Many praise John Carpenter for his immaculate synth scores, but he’s also the king of making for-hire film jobs into certified classics. Take, for example, this totemic picture – so good no one complains about the name basically bogarting all the holiday’s search engine results. Carpenter got pulled in by producer Irwin Yablans and financier Moustapha Akkad after the two caught his thriller Assault on Precinct 13 and were convinced he’d be great helming a babysitter-stalking slasher they’d thunk up to rival The Exorcist. Of course, all the genius sprang from Carpenter and Debra Hill, who co-wrote the story with heavy inspiration from another seasonal sensation, Black Christmas. What did the director demand in return for his services? Full creative control and the princely sum of $10,000 – which barely cracks $50K in today dollars. Thankfully he’s since learned the true price tag on his incredible contribution to horror history, with every new Halloween entry requiring an expensive thumbs-up from the king. Let’s hope he’s not spending that all on V-Bucks, as Carpenter’s a famous Fortnite fan. – James Scott
