John Carpenter on David Letterman promoting THE THING - June 9th, 1982.

Dave Letterman's own page has loaded up a better quality video of all this that includes the clip of THE THING that was cut out of the version I found and posted here. You can find Letterman's video at: • John Carpenter Talks "...
The only cool thing about mine now is that I edited it to hold a second longer on the theater marquee featuring John Carpenter's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 at the start of the show.
I picked up Scream Factory's 2-Disc BluRay set of John Carpenter's THE THING and it is excellent - the new 2k transfer provides amazing new detail and the movie is easily the best it's ever appeared on video. The new commentary tracks and short interview docs Michael Felsher produced are all genuinely superb. I honestly didn't think a whole lot more could be done supplemental wise after the original TERROR TAKES SHAPE doc from the laserdisc release, but the interviews with the various actors are great and the Carpenter interview is fun, if not particularly revealing. Felsher's interview with producer Stuart Cohen for the new commentary track is truly fantastic though as Cohen's memory is miraculous and he provides many new revelations about the production. Frankly, this track alone was so great it made the triple-dip purchase more than worthwhile. (Though I was very happy to also finally get a complete, good copy of the vintage MAKING OF THE THING video from the original EPK.) I don't want to spoil any of Cohen's tracks so just trust me and give it a listen. One thing he discusses is how badly Universal dumped the promotion of the film mentioning how one of the very few television interviews they set up for Carpenter was on Letterman and that it didn't seem to go that well as Dave, Paul Schaeffer and the audience reacted poorly to the clip from the film. John does seem to be nervous and defensive for much of the interview which is unusual for him. I think the poor test audience screenings and the strain with the execs at the studio had to be weighing on him. This interview is not included on the disc so for those who want to see it I've cut it down to just the opening, any mentions of Carpenter and the actual interview then uploaded it here: • John Carpenter on Davi...

[@doomguy7479]

This man created the greatest horror movie ever, The Thing. Living legend.

[@samcoral8061]

He s a fucking Genius!

[@user-ep5om8ti4k]

Cool!

[@spankyspork5808]

When asked if it's scary... "eh, I guess so"

[@bradsullivan2298]

80's movie magic!

[@phelios6630]

Yo creo que en ese momento no era consciente del peliculón que hizo

[@Dashoost]

I was about 7 years old when The Thing came on HBO one night in the fall of 1983 and I watched it with my father. I remember one very clear thing from that night and that was a scene near the halfway point in which my father started laughing but I could tell he wasn't amused. Later on I realized I saw my dad in fear for the first time and he was laughing because that was the only release he could exhibit in my presence as a way of releasing some tension. My number 1 Best horror movie all time, 2nd Best sci-fi movie all time. Top 5 of any genre. John Carpenter is the most underrated and under appreciated American film maker.

[@garysloan9793]

Dashoost my second favorite true horror film! What’s your top sci-fi film if the Thing is your second?

[@utavtakt9361]

@@garysloan9793 I am guess Alien or Aliens.

[@carterscoconuts6224]

My dad wouldn’t even keep watching it after seeing the dog scene

[@schizofrito]

@@utavtakt9361 the thing solos the alien saga.

[@starwarsroo2448]

Carpenter underrated🤣some derp always has to say it

[@badder27com]

carpenter.legend.period.

[@ethandavo6119]

It's a shame the thing didn't get the respect it deserved when it came out. The film is a horror masterpiece but because it failed so did carpenters hopes for a career working in big budget studio films

[@chiefscheider]

Well he did do Christine and Starman for Columbia in 83 and 84. They both did okay but weren't smash hits obviously.

[@BradleyPaulValentine]

​@@chiefscheider... Big Trouble In Little China and Memoirs of an Invisible Man. Not sure if In the Mouth of Madness? Idk

[@meWASHER]

Such a fantastic response when asked if he'd send his kid to see The Thing.

[@DamienDrake]

I agree with him to a degree, but I'd probably wait to show my kid until he/she was 12 or so. An 8 year-old could certainly handle it, but much of the subtlety could be lost. I first saw it in high school and am glad it happened at that point so I could appreciate the artistry of it.

[@THE.N1KO]

@@DamienDrake I'm 21 years old and I watched The Thing when I was 16. I was terrified, screaming because of the tension every fifteen minutes. And I was like: "Oh I would love to have watched this one when I was a kid". As I did with The Terminator and T2 for example. I was probably 6 or 7 years old when I watched those films. They were everything to me back then. Actually today I talked with my parents about why they let me watch all those films. They told me that they wanted to show me how the world was. Of course there's no machines following you until your dead but they were talking about emotions. About feeling all those fears. All the problem solving that characters were into. And how they achieved things. I love them because of that. I feel that you need to feel horror being a child. Learn to defend yourself because of it. Always with a mentor alongside. Someone that can remind you that everything's okay anyways.

