John Carpenter returns to filmmaking with remote-directed TV series

During the Texas Frightmare Weekend, legendary horror director John Carpenter revealed that he remotely directed a TV series called "Suburban Screams" from his home in Los Angeles.

The series was filmed in Prague, and Carpenter expressed his excitement about the experience.

“I just finished directing, remotely, a TV series called ‘Suburban Screams’ – ‘John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams,'” Carpenter said. “It was filmed in Prague, and I sat on my couch and directed it. It was awesome.”

This marks Carpenter's first directorial effort in over five years since his last film, "The Ward," released in 2010. In 2017, he also released a series of remake music videos, including ones for "Escape from New York" and "Christine."

During a panel discussion, Carpenter hinted at a possible sequel to his iconic sci-fi horror film, "The Thing." He mentioned being sworn to secrecy but mentioned the potential for a "Thing 2." "The Thing" originally premiered in 1982 and was remade in 2011.

Carpenter also shared his thoughts on remakes of his films in general. He differentiated between remakes where he is the originator of the material, in which case he receives payment, and those that are assignments from the studio, where they own the material and do not pay him.

He expressed a preference for sequels where he has generated the screenplay and is compensated accordingly, allowing others to create their own versions while his original film stands.

Regarding the "Halloween" franchise, which started with Carpenter's 1978 film, he stated that he doesn't particularly care about its legacy. He mentioned that his favorite "Halloween" movie is the one he directed in 1978, and subsequent films are the visions of other people.