John Carpenter's Shocking Response to Letterboxd Imposter

Ah, the multifaceted enigma that is John Carpenter—a master of horror who seems to have just discovered that the world has a new voyeuristic app, Letterboxd. Can you imagine the sheer shock of being a legendary director and finding out that a band of movie enthusiasts is cataloging your life’s work on a platform that sounds more like a hipster cafe than a film community? In a moment that could easily rival any twist in one of his films, Carpenter famously quipped, “What the hell is a Letterboxd!??” when confronted with the notion of a fake profile catfishing fans with not-so-flattering reviews of his cinematic gems.

For those uninitiated, Letterboxd is the digital playground for cinephiles, blossoming into a robust community since its inception in 2011, gaining significant traction during the height of our collective Netflix-and-thought moments in quarantine. Users can cheerfully log, rate, and pen reviews about the films they devour, creating an informal yet intellectually rich dialogue about celluloid dreams.

Imagine the horror director, known for classics like Halloween (1978) and The Thing (1982), discovering that a rogue account had cheerfully described his less-than-stellar 1992 offering, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, with words that could make even a horror script blush. “I f—ing hate this pile of s— and want every copy burned,” they declared—a proclamation one could only assume was delivered from behind the anonymity of their couch. And really, who can blame them?

Then there’s the review of Halloween II (1981), a film that Carpenter, in his characteristic humor, admits he was “paid more money than I had ever seen” to write a sequel for a movie that never asked for one. “I took the check and spent it on beers to get me drunk enough to plow through this crap,” he noted, with self-deprecating charm. One can almost envision him in a dimly lit bar, swirling his drink while contemplating the absurdity of it all.

Fast forward to present-day Carpenter, who has decisively stepped back from the Hollywood gauntlet since his last directorial work, The Ward, in 2010. Instead, he has turned his attention to music, releasing Lost Themes in 2015, as if to say, “Why not create spine-tingling soundtracks instead of bite-sized horror?” He even dabbled as an executive producer for Blumhouse’s Halloween sequel trilogy, essentially revisiting his legacy through a contemporary lens.

And let’s not forget his recent venture into the world of unscripted horror with John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams, which premiered last October. Because who wouldn’t want to transform their suburban nightmares into a six-episode anthology? As Carpenter continues to pivot and adapt, one can’t help but admire his ability to poke fun at himself, ridicule the industry, and yet still keep us intrigued with a haunting melody in the background.

So here’s to John Carpenter—may he continue to navigate the oddities of this digital age with the same sardonic wit and shocking bravery that has defined his legendary career. And, of course, let’s hope he eventually learns what a Letterboxd is; he’s definitely earned the right to tear some new ones on it.