Here's John Carpenter's "Apocalypse Trilogy," ranked worst to best. John Carpenter is easily one of the greatest filmmakers to work in the sci-fi and horror genres, with his filmography containing classics like Halloween, Escape From New York and They Live. He has a famously tangled history with sequels, however, and has only helmed one follow-up to his own work with Escape From L.A. He didn't want to make a sequel to Halloween either but was essentially contractually bound to write and produce 1981's Halloween 2.
He later tried to morph the series into an anthology with standalone entry Halloween III: Season Of The Witch - an experiment that only lasted for one movie. While he shies away from direct sequels, he did helm a thematic series with his so-called "Apocalypse Trilogy." Comprising of In The Mouth Of Madness, the three movies deal with the end of the world via different means. The Thing is about the end of identity, Prince Of Darkness is the death of God and In The Mouth Of Madness is the death of reality itself.
The trilogy also features some of his ambitious, experimental work, and they are often hailed as sci-fi/horror greats. Here's John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy, ranked.
3. Prince Of Darkness (1987)
Prince Of Darkness is the second chapter of John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy and came at a turning point in his career. A bad studio experience with Big Trouble In Little China led the filmmaker to return to his roots, and he signed a deal to make a series of low-budget genre movies over which he could retain total creative control. Prince Of Darkness is a bizarre, eerie mixture of gothic horror, homage to Quatermass - which had the first use of "2' in a sequel - creator Nigel Kneale and an exploration of religion and quantum mechanics.
In short, Prince Of Darkness is a movie only Carpenter could have made. While the movie's modest budget shows through and some of the acting and dialogue are stilted - with the science being particularly hard to track - Carpenter's driving music score, command of tone and several haunting sequences such as the future dream make it his most underrated work.
2. In The Mouth Of Madness (1994)
For many critics, In The Mouth Of Madness might be Carpenter's last great work, and is certainly his most memed and gifed. The final entry in John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy cast Sam Neill as an insurance investigator looking into the disappearance of an H.P. Lovecraft/Stephen King-inspired author and discovering "reality isn't what it used to be."
In The Mouth Of Madness - which birthed the famous laughing Neill gif - contains both wry humor and great scenes of horror, and it's one of Carpenter's most thematical rich movies. Neill's Trent evolves from cocky noir-style detective to a sweaty, terrified mess and the story's exploration of the relationship between author and reader - and filmmakers and audience - makes it endlessly rewatchable.
1. The Thing (1982)
Not only is The Thing the first and greatest of John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy, it's one of the best movies ever made, period. A remake of 1951's The Thing From Another World, Carpenter reinvented the story to focus on the loss of humanity amongst a unique alien invasion. Everything from the (still) mind-blowing effects to the ensemble cast - fronted by Carpenter's regular lead Kurt Russell - to the desolate location work and unforgettable ending make The Thing a superior example of the genre and showed the filmmaker at the peak of his abilities.
