10 Directors Who Absolutely Hated Their Own Movies

Legendary horror master John Carpenter helped kickstart the slasher genre with Halloween (1978) before creating a succession of beloved movies in the eighties, such as Escape From New York (1981), The Thing (1982) and They Live (1988), which are all now considered classics of the era. However, Carpenter's films in the nineties were not so revered, and on Memoirs Of An Invisible Man (1992) he had returned to making a movie for a paycheque, rather than having total creative influence in the initial writing, production or soundtrack, which had been so critical in his distinctive style.

Carpenter was reluctant to work outside of his comfort zone, but due to a long-running legal dispute had not made a film for a few years, and so agreed against his better judgement. Chevvy Chase was the star of the movie and pretty much called the shots as far as the production team were concerned. Carpenter had only come on board after original director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) had walked after clashing with the star over the direction of the picture. Carpenter’s relationship with Chase fared no better, and he also fell out with the film's other star Darryl Hannah (Splash).

The result was no bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, but a film that felt very un-Carpenter-like. The director has since stated the experience of working on Memoirs Of An Invisible Man had made him want to quit making films altogether, once referring to the experience in a Variety interview as a “horror show”.