Halloween
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matchiak, Judy Greer, James Jude Courtney
It has been 40 years since Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) on Halloween night. After being imprisoned in an institution for more than two decades, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked Boogyman returns to Haddonfield, Illinois…but this time, she is ready for him.
There is an intimate connection between Michael Myers and the mask he wears when he becomes the killer. I believe that these are not two separate entities – Michael and the mask – but that they only come to life when man and mask are joined together as one.
When the journalists first meet Michael, the prison guard tells them that Michael has not spoken a word in 20 years…almost as if he is a dormant volcano waiting for the perfect moment to erupt. This is also illustrated by the fact that Michael is the only prisoner to not react when they show the mask. He just stands their silently...and we do not actually see Michael’s face until he is wearing the mask. He always has his back to the camera, or his face is shrouded by something. When Michael realizes that the journalists have his mask – what I believe to be the very essence of his being – it is in this moment that Michael the killer truly re-emerges. Our first sound from Michael is heard when he and his mask are reunited. He cradles the mask for a moment after his first kill, almost savoring the reunion, and when he puts it on, we hear him breathing deeply…as if he only came alive once he and his true face are joined. While he never speaks a word, even in the mask, his true face is enough to inspire pure terror in his victims.
While he is a murderous psycho, I was surprised to discover that Michael Myers does, in fact, have a heart. As we follow Michael on his killing spree, I noticed something intriguing. While he does seem to have an insatiable lust for the kill, I notice that Michael only kills when his prey is able to run. In four separate instances: with the baby, with Allyson, with the inmates and with Laurie, he chooses not to extinguish his prey, but to show mercy by allowing them to live...almost as if they are unworthy of him if they cannot fight back…with the only exception being his sister, Laurie.
They say that of all the kinds of love in the world, the love shared between a mother and her child is the most powerful of all. When we first meet Laurie Strode in this movie, you can clearly see the high walls she has erected around her life. Her house is heavily armored and so is her heart…but her obsession with killing her murderous brother has driven a deep wedge between Laurie and her daughter, Karen. Her walls come crashing down, however, when she learns that her brother, Michael Myers, has escaped from custody. Now, Laurie feels that powerful, maternal instinct that all mothers feel when their baby is threatened…to protect her daughter and granddaughter from her murderous brother. As Laurie hides her daughter in the secret room and goes to confront Michael, mother and daughter exchange a heartfelt “I love you” and this, I believe signifies the healing of their bond. When Karen and Allyson are trapped in the secret room, we see that same love-fire burning again when Karen takes up her own weapon to protect her daughter from Michael.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matchiak, Judy Greer, James Jude Courtney
It has been 40 years since Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) on Halloween night. After being imprisoned in an institution for more than two decades, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked Boogyman returns to Haddonfield, Illinois…but this time, she is ready for him.
There is an intimate connection between Michael Myers and the mask he wears when he becomes the killer. I believe that these are not two separate entities – Michael and the mask – but that they only come to life when man and mask are joined together as one.
When the journalists first meet Michael, the prison guard tells them that Michael has not spoken a word in 20 years…almost as if he is a dormant volcano waiting for the perfect moment to erupt. This is also illustrated by the fact that Michael is the only prisoner to not react when they show the mask. He just stands their silently...and we do not actually see Michael’s face until he is wearing the mask. He always has his back to the camera, or his face is shrouded by something. When Michael realizes that the journalists have his mask – what I believe to be the very essence of his being – it is in this moment that Michael the killer truly re-emerges. Our first sound from Michael is heard when he and his mask are reunited. He cradles the mask for a moment after his first kill, almost savoring the reunion, and when he puts it on, we hear him breathing deeply…as if he only came alive once he and his true face are joined. While he never speaks a word, even in the mask, his true face is enough to inspire pure terror in his victims.
While he is a murderous psycho, I was surprised to discover that Michael Myers does, in fact, have a heart. As we follow Michael on his killing spree, I noticed something intriguing. While he does seem to have an insatiable lust for the kill, I notice that Michael only kills when his prey is able to run. In four separate instances: with the baby, with Allyson, with the inmates and with Laurie, he chooses not to extinguish his prey, but to show mercy by allowing them to live...almost as if they are unworthy of him if they cannot fight back…with the only exception being his sister, Laurie.
They say that of all the kinds of love in the world, the love shared between a mother and her child is the most powerful of all. When we first meet Laurie Strode in this movie, you can clearly see the high walls she has erected around her life. Her house is heavily armored and so is her heart…but her obsession with killing her murderous brother has driven a deep wedge between Laurie and her daughter, Karen. Her walls come crashing down, however, when she learns that her brother, Michael Myers, has escaped from custody. Now, Laurie feels that powerful, maternal instinct that all mothers feel when their baby is threatened…to protect her daughter and granddaughter from her murderous brother. As Laurie hides her daughter in the secret room and goes to confront Michael, mother and daughter exchange a heartfelt “I love you” and this, I believe signifies the healing of their bond. When Karen and Allyson are trapped in the secret room, we see that same love-fire burning again when Karen takes up her own weapon to protect her daughter from Michael.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.