In 1981, not content with revolutionizing horror cinema with Halloween and following it up with the cult-classic The Fog, John Carpenter gave the world a film that would set the blueprint for ‘80s cinema — including action films and post-apocalyptic science fiction.
The release of Escape from New York, a low-budget flick set in a decaying New York, proved influential in myriad ways. The film tells the story of Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a Special Forces officer turned criminal facing federal charges in the then-future 1997. Snake is given a chance at redemption: the president has been kidnapped, and is being held by a gang in New York City. But this isn’t the glitzy New York we know today. In Escape, the city was turned into a walled-off prison nine years earlier. This also means Snake can find few trusted allies in his pursuit.
