New ‘Halloween’ brings a change in perspective
Los Angeles Times
In 1978, teenage babysitter Laurie Strode survived a showdown with masked serial killer Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” a critically acclaimed and commercially successful slasher flick that would spawn 11 films and jump-start the career of emerging young actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
Forty years later, Strode and Myers faced off again in Universal’s “Halloween” revival. Produced by Blumhouse and Miramax and directed by veteran indie filmmaker David Gordon Green, the film grossed a massive $76.2 million and shattered several box office records when it opened over the weekend.
And it did so by ignoring the 10 sequels and reboots that were released since the original “Halloween,” upending several of the original film’s classic horror tropes in the process.
“The reason why [they’ve] taken away all the other history is to tell a clean story between one point and another,” said Curtis, who has reprised her role for three other “Halloween” sequels over the years. “You can’t do that if you have to touch base on every weird plot twist of 40 years.”
In the new film, Strode is both mentally and emotionally scarred by the events of her adolescence. Traumatized and convinced that Myers will return to finish the job, Strode transforms her secluded home in the woods into a heavily fortified estate.
The lingering trauma has made it impossible for her to maintain healthy relationships, exemplified by two failed marriages and an estranged relationship with her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), and granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak).
“A family story is the way to tell the ‘Halloween’ story because of the trauma that gets passed from one family member to the next,” said Curtis. “What happens to someone when you attack them and they survive is that the rest of their life is branded by that violence.”
The relatability of the characters and their relationships are what elevate this film from slasher traditions, says Gordon Green.
“I’m convinced that what makes a horror film like this stand out, as opposed to just a supernatural cacophony of grotesqueness, is there’s emotional substance that we can relate to,” he told The Times.
In direct contrast to Carpenter’s film, which was shot largely from Myers’ point of view, one of the most refreshing updates in the new film is its utilization of the female gaze, a rarely explored perspective in slasher movies.
“The [original] movie is told through the male gaze because it was [Myers’] gaze and his obsession that the movie was focused on,” said Curtis. “This movie is told through the female gaze because it’s a woman’s obsession.”
“I think what’s in the zeitgeist right now with more female empowerment, it’s just a more interesting story to tell,” said Green. “The idea of a woman facing her traumas and her fears and becoming a badass, and then seeing two generations of women following in her footsteps, I think is what the fans would want too.
“It’s infinitely more interesting to watch Jamie Lee Curtis kick all the ass. Forty years later, it is her story.”