“I saw it in a dream: a nightmare landscape deep underground filled with monsters too weird and sinister to exist in daylight. I knew instantly I had to get these things out of my head and into everyone else’s brains.” – John Carpenter
There may come a day when John Carpenter has to cede his title as Master of Horror, but I don’t see it coming anytime soon. Even at 78, the writer/director/musician continues to have ideas and visions of the genre that few others, if any, share. While I’d love to see him make another live-action feature or television episode, as a fan I’m more than happy to see what he comes up with in any medium.
Which brings us to Cathedral, Carpenter’s new graphic novel and album.
Here’s the logline: The story begins where an abandoned cathedral stands, fenced in and ignored by the world around it. The preoccupied passers-by have long since ceased to notice the dilapidated church in their midst, never mind sensing the danger and centuries old evil trapped inside its walls. A gruesome murder one late night pulls the structure into the spotlight, triggering a police investigation into the loss of one of their own. Lieutenant Christine Marks, along with detectives Paul Hernandez and Steve Mayfield, must enter the church in search of the monster that murdered her father. Every step takes them deeper into the belly of the church revealing the mystery of an ancient evil imprisoned within.
Completing the audio/visual project is CATHEDRAL, the album which finds John Carpenter and longtime band mates Cody Carpenter (synths) and Daniel Davies (guitar) providing the soundtrack for an elevated terrifying experience. Each track on the album aligns with a chapter of the graphic novel, with liner notes guiding listeners through the story. As a result the story unfurls like a film and is the closest approximation to a new movie from Carpenter since 2010. “It was so cinematic and vivid,” Carpenter says of the dream that inspired the story. “I thought, ‘I have to score this.’ It’s kind of our first heavy metal album.”
An elevator into the pits of Hell is just the sort of story you want from John Carpenter, and Cathedral is a bloody-good trip from the Master, along with his collaborators, writers Sandy King and Sean Sobzcak and artists Federico De Luca and Luis Guaragna. The visuals are gory, the underworld is creepy, and the big bad is the exact sort of monster you think lives in Hell and that you don’t want getting out of there. You’d need a massive budget to bring a concept like this to life on the silver screen, but in the world of comics, Carpenter and company get to let their minds and dreams (or is that nightmares) go wild.
Along with the graphic novel is the Cathedral soundtrack, written and performed with his son, Cody, and their longtime collaborator, Daniel Davies. As anyone who has followed Carpenter’s career knows, he’s composed the music for his films and released standalone albums, and Cathedral is another great entry in his musical canon. It’s a hard-rocking affair, extremely aggressive, and it fits the graphic novel’s mood extremely well.
Whether it be in the realm of film or comics, John Carpenter’s Cathedral is yet another fun experience from the Master of Horror. Mind you, it might make you a little hesitant to get into an elevator. You never know what’s waiting on the basement floors.
You can order John Carpenter’s Cathedral, the graphic novel, here.
You can order the soundtrack here .
