He has got to be one of the most consistent directors EVER! His movies may not all be great, but they are almost ALWAYS fun. You get what you pay for.
From his recent history...
Ghosts of Mars - Wildly fun, nothing groundbreaking or even very smart. But it is a great time waster with some horrid acting.
Vampires - Shamed to say I never seen.
Escape From L.A. - Shameless retread, but enjoyable in a bad movie kind of way. Casting Bruce Campbell in his small role as the Plastic Surgeon was a blast.
Village of the Damned - Chris Reeve can walk, but his last movie before the accident was a remake of a far superior film. Still as far as good time wasters go. It's not bad.
In the Mouth of Madness - Sam Neill played a GREAT part in this. The movie is pure fun and the suspense when it starts just keeps rolling. I need to pick this up for the collection.
They Live - This is my absolute favourite B-movie of all time, I can watch it again and again. My childhood hero Rowdy Roddy Piper and the alleyway fight scene is the highlights of the film.
Prince of Darkness - The only Carpenter movie that left a sour taste in my mouth. (Sorry Tish) Uninspired, and droll. However seeing Alice Cooper and Donald Pleasance in the same movie is something you won't find elsewhere.
...beyond that everybody knows his catalogue. The Thing, Halloween, Escape From New York... enough has been written about these that everyone knows they are amongst the greatest genre films of all time.
I still need to see his original Assault on Precinct 13 and Dark Star...someday...
Anyhoo, John carpenter is one of the few directors left that when I hear about an upcoming project I can get excited without even hearing a sinopsis. I know I am going to have a blast.