YMMV / John Carpenter

• Audience-Alienating Era: It's generally accepted that in the 90s, Carpenter's directorial work (with one or two exceptions) slipped into one and depending on who you ask, he may not have ever come out of it.
• Awesome Music:
  • Many of his film scores and his debut album Lost Themes.
  • And now he has released Lost Themes II and started touring with a band to rave reviews. Carpenter's really cementing his Cool Old Guy status these days.
• Cult Classic: A great many of his films are modern-day examples, as they were never mainstream hits upon their initial release, but have attracted major followings over the span of decades.
• Nightmare Fuel: The absolute king of this trope! There's a damn good reason he's still highly regarded as a horror master.
• Vindicated by History: Along with the Cult Classic example above, many of his films have been subjected to this trope. The Thing (1982) being probably the most notable.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: Big Trouble in Little China is often considered a film for the whole family to watch. While undoubtedly Lighter and Softer than most of his other works, it's still pretty violent for the little ones.