The Steves discuss the 2018 blockbuster, Halloween!
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
The Steves discuss the 2018 blockbuster, Halloween!
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
Hello returning happies and new listeners. This is SteveBennet-Martin,
Stephen:and this isStephen Martin-Bennet. And welcome to a lifetime of how.
Steve:The podcast where we'll take you on our attorney through some of the movies and TV shows and other bits of pop culture that are helping to keep us happy. We'll hopefully bring a smile to your face along the way.
Stephen:I love romantic music
Steve:all my life. And today we're heading back to Haddonfield for the 2018 blockbuster Halloween
Stephen:2018 blockbuster. I feel like it came out in 1978.
Steve:Oh, that was the original. This is. Reboot of the same name slash SQL to the original, with the same name. It's basically a new movie and you'll love it. I do love it. I
Stephen:knew all about it. So before we get into all that, darling, what's been making us happy.
Steve:Well, keeping with the horror theme, flesh and a slasher flesh and blood on shutter. Yes.
Stephen:Do tell
Steve:is a season. I believe it is. I think it's four of slasher. Although the series has had some ups and downs, as it jumps from network to network, depending on the season, the
Stephen:first season was fantastic about a girl coming home and having reliving trauma from years ago. Second season was the one that I felt was not as strong where the people were up at that cabin for. Friends trip and it went all wonky. The third one is the one that took place over a 24 hour period at the apartment building. That one was good. Yeah.
Steve:But I, I would say that this one's probably my favorite one so far, this, this one flesh and blood it's on. Right now, and all the episodes are available. It did come out like two at a time, week by week. And I can't imagine that cause we benched it in a day or two
Stephen:didn't we? And it's one of those that I would not have been able to handle waiting.
Steve:Yes. And that the premise is simple. The patriarch of a family is going to leave his entire fortune to just one of his next. Family members with sorted relations to one another.
Stephen:And most of them are just
Steve:awful. Exactly. And all they need to do is play a game or two.
Stephen:Yeah. And you know, whoever wins gets everything. And this is one that's a really good mixture of horror and intentional camping. Yes.
Steve:I agree that there was a bunch of camp there, but the horror was very horrific at times.
Stephen:Like the a lot of the deaf things would never have been able to make it onto network television at all,
Steve:not at all. And speaking of things that didn't make it onto network television, what's something else that you've been enjoying my
Stephen:love. So. I absolutely love Elvira mistress of the dark. Really. We did
Steve:a whole episode about her. People can go back to listen to it if they love her too,
Stephen:as they should, because it's a really good episode. And it's a great movie. The person behind Elvira, Cassandra Peterson she released an autobiography because she has been playing Elvis. For 40 years. Wow.
Steve:That is quite a long time to be playing
Stephen:one character. Yeah. And so she has this memoir that she released yours, cruelly, Elvira, memoirs of the mistress of the dark. And it goes over Casandra's entire life from growing up through COVID and it is fantastic. It was an absolute page Turner, as you notice from me ending up, staying up later in the later. Cause I just didn't want to put it down. And one of the things that I loved is that the whole book felt like it was stories that you were sitting around at a good friend of yours was just telling you while you want her to be a good
Steve:friend of your stomach.
Stephen:I do. So if Casandra, repeaters and is listening. Call me. Yes.
Steve:And similarly, something that someone's pen, what feels like 40 years in it. I'm back in IAA or Zia playing my final fantasy 14 MMO RPG. And I'm very happy to be back
Stephen:and you're doing that. After goodness, it's probably been a year, a year
Steve:break, but I am getting ready because it has a new expansion coming out next month. And it is one of the few things that could distract me from the Pokemon release. You know, this game that I've spent easily, hundreds of hours in it at this point over the years. And it's one of those games where I can leave and come back and leave and come back. I keep on coming back to it because the world is just so thought out, the characters are just, you know, friends at this point, almost in a certain way, you've
Stephen:spent so many hours on it. You just recently found out we could have a dog.
Steve:Well, yes we do. His name is Remy and he's a pretty cool dog.
Stephen:And so rim Remy and Steve got to meet each other recently. But we are here to talk about my favorite horror franchise and the most recent installment of it Halloween.
Steve:Yes. And while this is the 11th installment in the Halloween franchise, it acts as a direct sequel to the original 1978 film of the same name req counting the previous equals altogether. Yes. So
Stephen:this one only acknowledges that the original 1978 Halloween exists. It pretends that the other ones did not.
Steve:Yes. And so what exactly is a retcon? So
Stephen:a retcon is retroactive continuity and in this case, so it's in the second film in the Halloween series. We find out that Laurie Strode and Michael Myers are brother and sister, and it's in the fourth one that we find out that Laurie died in a car accident and her daughter is now living with extended family. Then there's the seventh one where we find out that four or five and six didn't happen that she is the sister, but she faked her death. And now with this one, we ignore all the sibling stuff. And we just go back to that one night in Haddonfield, on Halloween night.
