By Stephen Pytak 

     It's a favorite for many reasons. 
     For one thing, it's packed with visions 
of faceless savagry.
     The scene where the girl with the ice
cream gets plugged. Terrifying.
     The climax where the zombie-army 
Street Thunder storms the precinct. It's
borderline apocolyptic.
     The whole thing is low budget of course.
But the threat level gets across.
     Actor Frank Doubleday is one reason 
why. He was billed as the "White Warlord."
He's got an ice cold presence. Fans of
Carpenter's work will remember him as
"Romero" in "Escape from New York 
(1981)." 
     The film also has an incredible sense
of humor. Heck, you can watch it for the
dry wit alone.
     It comes out when our heroes -- a mix
of cops, secretaries and convicts -- are holed
up in that police station under seige.
     In an effort to get help, they decide
someone has to make a break for one of the
cars outside. And they decide who goes
with the "one-potato-two-potato"  game.
It turns out to be "I always lose" Wells (Tony
Burton).
     Wells also had one of the better lines. 
It comes around when the gang drops a 
cholo on the front doorstep. "I got a plan.
It's called save ass."
     Carpenter created some unforgettable
characters, who went on to influence other
heroes in the genre.
     Who can forget Darwin Jostin as 
"Napoleon 'Anybody got a smoke' Wilson?"
In jail for murder, he's got a reputation for
violence. On the surface he's an average
Joe, until he's provoked. He shows his true
colors when the gang starts rockin' the 
house, and he gets a shot gun.
     He's the forerunner of the lead in
Carpenter's "Escape" films, "Snake
Plissken," and the heavy in Carpenter's
"Ghosts of Mars (2001),"  the Ice Cube
character "James 'Desolation' Williams." 
     The flick's got a lot of memorable 
moments. Some have this real feel to them,
humorous ones included.
     During the last stand, officer in
charge "Ethan Bishop," played by Austin 
Stoker, and Napoleon Wilson are in the
basement shielding themselves with a giant
sign which reads "Support Your Local 
Police." They're waiting for the storm to
rain down on them. There's a calm before
it. And after a beat Bishop starts to whistle
a whistle-while-you-work whistle. Funny.
     Carpenter's score for the film is edgy
and memorable as well. Actor Donald
Pleasance had said the reason he 
auditioned for "Halloween (1978)" was
because his daughter really liked the 
score for "Assault."