[@m1lst3r89]

Nah. I think kids shouldn't see some stuff. It's just insane. I remember freaking out during the climax of Fire in the Sky, Alien experiments. I was 13, thought I was going mad. Nevertheless some stuff shouldn't simply be shown to children because they are not mentally ready to handle it.

[@Magneticlaw]

'Jaws' was a favorite in my home growing up, but when I was a small kid my mom would always distract me when Quint gets eaten by the shark. 'The Thing' was another favorite, but I had to wait awhile to see it. It's been my favorite ever since.

[@markelijio6012]

I think John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982) was simply one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. Because he's the best filmmaker there is and once today "The Thing" would stood the test of time.

[@LordWyatt]

“We tried to make the King of Monster Movies.” Oh you did...greatest Horror film I’ve ever seen.

[@TechnicJunglist]

I wish Carpenter could give us one more banger while he's still alive.

[@Lonette]

How about "Once Upon A Time On The Planet Of The Thing." Please, can we hear some other suggestions?

[@TechnicJunglist]

@Lonette "A Person Who Takes Time Out Of Their Busy Schedule To Be Pretentious Under a Year Old Comment" sure sounds like a Oscar winner.

[@captainpungent]

John without a cigarette!

[@blacquesjacques7239]

captainpungent I would think that sweater would be the first thing anyone would notice but you're right.

[@damianlatimer5753]

Lol!

[@damianlatimer5753]

@@blacquesjacques7239 lol!

[@damianlatimer5753]

@ lol!

[@UrielX1212]

Such a well directed movie. Masterpiece

[@kawythowy867]

The Thing was AWESOME. ARVUABLY ‘or not’ it was the scariest movie I ever seen. And I was bumming it didn’t do better st the box office. That must have been hard for Carpenter because he said it was his best work yet. And I agree. But at least it’s getting the recognition it deserves now. THE BEST true horror movie out there.....even today.

[@djresource717]

Is better todays horror movie.

[@CuzCutz]

The world was not ready for such a movie! My first time seeing The Thing went like this... I had seen and loved a well reviewed movie called “American Werewolf in London” when it was released a little less than a year earlier. When the thing came out, they decided to show The Thing in a double-bill“ as the opening act” for AWIL. Not hearing anything about The Thing, I talked some friends into coming with me to see this great Werewolf movie. I was so excited that it was playing in my area again! So... The Thing was first up first. I ended up missing the first 45mins (at least) of American Werewolf in London because I was psychology trying to digest the hour and 48 min of horror that had just flashed across that screen! I was FASCINATED! Still am.

[@daweller]

Great story, I hope you didn't miss the werewolf transformation scene!

[@kextrz]

John Carpenter's The Thing and An American Werewolf In London as a double bill? Did you or any of your friends managed to get some sleep afterwards? Are they still your friends?🙃

[@spanishinquisition5508]

The Thing is a classic...A true Masterpiece... John Carpenter is Amazing Directing films.

[@jonathanrayne]

I saw this movie in the theater at 9 years old in Philadelphia. The line was so long it stretched down the street and across the street. Everytime the light changed, the line would split to let the cars through. It was crazy! Loved it then, still my ALL TIME favorite now!

[@southlondon86]

Wasn’t this for adults only? And what was the audience reaction? I cannot understand why it bombed on release!

[@jonathanrayne]

@@southlondon86 Times were different back then. Generally, if you were with your parents they let you in. And the audience freaking LOVED IT! I remember everyone being blown away by that cliff hanger ending. I can't believe it bombed either.

[@kextrz]

Where I lived (and still do), it was like every teenager saw the movie. Many of them bragged about it not being really scary, more like it being kind of funny, haha. A bunch of lyers, I can tell you that. I wanted to run out of the theater at the "a boy and his dog" scene. I was with some friends too.😨

[@heleng6968]

The thing is an amazing movie. The special effects were brilliant.

[@THX11458]

In 1982 the movie that received the Oscar was "Chariots Of Fire" - a film virtually unknown today. By contrast John Carpenter's "The Thing", a revolutionary movie that today is consistently ranked as one of the greatest sci-fi/ horror movies ever made, was universally panned by critics after its release the same year. Go figure.

[@schizofrito]

Yeah... I dont know why it has 55 on metascore. Critics... Really shows how People who can't do becomes a crític.