Steve:Yes. And what good things from the previous titles do you wish that they had kept
Stephen:That is an excellent question and nothing. So like, I, I am very much in two minds of the whole thing. I loved the family angle that gave him his motivation and also kept her on edge for years and years and years. And that the family was always traumatized. But I also love now that his motivation is just killing because he is a bad person and that makes it a little scarier and it can be more visceral and intense. So you've seen them all as well. Yes. Do you, what do you think about them removing the continental?
Steve:I like it as well. There's just something to be said about him being an evil, like murder machine with no rhyme or reason. There are times throughout this movie that I questioned why he's still going after Lori specifically, if it's not the family angle, but I'm sure we'll get to that when we hit at that point in discussion.
Stephen:And so back, whenever H2O came out
Steve:with a theory, I have a theory and you love telling it. So I may share with our listeners
Stephen:do so. The internet was for normal people was in its beginning stages back then. So like there, wasn't a lot of hearing about things very far in advance, whenever H2O was coming out in 1998. So. I had watched one through six and it wasn't until right before the movie came out, that I found out that seven was going to ignore four or five and six. And as I was watching it, I was like, you know what, this easily could have still connected all of them. And it would have probably made Lori's character a little Less sympathetic, but, so there's the scene where she's laying on the couch with her boyfriend and they're talking and she's finally spilling all the news of what had happened to her back in 1978. And that it's our, her brother and that she faked her death. Honestly, I feel like there, they could have added another thing that I felt that he was coming after me and I faked my death and I left my. With family for bait, but, and I thought that he wouldn't go after her, that it was only for me, but he still went after her. And it was only a few years ago that I found out that he actually had killed her. And and you know, and I'm still always waiting for him to come for me. I felt like that little bit could have connected all of them and we wouldn't have three. Halloween timelines like we do
Steve:now. Yes, we do. And speaking of the three different timelines, this isn't the first time that they tried to read fresh air into the Halloween franchise back in 2007 Rob zombie rebooted it all together with his Halloween. Yes, he did. And what was the problem with that one?
Stephen:It spent the first hour of the movie explaining Michael's motivation and it was. As a child and like almost all Rob zombie movies, the family was poor white trash and unlikeable and just awful. And so it really was focused on why Michael is the way he is. And while the family angle might've explained that a bit, Rob zombie's thing just drove it into the ground in that first. It was rough. It was
Steve:long. Yes. And then even when they flashed to the Halloween night that it all took place with Laurie, Laurie and her friends were in half as likable, if at all. Likable. Yes. And so after the the release of his Halloween two in 2009 the original plan next movie was going to be Halloween three. And
Stephen:with that, unfortunately, everything was going 3d
Steve:at that. Yes, it was. And it was originally gonna be picked up where two left off with Lori being committed to a psychiatric hospital after murdering Dr. Loomis and sheriff bracket with Michael trying to track her down one year later. Now, what do you think of that setup? Offer a movie awful. Awful.
Stephen:Awful. Because in his Halloween too, he turned lorry into a villain. Yes. There is no world where Laurie is the villain. That's I'm sorry. That's like, I'm trying to make Nancy from nightmare on Elm street, the villain. Yes.
Steve:And luckily it was delayed due to concerns over budget as well as quality. And it was, but the idea was revived a few years later with plans to spin off on the success of paranormal activity, by making it into a found footage. A documentary about a series of murders by a deranged fan taking place during the making of an in universe film based on the original SQL script.
Stephen:Oh, so let me say that idea actually sounds pretty interesting. I kind of liked that.
Steve:Well it sounds like the hammer normal activity meets scream too. Right. And just screen three.
Stephen:And with that, it could have existed. After Halloween resurrection, because as much as some people really hate Halloween resurrection, I felt it was really fun. And it was a good time. It is, I still don't feel the low point of the Halloween franchise. I believe that is Halloween five, not six with Paul red, like so many people like to think, I think it is actually five. But that movie, if it had, if it could have continued. The timeline from Busta rhymes, entire banks in Halloween, resurrection. I think that would have been fun. I'm still glad it never actually happened, but I like that idea better than. How Rob zombies one, two and 3d. Yes.
