decay and the mistreatment of workers. The original movie hinted at those ideas, but a director like John Carpenter could really hammer them home using the visual language of cinema. Most importantly, Carpenter could actually make the story scary.
Will John Carpenter Ever Direct Another Movie?
It has been a decade and a half since John Carpenter sat in the director’s chair, and his return behind the camera seems more and more unlikely with each passing year. He has remained busy as a producer, helping out with the modern Halloween films, but it’s his music career that has really flourished since 2010.
Carpenter continues to make new albums, tour, and even score films, along with his son, Cody. He hasn’t missed a beat on the keyboard, so it stands to reason that the same John Carpenter could easily direct another great movie in the future. Even the man himself hasn’t ruled out the possibility, and he isn’t officially retired from directing.
When asked in 2025 if he would ever direct a movie again, Carpenter emphatically said “I would love to direct again, given the right circumstances.“ However, the last part of his comment is most telling. The icon went on to explain that he hated dealing with budgeting and studio restraints, before affirming that “directing is the love of my life.“
Considering how tricky it has been for other legends like Martin Scorsese to secure funding for their projects, it seems unlikely that Carpenter’s conditions will ever be met. Despite his sainted reputation with fans, his past isn’t so perfect in the eyes of studio executives. With so many financial disappointments, financiers aren’t likely going to throw money at Carpenter.
John Carpenter Has Already Left His Mark On Stephen King Movies
Besides the fact that John Carpenter is an amazing filmmaker who would do justice to Graveyard Shift, it’s important to note that he already has a past with Stephen King projects. In the early days of King adaptations, Carpenter directed the film version of Christine. Though he doesn’t like Christine, it is one of the most celebrated ’80s King movies.
Christine was a modest box office success, grossing $20 million (via Box Office Mojo),
What works so well about the movie is how effectively it boils down the somewhat dense novel. Carpenter’s version is streamlined and effective, but it loses none of its emotional power in the process. What’s more, it has a stellar score from Carpenter that helps make the story even more atmospheric.
He would repeat the trick decades later when he scored the awful Firestarter remake, and it’s arguably the only good part of that terrible movie. John Carpenter‘s understanding of Stephen King’s characters would work again in Graveyard Shift, and he could even provide a killer score that would serve the story much better than the original film’s.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