[@RobertWF42]

Also, The Thing was released about the same time as E.T. - tough competition.

[@THX11458]

@@RobertWF42 I know that point is brought up a lot, but the two movies were not meant in anyway to be in competition for the same viewers. The Thing was targeted at horror fans while E.T. was essentially a children's film. Even appealing to its specific demographic, The Thing was still panned by critics back then.

[@valley_robot]

John fucking Carpenter, still a bad ass to this day, grew up with his movies and his music , he is a massive influence on my own musical creations , when I make a new tune I ask my self “ would this sound good in a John Carpenter movie ?”

[@coolcatgamestudio]

John Carpenter super genius!

[@mase8444]

It makes me so happy to see all the comments praising my favourite movie

[@melovemusic69]

Funny thing is E.T had come out 2 weeks prior so that is a total 180 from The Thing. So yeah it had the toughest competition ever. When I was 11 in June of 82 I saw E.T and loved it. E.T was so popular and became a record breaker at the box office. I saw The Thing a couple years later on HBO when I was 13 in the back bedroom of my sweet little grandmother's home and to this day is my fav followed closely with the Howling and Halloween III. There will never be anything like the late 70's early 80's for movies, just absolutely the best. What a special time to be a young man.

[@pacochuquiure7807]

Real nice to watch a horror filmmaker talking so serious about his craft.

[@holden6104]

4:18 Picture perfect response by Carpenter here. And he's damn right about 8 year-olds wanting to see this. I was about that old when I first caught it on TV.

[@m1lst3r89]

I don't think a kid of that age would comprehend anything out of that film.

[@Dacre1000]

@@m1lst3r89 I did.

[@m1lst3r89]

@@Dacre1000 i don't believe you.

[@Dacre1000]

@@m1lst3r89 I don't care.

[@mckinleymorton]

I saw The Thing when Ibwas about five on home video. I was not afraid. I was totally thrilled. By the head scene, I was glued to the TV, and to this day, I still remember that like it just happened

[@ricksville1]

No film has come close, cgi nowadays doesn't come close to the machanical special effects of this movie, it really is true brilliance and to think its 39 years old!!! Amazing

[@Danimal77]

It's amazing how much John's voice has changed over the years. It's unrecognizable to how it used to sound. It wasn't just the aging process. He's been smoking cigars/cigarettes by the dozens on a daily basis for decades.

[@darkworld9850]

Garden Gremlin I would too if my movie bombed

[@AdamF89]

Assault On Precinct 13 is my favorite Carpenter film. Most people wouldn't call it his absolute best, but its perfect to me. He is such a cool dude though, completely unpretentious

[@damianlatimer5753]

It was good but Halloween is my favorite by him

[@john172867]

I was truly scared after seeing Assault on Precinct 13. It was horrific seeing a young Kim Richards get shot in the chest.

[@GreasyFilms-qc1xo]

One of the greatest filmmakers, period. We can quibble about his greatest films (I love Dark Star and They Live a lot) but he really is a great artist, and the Thing is the best color sci-fi horror film ever made.

[@leepearson7860]

I saw the thing film on ITV , UK, recording round my aunties house in 1985

[@shatnershairpiece]

I remember watching this in 1982 and when he showed the dog clip, I was like “holy shit! have to see this on day 1” and I did.

[@southlondon86]

What was the audience reaction?

[@nomadictree5795]

My favorite monster flick.

[@armandrodriguez8501]

Greatest horror story ever told on film.

[@Sp00pyEevee]

An absolute masterpiece. No other movie can top the practical effects used in this film.

[@Estusstew]

I like how he does his own music for his films

[@michaelmyers6523]

Love John Carpenter.

[@zetetick395]

Only now, with BluRay do we see how truly beautiful *The Thing* is as a movie, every shot is _delicious!_

[@dianalee3059]

Absolutely loved The Thing. I still watch it

[@the14thearlofgurney84]

JC rules. My favourite director and his music is awesome too.

[@leepearson7860]

The thing is the greatest film ever...

[@djresource717]

This film the thing changed my life...Great interview and music.

[@JustChadC]

John Carpenter’s sweater game was ballin’.

[@loayprettyboy206]

My all time favorite horror winter movie

[@raggeragnar]

Seeing ”Alien” at age 14 in 1979 made me think that it couldn’t be matched. Boy , did I get a surprise 3 years later.

[@ghostinhell666]

Little did he know, there would never be visual effects like that again in any movie.

[@FirstLast-qb9iq]

Never knew Carpenter went on Letterman. Thanks for the upload. I always wondered what Carpenter would have done next if the Thing had been a big success.