Steve:And luckily all of these blenders together led to dimension films, losing their rights, which were later obtained by bloom house production with giant carpenter's involvement. Yes. So as we see in this movie, it works out to its favor. A filmmaker is David Gordon green and Danny McBride proposed their vision to the two and it was accepted. Then the four guys, Jamie Lee Curtis in the castle onboard to reprise their roles as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers
Stephen:respect. Yep. And that was in part, thanks to jig Jill and hall, who is Jamie Lee? Curtis has godson who she is really close with the Jillian hall family, Jake and Maggie. And he talked her through it and helped her to see that this is the version of Laurie that she was born to play. And. Thank you, Jake Gyllenhaal. Thank
Steve:you. And it was produced by Malek, a Cod son of Mustafa Cod who produced the original Halloween movie?
Stephen:Yes. Mustafa was murdered along with his daughter and the terrorist bombing of Amman Jordan hotel in 2005. I did not know that. So that is actually quite interesting because I remember in the original, like, you know, part of it said in memory of Mustafa, Cod and that's.
Steve:Hm. Yeah. Jamie Lee Curtis, apparently on the first day of filming saw Malik and, you know, broke down into tears saying like your father would be so
Stephen:proud. Oh, Jamie Lee Curtis has just amazing. Yes, it is.
Steve:Now this movie Halloween was filmed from January to February of 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina, and it premiered at the Toronto international film festival on September 8th, 2018 before its us premier on October 19th, 2018 by universal pictures. Yup.
Stephen:And it got generally positive reviews from critics, both as the best Halloween sequel and a return to form for the. And as far as opinions on that, I absolutely agree. I wasn't sure how I felt about them getting rid of the family angle until I saw this. And I was like, oh my goodness, this is the sequel that we needed all along. It took 40 years and it needed that 40 years to get these characters where they are. But I feel this was the Halloween sequel we needed. What did you think?
Steve:I agree. And so did the rest of the world because it grossed over$255 million worldwide. And the seating scream as the highest grossing slasher film, film, and unadjusted us dollars.
Stephen:Yes. And this was the most successful. Halloween movie in terms of gross revenue. The second was Halloween H2O, and third being the original Halloween, but in, on adjusted dollars because the original Halloween made sense. H2O it made 75. Yes.
Steve:And when things do well, they get sequels and two sequels are in the works. One of them comes out this Friday, Halloween kills. Meanwhile, Halloween ends is set to come out October 14th, 2022. If the pandemic or just America and the real world, the letting it any further, hopefully it does not screw
Stephen:this up and ruin it for me. People wear a mask, get the.
Steve:Yes. Now, early in this script, the film had Jamie Lloyd from four and five as Laurie's adult daughter. However, a subsequent rewrites changed her to Karen Daniel Harris who played Jamie objected quite publicly. The reason for all this was to simplify continuity with the creative team explaining making Halloween too is a lot easier than making Halloween 11
Stephen:and while having her name, Jamie Lloyd would have been a nice non. It would have caused people to constantly compare and they would be thinking of how it's all related by changing the name in. It removes any connection and that is okay. Yes.
Steve:And as we mentioned earlier, another thing that was dishes, Lori being related to Michael Myers with the writers, feeling Michael being a random killer rather than an upset brother was scarier. They were right? Yes. After Jamie Lee Curtis was. Or, you know, recast her original role. They later announced that Judy Greer was going to playing Laurie's daughter, Karen Nelson, shortly followed by Andy Matt attack as Laurie's granddaughter, Alison once they were in place, it became an official that castle would reprise Meyers sharing the role with stunt man, James Jude, Courtney. So
Stephen:you and I love Judy Greer. Yes,
Steve:we do. And she normally is in funny things. She
Stephen:is, and from 13, going on 30 arrested develop. The good dog movie on Hulu. Judy Greer is a very talented actress, comedic actress. This was outside of what we know of. Judy's usual acting comfort zone in terms of roles that she's. And she's brilliant. Yes,
Steve:she is. And speaking of brilliant while the entire creative team behind this movie clearly knew what they were doing. I do want to give a special shout out to Christopher Nelson for the makeup and visual effects, because it looks beautiful. The visual effects are just gory when they need to be, but they don't show too much when they don't need to, to keep that mystery. You know, he previously is known for his role in the kill bill movies. And I think that he definitely put that in Tarantino grew like gruesomeness. It's
Stephen:a good, and I also think that he needs a shout out. Jamie Lee Curtis is a beautiful woman. He made her look rough. Yeah. And not like, oh, she's wearing prosthetics rough. It made it look real. And we have seen, seen her in knives out where she looked flawless. That is what, how she looks in these movies was thanks to Christopher Nelson. Yes.
Steve:And so getting into the thick of it with this plot, it starts with true crime podcasts. There's Erin Corey and Dana Haynes played by Jefferson hall and Rayanne Reese respectively meeting. Dr. Sartain played by. Hello, bill Jenner.
Stephen:He is Dr. Loomis's prototype.
