Depends what your looking for...
Halloween >The Fly>The Thing>Shivers>They Live>Dead Ringers>....
Though Carpenter does write great soundtracks
The Fly belongs at the head of that list, then The Thing followed by Halloween (both greats still).
The Thing is so perfectly named and representative of it not messing about in preference of getting the job done - real direct, balls out gear, no shortage of gore/action. But - The Fly has an emotional whack like no other. As much as it's a horror piece it's a human tragedy, with impeccable acting from Goldblum, let alone the effects (probably matched by those of The Thing). I'm a bit nutty about The Fly and finish up equally exhausted come the end each time I watch it, although the sequel was unbearably silly.
The Fly belongs at the head of that list, then The Thing followed by Halloween (both greats still).
The Thing is so perfectly named and representative of it not messing about in preference of getting the job done - real direct, balls out gear, no shortage of gore/action. But - The Fly has an emotional whack like no other. As much as it's a horror piece it's a human tragedy, with impeccable acting from Goldblum, let alone the effects (probably matched by those of The Thing). I'm a bit nutty about The Fly and finish up equally exhausted come the end each time I watch it, although the sequel was unbearably silly.