[@leifjonker2755]

He was in active pre-production on Stephen King's FIRESTARTER for Universal but when THE THING tanked they fired him.

[@damianlatimer5753]

@@leifjonker2755 dang that's mean.just because one failed doesn't mean the director should be taken off of another project

[@meliachild]

My favourite director.

[@sandeeproy1985]

Brilliance...fantastic craft. The detailing of the scenes was perfect.

[@daweller]

If you are old enough to remember, before The Thing, there were no movies with those sorts of special effects... it really blew people's minds.

[@mynameRaz]

Breaks my heart this movie was critically panned on release. Mr Carpenter deserved better. This is the greatest horror movie ever made. Still relevant and appropriate for 2021 with the corona making everyone paranoid.

[@Spectrumpicture]

I watched this movie when I was 7.

[@m1lst3r89]

Why?

[@asdfghjklkjhvbvcvjhvlyhb9957]

one of the few films with jaws , Alien , The fly etc that got tension into it. very memorable

[@geraldolaverdure8426]

Legend john

[@TheDorapapi321]

Hi John Holmes

[@tropicvibe]

The definitive sci-fi horror of all time

[@archange1717]

The master of Horror.

[@Jeyhu]

One of my all time favourite directors and the Thing is my favourite monster film.

[@travismorgan8529]

Your the man John! Its a masterpiece F'em

[@lv2465]

One of my all time favourite Film Directors. Most of John Carpenters film's have a Cult following. Halloween, The Thing, The Fog, Escape From Newyork, Big Trouble in Little China and so on.

[@shatnershairpiece]

Seeing this clip of the thing was a wow moment. Saw it many times in the theatre that summer.

[@michaelperkowski641]

In the opening I like time square theater marquee sign assault on precinct 13 before it's light shut off. Another John Carpenter favorite.

[@wichitabigscreen3209]

Yep. I actually paused that a second longer on this video so folks could see it more clearly. That ASSAULT marquee was included in the opening for all the years Dave's original show ran but very few people have ever mentioned it. I was hoping maybe Dave and John would comment about how John's early masterpiece was a part of LATE NIGHT for so many years but it didn't come up.

[@MaryBrownIsTheBlairWitch]

@@wichitabigscreen3209 It wasn't a one-off addition for this particular episode? Wow! What are the odds?

[@nederlander24]

Mr. Perfectly Slim with a cool sweater. Love it!

[@geokorf]

You guys gonna listen to Letterman? He can be one of those things! R.I.P, Donald Moffat.

[@N0va]

To this day, the effects are still effective and hard to beat

[@zamiadams4343]

GENIUS.

[@Magneticlaw]

Lol... good interview.

[@Tabish29]

My favorite scene in The Thing isn't the thing bursting through the dude's chest, or Palmer becoming the thing or the dog becoming the thing....rather....my favorite scene is after there are only McReady, Nalls, the old guy with the gun and Childs left....they leave Childs with the flamethrower while they go to Blair. The Thing scene plays and the camera pans room to room and down the stairs....every place is empty...that scene just creates a feeling of dread....they are alone.....they aren't alone....one of them is the thing....none of them are. That scene underscores the uncertainty & isolation of the camp, and the eerie music highlights the entire moment.

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

It's funny how Carpenter never wants to admit his movies are actually more real than mere fantasy.

[@AgentFlea]

I was born in 91. I'm not used to seeing Letterman young. I heard a lot about him. Very interesting to see. So thankful for the internet

[@travelinman617]

This is an amazing director wow the best Halloween the fog Christine the thing

[@edwardroy3401]

John Carpenter rules

[@mikes5637]

I assume from Lettermans joke about "a boy and his dog" the clip was the husky transformation.

[@wichitabigscreen3209]

I assume so too. The clip was missing the footage from the movie when I found it.

[@vonbabasin9544]

The only thing I can say is it was ahead of its time... I am happy to see Carpenter and Cundey receiving the accolades they so richly deserve!!!

[@babbyfacerevocation2740]

We need a sequel Brother how are we to remain loyal fans release the THING 2

[@burningmisery]

I love how Letterman's haunch was dead wrong; the movie did terribly back the coz audiences weren't ready then for such a masterpiece.

[@klasspodcast4396]

the thing greatest sci fi horror movie ever

[@Galantski]

The clip should have been left in.

[@leifjonker2755]

Galantski agreed 100%. Unfortunately whomever posted this episode I edited down from to focus only on Carpenter and THE THING, had already edited out the preview film clip before I got to it.

[@DagobahDude87]

Legend!