Steve:Yes. And they are preparing well, he's preparing them for a meeting with Michael Myers in his sanitary.
Stephen:Yeah. And we get to see Michael from behind. And although you can kind of see that is, you know, he's 61 years old now, and it kind of shows from a partial view of his face. Aaron baits him with the mask and Michael doesn't turn around, but the moment you know, He holds up the mask. He, Michael could like the moment Aaron holds it up. Michael could feel it.
Steve:Yes. Yes. Certainly sets off the other patients to get us the kind of sense of fear and dread that we were hoping.
Stephen:So one of my favorite quotes is from Dr. Loomis and they've used it in several films and it is, I met him 15 years ago. I was told there was nothing left, no reason, no conscience, no understanding of even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil right or wrong. I met the six-year-old child with this pale blank emotionless face and the blackest eyes, the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him and the other seven, trying to keep him locked up because I realized that what was living behind those boys' eyes was purely and simply.
Steve:Evil. Yes. But these podcasts has don't seem to think. So they think that there's knowledge to be gained by learning about Myers. And so after they kind of struck out not getting the response, they were hoping from Myra personally, because they expected
Stephen:him to speak. Yes,
Steve:they did. And he was like, speak dog. And the dog did not speak and he was surprised. So then they end up going to Laurie Strode, who is now a highly guarded shut-in who lets them in when they offer$3,000. And I just want to point out as a podcaster, that is ridiculous. Podcasts just don't have$3,000 to be bribing their informants or their subjects. Yeah.
Stephen:The only thing I can think. Is like if NPR was footing the bill
Steve:produced by Wondery. Yeah, exactly.
Stephen:Laurie is clearly suffering from PTSD from her trauma and she's had two failed marriages and our daughter was removed from her custody at the age of 12. Yeah. And she, when talking to the podcasters and she's just very matter of fact, and she's very Curt you don't believe in the boogeyman. Well, you should.
Steve:Yeah. And when they explained that their goal is to understand Michael, they want to try and get Lori face-to-face with Michael before he's transferred to a different prison tomorrow for life to which he replies by kicking them out.
Stephen:Ah, yeah, that didn't work well for them. And now we shift focus and we meet Karen and Alison, along with the dad character, Ray played by Toby. And Alison is being admitted to the national honor society. And Karen lies to Alison about inviting grandma, Laurie. But Alison knows it's alive because she invited Lori personally.
Steve:And you were probably almost definitely in the national honor. Society was for the whole family. Just show up or did you try and not invite someone?
Stephen:Like. All my family lived at least an hour away. So it was just mom and dad, because Barry was already living in Cincinnati by that point. So it was just mom and dad. My
Steve:Grammy got to come to my national honor society. A celebration dinner.
Stephen:Well, your Grammy probably wasn't a PTSD shut in.
Steve:She was not thankfully. Now, Laura not Laurie. That was another movie. No, this time around it's her granddaughter. Alison is walking to school and we get to meet her friends. Vicky played by Virginia. And stoner Dave miles Robbins. And they're discussing how her family goes all weird at Halloween and how her grandmother will only talk about Michael, what happened and how she has been traumatized ever since
Stephen:then. Original idea for Michael Myers was of an urban legend come to life Haddonfield like most towns and of America has its own dark history and gossip about what has been going on in the past and at the tender age of six and expressionless Michael Meyer stabs his sister. He's then institutional lights and Smith's Grove Sanitarium, which is where he still is in this movie. And for 15 years, the mythology of Michael Myers was told over and over in the town of Haddonfield. We're shown kids in the original movie, crossing the street so that they don't have to walk in front of the Myers house and Halloween, both versions is a story about what happens when a town's book. Turns out to be real and comes
Steve:home. Yes. And along that walk, they confirm that Lori is definitely not related to Michael Myers. That's just a myth. Yep. Further acknowledgement the urban legend ghost story aspect of Michael Myers. And what's happened in this town. Yep.
Stephen:And Dave suggested by today's sand standards, the O G massacre in 78 isn't too bad agree or disagree. Five people. I
Steve:mean, I agree that it's like by today's standards, not the worst thing that could have ever happened in general, but for that small town, it seems like it would be, that's the type of thing where, you know, I doubt that Haddon fields had at school shootings, you know? Correct. And so as much as, you know, if I don't think it would make national headlines or anything today, but it certainly would rock a little town I can imagine. And Lori's traumas what should happen to people when. Through shit like
Stephen:that. Yeah. And we've seen in many other horror movies where a final girl is in more than one movie.
Steve:And you don't oftentimes see the trauma of the
Stephen:first one, not to the extent that we're seeing it here. So they finally make it to school and we meet Allison's boyfriend. Cameron, he alum and goofball.
