THE MASTERPIECE

Assault On Precinct 13

IT’S LIEUTENANT ETHAN Bishop’s first day on the job. He’s been reassigned to supervise the Anderson precinct, even though they’re closing it down and there’s nothing left to do there but stare at the packing crates. His superior Captain Collins asks him, “You want to be a hero your first night out?” Bishop does. Collins counters: “There are no heroes anymore, just men who follow orders.” During one night of ultra-violence, Bishop proves him wrong.

is John Carpenter’s second feature-length film, which he wrote, directed, scored, and edited himself. It’s a claustrophobic pulp thriller and, and exploitation films with hints of home-invasion horror and a heavy dose of paranoia. For the film’s doomy, catchy score, Carpenter riffed on Led Zeppelin’s ‘The Immigrant Song’ and Lalo Schifrin’s theme, composing and recording it in just three days. College friends and unknowns comprised most of the cast and crew, who made the film in under 20 days and for only $100,000. Despite its low budget and a gruelling shoot, Carpenter had complete creative control and cites production as his most fun ever making a movie.