Jamie Lee Curtis is a legend of both horror and film in general. Her career has gone through many phases, but perhaps her most famous role is as Laurie in the “Halloween” franchise. There’s something about that series that remains so relevant, and she agrees. In an interview with Variety, Jamie Lee Curtis recently compared the newest “Halloween” revamp to the political landscape of the United States today.
While the interview began in order to talk about Curtis’ Venician award, the topic quickly turned to the new “Halloween” movies. According to Curtis, “This all began when Jason Blum wrote David Gordon Green a one-word email: “Halloween?” And David and Danny McBride conceived a trilogy.” Green signed on to direct a reboot of “The Exorcist” for Peacock. He’ll helm the film after his work on “Halloween” in 2018 and “Halloween Kills” this year. Danny McBride wrote those movies, and both collaborators will come back for the third film titled “Halloween Ends.”
Jamie Lee Curtis liked the political reading in the film from the director and writer, although she conceded that it was probably unintentional.
We got to see in the 2018 movie that Laurie had become the personification of trauma. It married at the time when the MeToo Movement was at it’s ascent. Here you have a movie about a woman traumatized for 40 years and she is now rising up… And what they’ve done with the second part of the trilogy was, ‘what happens when the rest of the people in that town get angry?’Jamie Lee Curtis, Variety
One might say that Curtis is giving the franchise too much credit. However, I can see the perspective she’s taking. Politics can, consciously or unconsciously, bleed into every part of the art we create. The comparison doesn’t stop there; Curtis goes on to talk about how “Halloween Kills” will continue the topical conversation.
So somehow they intuited in understanding that the next wave of trauma is rage. They wrote a movie about mob violence and five months later, the mobs started to gather. We were supposed to come out a year ago. And then Jan. 6 happened – This was supposed to be released in October of last year and now we’re watching a mob descend on the U.S. capital. That’s what the next movie is about … There’s a group of people who are very angry at the authorities and are going to take the law into their own hands. Jamie Lee Curtis, Variety
This is an odd comparison to be making. The town of Haddonfield rising up because they don’t feel safe with Mike Myers around is a bit different than the January 6th riots. Way fewer flags for one. But the basic reading is understandable. It’s funny how life imitates art sometimes isn’t it?
“Halloween Kills” will come out on October 15th just in time for … you know.