Steve:Oscar. Yes. And cameras played by Dylan Arnold's while Oscars played by truce. CA Cameron, you told me this connection, which I didn't realize
Stephen:is the, camera's the son of Lonnie illum, the bully from the original 1978 Halloween that tormented Tommy Doyle. And there's a scene where Tommy and Lori are talking because Lori's babysitting Tommy. And he's like, well, Tommy Doyle said, or, sorry, Lonnie ELAM said this. And Laurie said something along the lines of blue. Lonnie ELAM is also going to probably end up in jail. So, yeah. And so like it's not a great family and there's even acknowledging. From at the national honor society, post dinner with a family where Ray Allison's dad was like, oh yeah, I used to hang out and do drugs with your dad. Like showing that Lonnie ylem did grow up to be the loser. That Laurie said he was going to be in 1978. Yeah. And
Steve:it doesn't really bother any viewers if they didn't put the connection together. But if they do it as kind of hint that camera's going to turn out to be a deuce back. Yep. Spoiler alert. Yes. And if we haven't mentioned it, we are going to be spoiling the entire plot. So you should hopefully have already
Stephen:seen this. Yes. Because it has been three.
Steve:Yes. Now in class, the teacher is talking about how you can't escape the past, just like in the original. And the voice is actress, PJ souls, who totally play it. Linda and the original movie as final victim. Totally. Yes. In the original movie in this scene, we see Laurie looking out the window and sees Michael on the window this time. Alison sees Laurie. Yeah.
Stephen:And that's a really interesting juxtaposition and Alison goes out and meets her and she wants to know why Lori can't get over with. Especially after what it costs her, including her family. And Lori says if the way she raised Karen caused her to hate her, but it would end up saving her life. Then she was okay with that.
Steve:Yes. And they break for the honors induction ceremony. And Laurie later shows up to dinner after the honor society to a cold reception and a big giant gulp of. Karen is kind of sending to Lori while Alison continues to sympathize with her and
Stephen:Laurie compare barely get out sentences and she can't seem to focus on anything. And she says, I saw. I saw the shape and Halloween fans will know that in the movie credits, Michael is always referred to as the shape. It never says Michael Myers in the credits and that the name, the shape dates back to the Salem witch trial judges who were referred to spirits who harmed others as
Steve:shapes. I do not. And realize that last part, I didn't know that he was always called the shape, even though he had a name in the movies. Yes. And this results in Karen describing her trauma and. I learned how to shoot a gun. When I was eight, I learned how to fight. I had nightmares about the basement social services came when I was 12 and took me away. I've spent my entire life trying to overcome the paranoia and neuroses she has projected on me.
Stephen:So. Even though we know Laurie ends up being right.
Steve:That Michael does come back. Yep. And that they did need to have,
Stephen:does that justify what she put Karen through as a child?
Steve:I would say that there's probably a middle ground to prepare her without having her live like a war, like
Stephen:life. Yeah. It didn't need to be like branch Davidian cult, like at their home. Laurie, obviously had never gone through self-help 12 steps, anything along those ways. She probably pushed away any help that ever came towards her. And this was how she was going to deal with this trauma. And as we saw, she puts it on to Karen. I agree with you. I think it's important. She learned.
Steve:What happened to her mom and be prepared for what happens if Michael comes back?
Stephen:I don't. I think that Laurie probably could have done it a different
Steve:way. Yes. Now we then go to a night scene at meeting a dad with the cutest little gay boy who just wants to dance and nothing bad can happen to a kid of that age in this movie. Right, babe,
Stephen:you would think so, but I'm pretty sure the boy is post.
Steve:Yes. And the bus was in an accident and the passengers got out, including Michael I'm in the process. The creepy Dr. Sartain is accidentally shot by the kid, which I guess is even though it was purely an accident, what gave it the okay. For him to be murdered?
Stephen:Yeah, probably. And usually in horror movies, if a child is past the age of puberty, they are. In the age range where they can be murdered by a slash sure. Killer.
Steve:Yes. And on the way back from visiting you to scrape where Michael was visiting, as well
Stephen:as these people, which is it's interesting because back in the 19 78 1, yeah. Michael took the headstone and so of course he's out and he's drawn back to do that's grave again.
Steve:Yes. Meanwhile, our podcasts are stop at arrest station resulting in the F first like major death scenes of characters. We knew. In the movie and I'll never use a public stall ever again.
Stephen:Was it that they weren't cleaned well or was it what happened with the teeth and being murdered?
Steve:The teeth and being murdered part, I can handle a dirty pisser.
Stephen:So Michael gets his mask back and I personally believe that this is the best man. In the Halloween series. Yes.
