John Carpenter movies available on 4K Blu-ray, ranked by transfer quality.
dir. John Carpenter
S-Tier Sony 4K. John Carpenter's Plymouth Fury. The steelbook is a love-it-or-hate-it design.
Sony Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
S-Tier from Shout Factory. There are multiple packaging options but the discs are identical across the standard edition, steelbook, and collector's edition. If you're new to this one and the black levels look crushed, that's normal. It was shot almost entirely at night on a low budget, and Carpenter himself has said that's just how it looks. The Eagle Pictures Italian release is a better-looking transfer for anyone willing to import. The steelbook art is a love-it-or-hate-it situation, some people think it looks more Mad Max than Snake Plissken.
Shout! Factory · 4K + Blu-ray
S-Tier Arrow Video 4K. Carpenter's Lovecraftian horror, and the Arrow limited edition sold out fast. People who buy direct from Arrow have had fulfillment issues, so the recommendation is to order from OrbitDVD or Diabolik instead. Alan Wake 2 players keep drawing parallels to the Sutter Cane storyline.
Arrow Video · 4K + Blu-ray
S-Tier StudioCanal 4K with a 4.5 score. Carpenter's second Apocalypse Trilogy entry. Scream Factory did a steelbook at $45 USD which people thought was too much, and the price eventually dropped to $34.99 USD. The StudioCanal 4-pack has better color accuracy but zero special features, while Scream Factory's has Atmos but messed up the colors.
StudioCanal · 4K + Blu-ray
Sony S-Tier 4K. One of the more under-appreciated John Carpenter films, with Jeff Bridges playing an alien on a road trip across America. The Columbia Classics box set originally included this, and Sony releasing a standalone steelbook is good news for people who didn't want to buy the whole set. Target's buy 2 get 1 free deal has brought the price down to around $30 USD.
Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town's founding; radio announcer Stevie witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.
Scream Factory · 4K + Blu-ray
The church enlists a team of vampire-hunters to hunt down and destroy a group of vampires searching for an ancient relic that will allow them to exist in sunlight.
Paramount 30th anniversary 4K steelbook is up for preorder. People who already own the 4K are split on the art, comparing it unfavorably to the Escape from New York steelbook. Fresh buyers are more enthusiastic.
Paramount Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
A-Tier Scream Factory 4K. Carpenter on Mars with Ice Cube. Scream Factory's Carpenter catalog keeps growing.
Carpenter's practical effects hold up better than most modern CGI and the Universal 4K is A-Tier, though the missing Dolby Vision is the one complaint collectors have. Signed copies from convention appearances are circulating and the Titans of Cult edition has been restocking through Books-a-Million.
Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
An American village is visited by some unknown life form which leaves the women of the village pregnant. Nine months later, the babies are born, and they all look normal, but it doesn't take the "parents" long to realize that the kids are not human or humane.
Fabulous Films · 4K Ultra HD
Rob Zombie's reimagining, not the Carpenter original. Imprint limited edition steelbook announced at a price people called a great deal. A-Tier transfer from a film that's more divisive than the disc quality would suggest.
