Among the movies most indelible to John are Godzilla (1954), The Night of the Hunter (1955), and Dr. Strangelove (1964). While the B&W cinematography is remarkable, it is the sound design and music score that make each of these works haunting for him. Thematically, each film is about a monster come to life and the struggle of innocents to survive...or not. This may offer insight into John's own filmmaking which has been in the sci-fi, horror, and supernatural thriller genres.
John is an avid reader, albeit, his choices are predominantly non-fiction. The most influential book that he read in his youth is The Autobiography of Malcolm X. As an adult, he read the entire 7,000-page Pentagon Papers for the production of a stage adaptation of that work; and from that experience, he considers it to be the most important document in the American language.