Steve:And not only is it important for him to get as deaths or not for, to get his masks back, but I think it is also important to see how they handle deaths, because so far they've been mostly off screen. This is your first chance to really see just the brutality of what he can put his victims through. Brutal
Stephen:was the right word. It was like choking one of them out until he could snap her neck. The other one, just banging the head against the wall. He broke up all the teeth of the service station person and used one of those air things and stabbed it through the guy and killed him with the. There are not pulling any punches with the
Steve:yes, not at all. And now it's Halloween and Karen fails, Lori security tests, and I love her. You're dead. Yes. Sometimes I can't tell the difference between your stupidity and your ignorance,
Stephen:which is just fantastic. And the reason Laurie went there, not just to give a security test, but was to tell her. That Michael is
Steve:loose. Yes. And Karen tries to play it off as not a big deal saying the world's not a dark and evil place. It's full of love and understanding.
Stephen:So in this one, I think Laurie is justified in her fear and her
Steve:anger. Yes, exactly. Because Michael is for. And in this world, the world is not full of love and understanding because it's a horror movie. Karen just doesn't know it yet
Stephen:sooner or later, Karen does figure out that she's in a horror
Steve:film. Yes. Meanwhile, we see Michael strolling the street on Halloween going through a house and killing its owner randomly along the way. And already his body count is officially higher than the first movie, which
Stephen:is crazy. And I know that we get desensitized to murders over the years with horror movies. And it's also interesting to look back and Halloween was one of the godfathers of the slasher genre. Yes, for sure. But to think, oh, only five people died and nowadays you're like, oh, the body count, you have to do. Higher than that. Yes. And
Steve:after he killed the child in the car, I was worried when he saw a little baby crying, but at least he ends up leaving the baby alone. He doesn't kill babies. He continues his blood bath walking down the street in plain sight, going from like house to house, randomly killing people. So
Stephen:Debra Hill one of the co-creators of the Halloween franchise and producer of clue, the movie, which I love. It gives us an idea on how Michael came to be. The idea was that you couldn't kill evil. And that was how we came about the story. We went back to the old idea of som Hayne. That Halloween was the night where all the souls are let out to wreak havoc on the. And then came up with a story about the most evil kid who had ever lived. And when John Carpenter came up with a fable of a town with a dark secret of someone who wants to live there, and now that that's evil has came, has come back. That's what made it Halloween work. And it does work. Yeah. And, but I like that idea that it's because of this night and that's when the evil souls are allowed to call it. Havoc and
Steve:destruction. Yes. And speaking of havoc and destruction, we see it being set up for a blood bath with the teen crew because the kids are having their Halloween party and Alison and camera's Bonnie and Clyde cost. And my hands had had previously as a gender swapped and actually pretty cute, clever that she steps out there called Vicky who's babysitting Julian, the amazingly funny interrupt brawl, Nan Tambo.
Stephen:Yup. And the scenes between Vicky and Joel. R a plus. Yeah. It's like, it's
Steve:the whole, like her teasing him that he's not the, like the, her favorite kid that she babysits and he's like, we used to be friends and now I don't know who you are. Like, I just was like, I, you know, I had a feeling that he was safe, but I was just like, I wanted Vicki to stay alive so bad.
Stephen:And unfortunately after that great rapport between them, we go back to Alison going back into the party and we see a girl kissing. And he doesn't exactly push her away. And we learned that he's absolutely
Steve:the worst even dumpster phone into the Punchbowl, taking that out of the equation for the movie, which I know is necessary to not have her have her cell phone, but it also sets him up where I'm like, why did he get to live? I hope he dies in the next one.
Stephen:Yeah. And it's at that moment pretty much when the phone dies and the punch that Laurie and Karen are. Alison baby. You need to come home. Yes. Too bad because the illum children
Steve:are awful. Yes. Meanwhile, Dave joins Vicki and Julian who wakes up claiming shifts, seen the boogeyman he's in the closet.
Stephen:Yeah. And this one is sad because there's some more joking where Vicky goes up there and she's like, you need to get out of here right now. And like pretending there's somebody there. And then she's like, God. And he does the whole, you know, you used to be cool and you know, can you close the door? And she goes over to close the closet door and it won't close, no matter how many times she slams the door and she opens it and it's Michael and she dies. Dave dies. The kid gets away and funny things calling back to the original Michael covers Vicki up with a sheet, kind of how Bob or how he pretended to be Bob going up to see. Totally. And then he also pins Dave to the wall as he did Bob. Yes.
Steve:Meanwhile, the sheriff and Lori are both right on Michael's trail hearing this you know, death massacre being reported as a domestic disturbance. Yes. Leading the, for Lori to get to meet Dr. Sartain, who will be along for the ride with sheriff. And at that point, Laurie shares did, you know, I would pray every night for him. And then they asked her, why would you do that? So
Stephen:I could kill him.
