Movies are pieces of film stuck together in a certain rhythm, an absolute beat, like a musical composition. The rhythm you create affects the audience.
John CarpenterFears are all psychological. Being afraid of death, loss of a loved one and disfigurement are all powered by your mind, and that's very powerful stuff.
John CarpenterHorror is a reaction; it's not a genre. Somebody's life would have to be in danger for it [story] to be a horror story.
John CarpenterWhat a director does... essentially, it's storytelling, but a director also controls the feeling and the sounds and the texture. It's an act of creation, like a symphony or a painting or a story. But with different tools.
John Carpenter