John Carpenter underrated as a writer

Evincing a storytelling savvy sadly lacking in much of today's overblown product, John Carpenter's films have made moviegoing a pleasure. Am I alone in my assessment? Hardly. It was Carpenter who co-wrote the Academy Award-winning short, THE RESURRECTION OF BRONCO BILLY. Over the years, a short story he wrote (at the age of 16, if memory serves), HARLEQUIN, has seen print several times (once, I believe, in THE TWILIGHT ZONE, the short-lived but sorely missed magazine based on Rod Serling's seminal show), and, as is the case with most everything else he's done, this story bespeaks a talent beyond the teller's years. It would be interesting to find out more about the roots of this remarkable talent. What little we know, from interviews conducted (for the most part) decades ago, is little, indeed. One of the things that clearly sets Carpenter's films apart from those of his contemporaries is his storytelling ability. What writers influenced him the most? Lovecraft, to be certain- but who else?