Steve:Yes. And in the cop car, we finally start to see that Dr. Sartain is really creepy about wanting to get inside Michael's mind. And I think that the humans with his penis, I don't
Stephen:think
Steve:so. I sorry. Okay. I mean, he has to see must be apprehended and not harmed. And there definitely seems to be something like slightly oddly, like sexual at the way. He's like, I want to get inside him and his mind
Stephen:where, so Dr. Loomis had originally been obsessed with Michael as well, trying to read. And then as I quoted earlier, he realized that there was no reaching him, that he was evil. Dr. Loomis even says, death is the only option for Michael. There is nothing to be learned from him. It needs to die. Dr. Sartain has not gotten to that point yet. And may have even gone further down the rabbit hole where he's like, I need to be the one and. Like, is it fame that he wants? Is it, cause I doubt that it's clearly or just a, oh, I'm going to help this person. I don't think
Steve:it's that? No weird like transfection on him. Yeah. Meanwhile, Oscar is walking. Alison home takes the. And since Laurie and Karen can't get in touch with her via cell phone, Alison seems to have no idea what's going on. Oscar puts the moves on Alison falling into the it's. Okay. For me, if he gets killed category as Alison leaves some trunk in the backyard with those, the motion sensor lights, which again, I will freak out when the motion sensor lights now go on and off and outside the house.
Stephen:Ours stay on longer than this guys because. With this, like Michael would move Oscar thought it was the neighbor guy. And after about 15, 20 seconds lights went off and then Michael would move again and lights came on and he was progressively like almost like Nightcrawler, ING, bam thing across the yard. Like red light green light do like when the lights came back on and I'm sorry, not sorry. Oscar dies violently. And Alison hears the screaming runs back and comes face to face with Michael for the first time in a thing that is kind of reminiscent of whenever Michael and Jamie and Halloween H2O. Ma at that window pane. Yes. Whenever Michael had just gotten through the. Rod iron gate. So gait face-to-face it works. She runs away screams for help gets I help.
Steve:Yes. She ends up getting help from sheriff and Dr. Sartain who meet up with her and are going to take her to safety with no issues along the way. There. Just kidding. Sheriff, seasoned, Michael, and decides to run them over and start team goes and kills the sheriff to try and protect Michael while Allison's trapped in the back. Yeah. And he puts on Michael's mask and puts Michael in the backseat with Alison while he villains speaks about his plans to reunite Myers with Laurie Sartain is clearly obsessed with hearing Michael speak at this point, even just one word and
Stephen:it, and it really is just an obsession. So as I was doing some deep dive about Halloween, there is a fan theory. So Michael was run over. Michael has been shot. Michael has been seen. We've seen it a lot. So there's a fan theory that the reason Michael seems to be superhuman or at least have an inhumane pain threshold, is that he may be suffering from congenital annals, GI analgesia, a rare condition where a person doesn't feel any
Steve:pain at all. And that's why you need to wear condoms kids.
Stephen:No, that's not handled with an antibiotic. These people are just as mortal and easily injured as the rest of us, but because they don't feel pain, they are unaware of what injures them. And they come across as having superhuman. Oh,
Steve:okay. It sounded like an STI. It was not. Okay. Well this is when you give him the chance to go for Alison the backseat or Dr. Sartain in the front, why do you think he goes for Dr. S giving Alison a chance to escape? I have
Stephen:that one because I think that over the past X number of years, we don't actually know how long Sartain has been with him. Michael knows who his tormentor. Like he knows that this is the person that has been responsible. Like I wouldn't put it past Sartain to have been like shocking Michael and like doing some sort of like torture therapy to him over the years. So him having this girl that is easy prey locked in a backseat with him or the guy that has been tormenting him for years. Go for the one that's been tormenting you because the girl is still going to be locked in the back seat, allegedly.
Steve:Yes. I mean, when all they get to see Laurie's basement and that is not a sexual innuendo, as she comes up and share, she shares with her family and he's waited for this night. He's waited for me. I've waited for him.
Stephen:I always knew he'd come back. And this town, Michael Myers is a myth. He's the boogeyman, a ghost Scorre story to scare him. But this boogeyman is real and evil. Like his never stops. It just grows older. More determined. 40 years ago, he came to my home to kill. He killed my friends and now he's back to finish what he started with me. The one person who's ready to stop
Steve:him. Yes. Now I had asked earlier, if it's not a sibling thing, like why is Michael tracking down Laurie? Or like, it doesn't even seem like he's like consciously, like able to, you know, or cognitively able to know that that's where he's heading in the car. Cause he was knocked out and like how. That this girl is going to Laurie's house. Like why is he drawn to Laurie? Yup.