[@89tilinfinity29]

If it wasn't for the films terrible reception, who know how many bangers we could've gotten smh. John you are appreciated. I literally had never seen the thing till a few years ago and it's my favorite horror film. l show everyone lol.

[@OrbitOnceAround]

ET is like a grape juice and The Thing is like grape wine. We might enjoy the taste of grape juice as kids but wine tastes better as it ages.

[@fmellish71]

If you allow yourself to back away from its saturation in pop culture and the general preconceptions of it, ET ages like a fine wine though. I'm not from a divorced family, but I can see that a person who is can really relate to the characters better than even Kramer vs. Kramer.

[@plasticweapon]

the truth is both films deserved to be a success. but better late than never.

[@nightmuffin937]

Best Comment. ever

[@herschelhatcheriv9577]

ET is a great film. Very well directed.

[@SixFeetDownSouth]

ET is like sell stuffed animals and t-shirts. The Thing is like sell toilet paper and ammo

[@zejaguar]

The Thing is the king of monster movies.

[@KudageFilms]

JUST BOUGHT V.I.P. CONCERT TICKETS!! SEE YA NOV 17 CARPENTER!!

[@illdrumatik391]

KUDAGEFilms Official Film Page where is this????

[@scampoli25]

4:36 Classic Carpenter

[@animationcatalyst8123]

“I have a hunch it will do quite well” oh you have no idea

[@brandoncollins1225]

It killed his career.

[@Vic-Vega]

Baffling comment.

[@TabsT-vy5jy]

In today's terms that's 3M to make and it's return is 1BN.

[@mikefiore2259]

That's right...and with that in mind Blair Witch did not outperform Halloween, when adjusted for inflation.

[@nickstevens8596]

Uh, no. I don't know where you got those numbers from, but using an inflation calculator I found through Google, Halloween would've cost about $1.2 million and earned about $275 million in today's money. Still pretty damn impressive, but not even close to a billion.

[@TANKTREAD]

I think his best movies are the Halloweens(The Night He Came Home and II) right beneath them, "The Thing"(the movie is the best depiction of paranoia, distrust and isolation). My favorite is "Prince of Darkness"(combining science, religion and horror), but that doesn't mean I put that movie on the top of his list. Right below "The Thing" is "Christine", "The Fog", "Halloween III: Season of the Witch", "Escape from New York" & "Big Trouble in Little China". Love his film scores, especially ones composed by him and Alan Howarth.

[@MrRyanwonderland]

Badass shirt

[@garyl5128]

The Thing had similar vibes to Alien, but was still a brilliant movie which I still watch today. I also watch his Dark Star movie which is also excellent, and funnily enough, was created with Dan O'Bannon who went on to make Alien.

[@brahsumatra]

Nice sweater.

[@alexhurst5244]

John Carpenter is so serious here and passionate. No bullshit for the slimey host. Brilliant

[@javaally1203]

Maybe a blood test for the slimey host would be in order...

[@southlondon86]

@@javaally1203 That’s a load of nonsense. Doesn’t prove a thing.

[@killer24361]

A super talented director. Created two masterpieces in Halloween and The Thing.

[@scoopicman]

I thought that ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK was masterful, especially with the small budget.

[@davidireland1766]

Big trouble in little china is a cinematic masterpiece

[@WalterLiddy]

"All done on camera." Post-production f/x are now pretty easy to do, but don't look very convincing; whereas practical effects require real skill and effort to bring about, and look 'real' because they are physically real. Carpenter says, "I don't think you'll ever see effects like this in a movie," and he was right. Odds are, we'll never again see this level of care and craftsmanship put into movie effects. It's part of why The Thing is increasingly being regarded as maybe the greatest horror film ever made.

[@happymonkeyfish]

"Good luck John, on The Thing, I have a hunch it will do quite well" not immediately accurate, but over time David was dead on

[@vincenzollamas]

my dad showed me that movie when i was 8

[@michaelservice2355]

The master of horror...... I mean his jumper.

[@benquinney2]

I wanted to see it

[@agfagaevart]

2:32 YOU DID! 5:26 Apart from SOCIETY (1989)...yep!

[@billjones5741]

Even scarier than The Thing… John’s sweater.

[@danfors1333]

I saw that movie as an 8-year old and I had nightmares up to my teenage years.

[@adamj6645]

So adjusting for inflation, Assault on Precent 13 cost $1 million to make and grossed over $270 million.

[@d-d-i]

Talking about good investiment.

[@bigjuice7020]

Great movie. I wouldn't say it's scary but more like a survival movie.

[@southlondon86]

Exactly it’s not scary but highly entertaining.

[@zambot3325]

Carpenter is the best