With the release of “Halloween” in 1978, John Carpenter announced himself as a new master of horror, and he spent the 1980s honing his skills as the premiere maker of low-budget genre fare. Movies like “Escape from New York,” “The Thing,” “Starman,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” and “They Live” proved his skills not just at horror, but at action, sci-fi, and comedy as well. 

Yet his career hit a snag in the 1990s with a film that very nearly caused him to stop directing altogether: the 1992 Chevy Chase vehicle “Memoirs of an Invisible Man.” On paper, the fantastical comedy-drama about a San Francisco stock analyst (Chase) who becomes invisible after a factory mishap seemed right up Carpenter’s alley. Yet the famously candid auteur didn’t mince words about what an unpleasant experience the movie was for him.

While Carpenter told Variety in 2023 that he directed “Memoirs” because “it gave me a chance to make a quasi-serious movie,” he added that the film’s production was torturous. “It was a horror show,” he explained. “I really wanted to quit the business after that movie. God, I don’t want to talk about why, but let’s just say there were personalities on that film … he shall not be named who needs to be killed. No, no, no, that’s terrible. He needs to be set on fire. No, no, no. Anyway, it’s all fine. I survived it.” So what the heck happened?

To say that Chevy Chase could be a handful isn’t exactly a scoop. After shooting to stardom as one of the original Not Ready for Primetime Players on “Saturday Night Live,” Chase went to Hollywood to become a bankable leading man with hits like “Caddyshack,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” and “Fletch.” 

Yet his reputation for difficult behavior — from a fist fight with Bill Murray in an “SNL” dressing room to his abrupt exit from “Community” following a feud with creator Dan Harmon — has often overshadowed his comedic talents. This nearly derailed “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” as screenwriter William Goldman and director Ivan Reitman left the project over disagreements with their star. It seemed like Chase had grown tired of only being identified with comedy, and saw “Memoirs” as an opportunity to show off his dramatic skills.

Although eventual director John Carpenter never directly called Chase out, he did hint at some troubles during an interview with The Guardian in 1994. “The studio wanted ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation.’ ‘Invisible Vacation,'” he said. “Chevy wanted to move someplace else. He did a couple of really good scenes, and he really pulled ’em off … I believed he could do a film in which he balances. We could have some humor in it, but I had him play the dark side because it’s a darker film.”

Try as he might, John Carpenter couldn’t get “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” to work, and its critical and financial failure nearly ended his career. Although he was incredibly prolific throughout the 1970s and ’80s — directing 11 films in 14 years — he slowed way down after “Memoirs,” helming just six movies over 16 years. 

His immediate followup, “In the Mouth of Madness,” has been rediscovered as a classic after bombing at the box office, while “Village of the Damned,” “Vampires,” and “Ghosts of Mars” have their defenders. His final film, “The Ward,” was released in 2010 to poor reviews and indifferent box office. Although Carpenter didn’t immediately quit the business after “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” he didn’t stick around for long after its demise.

Carpenter’s status among cinephiles has grown since his retirement, with many of his films enjoying critical reassessments and cult followings (not so much “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” but you can’t win them all). In recent years, he seems perfectly content to spend his days playing video games, watching basketball, and writing music, including the scores for David Gordon Green’s recent “Halloween” reboots. When asked by Variety whether or not he’d ever make another movie, he said, “I’m open to it, given that it’s honestly budgeted and there’s plenty of time to do it — and that people allow for the basketball season and the playoffs.”