AllMovie

Fear is Just the Beginning... offers some fairly good insight into the mind of the one and the only horror maestro, John Carpenter. At a brisk 60 minutes, the documentary covers just enough to wet your film-buff appetite. High points include composer Alan Howarth breaking down the direct simplicity of the Halloween theme as well as Jamie Lee Curtis' frank thoughts on the production that found her friend Debra Hill -- fresh off of her own relationship with Carpenter -- writing the lead part in The Fog for his new bride, Adrienne Barbeau. Also included are some rare early photos that are worth a look, along with a few interesting comparisons to his idol, Howard Hawks. On the downside, Fear tends to breeze over the last half of the director's catalogue, opting instead to focus on his initial hits instead of delving further into the prevalent themes that have weaved their way through his entire body of work. To be sure, there's plenty more to the man than what is discussed here, though the fact remains that it's a documentary on John Carpenter -- and that, very rarely, is ever a bad thing.