The Best John Carpenter Movies, Ranked
94 credits from 1969 to 2025, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is Halloween (1978) with $47.2M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest John Carpenter Box Office Hits
John Carpenter's films have made $302M worldwide in total. Halloween (1978) is the biggest hit at $47.2M, ahead of Starman (1984) ($28.7M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
Halloween 1978 · Thriller $47.2M $47.2M dom. - 2
Starman 1984 · Adventure $28.7M $28.7M dom. - 3
Escape from L.A. 1996 · Action $25.5M $25.5M dom. - 4
Escape from New York 1981 · Action $25.3M $25.2M dom. - 5
The Fog 1980 · Thriller $21.4M $21.4M dom. - 6
Christine 1983 · Horror $21M $21M dom. - 7
The Thing 1982 · Sci-Fi $20.8M $20.1M dom. - 8
Vampires 1998 · Action $20.3M $20.3M dom. - 9
Memoirs of an Invisible Man 1992 · Sci-Fi $14.4M $14.4M dom. - 10
Prince of Darkness 1987 · Horror $14.2M $14.2M dom.
The Best John Carpenter Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre John Carpenter has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Action leads with 7 films, and Escape from L.A. (1996) is the pick of them.
The Best John Carpenter Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of John Carpenter's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1970s to 2010s.
The Latest John Carpenter Movies
The most recent films John Carpenter is credited on, newest first — starting with The Puppet Man (2016). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
-
The Puppet Man 2016 · The Taxi Driver -
Scary Girl 2011 · Horror -
The Ward 2011 · Director -
Pro-Life 2006 · Director -
Cigarette Burns 2005 · Director -
Ghosts of Mars 2001 · Director - Vampires 1998 · Director
- Escape from L.A. 1996 · Director
-
Village of the Damned 1995 · Director -
In the Mouth of Madness 1995 · Director -
Body Bags 1993 · Director - Memoirs of an Invisible Man 1992 · Director
The Best John Carpenter Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest John Carpenter films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing John Carpenter movie?
Halloween (1978) made the most at the box office, with $47.2M worldwide, followed by Starman (1984) with $28.7M. Together, John Carpenter's films with box office figures have made $302M.
Which John Carpenter movie won the most awards?
Vampires (1998) is the most decorated John Carpenter film, with 1 win from 2 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best John Carpenter action movie?
Escape from L.A. (1996) is the best-rated of John Carpenter's action films. In other genres: Christine (horror), Halloween (thriller) and The Thing (sci-fi).
What is the newest John Carpenter movie?
The newest film on John Carpenter's filmography is The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault (2025), with John Carpenter as Self.
More Movie Rankings & Collections
Best-of lists by year, decade and genre, all-time box office records and the films on the trending list.
Best-Rated Movie Rankings
Best-rated, biggest and most-awarded
New Movies & Top Genres
New releases, popular films and the best of every genre