Stephen:So I put some deep thought into this and so here's my theory. Okay. He was stalking her 40 years ago by chance. So Laurie's dad was the head of Strode Realty because everybody in the Midwest is. And he says, can you drop these keys off on the way to school? And that was the day she was walking with Tommy to school. And Tommy was like, you can't go over there. That's the spook house. And she goes, I have two. My dad said Michael was already in the house, sees her, put the keys there and is watching her from that moment. He then followed her to school seller outside the window. Followed her home behind the bushes in the. It was that one simple feather favor for her father that set off this chain of events where he, for some reason, became obsessed with her from that one moment outside of his house. Now I think that the Alison and Oscar thing was a coincidence. He was just killing and he wasn't drawn to Alison or anything. I think that was wrong place, wrong time. And. But Michael did see Laurie in the window of when he was upstairs in Vicky's or Julian's house when he had just killed Vicki. And so it got back in his head, you know, I'm coming for her now. Sartain is they're supposed to be taking Alison to the house. Obviously, Michael hears this whenever. He's in the backseat with. And so Sartain gets him close. And at that point, Michael knows he's within spitting distance of Laurie follows the police cars and the flashing red and blue lights and gets to her. I don't know if he was really coming back to Haddonfield to kill Laurie. I don't think so. I think, but
Steve:once the opportunity presented itself, it was too good to
Stephen:pass up. Exactly. That's what I think this
Steve:is. Yes. Meanwhile, back at home, even the police are outside taking care of things. Ray goes out to check on. And gets himself killed, which leads to you saying you brought that on yourself. Exactly. Laurie has a moment with Karen saying I was wrong to raise you the way that I did, but at least I can protect you. Nothing will happen to you.
Stephen:And this was a scene that both of them needed because I don't think Lori had ever apologized for how she treated. Karen. And you finally, and maybe Karen finally. That it came from a place of deep love. And I think that was what both of them needed right
Steve:there. Yes. And as Michael gets up to the house, they have that moment in the window. As you mentioned, that leads to this real visceral struggle between the two at the door where she's almost choked out, but she manages to shoot off a few fingers just in time. Yep.
Stephen:And of course, unfortunately now he is in the house and we could see some of the defenses Lori has. That you know, she's going to clear the rooms and after she clears a room, she hits something on the wall outside, and this gate slams and locks into
Steve:place. Putting a new meeting to behavior. I'll lock you in your room.
Stephen:Yeah. Can you, I know it makes you wonder if she used that on Karen as a timeout, as a timeout.
Steve:Yes. And then in one of the rooms, as she's looking to clear it out it's filled with mannequins, which I get is like her shooting practice. Right. But why she keep them upstairs in the dark? It's creepy as fuck. I, the mannequins are one of those things that I hate the most in horror movies. Cause you know that one of them is not a mannequin like,
Stephen:and I know what you did last summer also
Steve:whenever. Like they make me so tense. Yeah.
Stephen:The scene where Buffy is upstairs in her parents' department store. And you know that the fishermen is under one of the mannequin things. Yes.
Steve:Now this was the struggle results in Lori being thrown off. The second story, showing an Erie eerily, similar shot to Lori, looking down at Michael in the first movie.
Stephen:And just like in the first one, you take your eyes off it for a second and look back in the 1978 Halloween, Michael. And in this one, now Laurie has
Steve:gone. Yes. And what happens in the climax of my life? So
Stephen:Alison makes it home and Karen brings her downstairs and it gives Lori a chance to disappear. Like we said, she disappeared from the yard. We don't know where she is. And Michael has figured out where the girls are and he rips the counter off of the floor because superhuman strength, like we had mentioned, and Karen's down there with Alison she's got a gun, but she's breaking down. I can't do it. I'm sorry, mom. And then Michael steps out to go down the stairs. And all of a sudden, all that thing that Karen was going through disappears, her face turns stone cold, and she goes, gotcha. And she shoots him in the side of the face and showing that, you know, she was pretending, mommy did teach me well. And then Lori steps out of the show. Like Michael did in 1978 and stabs him happy Halloween, Michael. And they shove him down into the cellar and lock him down there. And Alison had been freaking out and she's like, this is a cage. And Karen goes, it isn't. It's a trap and they lock it. More things go across the top. Gas starts coming on, they toss a match and they leave him in there to burn alive. And they're so glad they finally beat him and they don't realize in just a few days. He
Steve:lives, he lives for sure. As I've seen in the previous and I will be seeing that for sure. All
Stephen:right. Super excited. Now I did some more digging Michael Myers is born on October 19th, 1956. Which makes him 61 when Halloween 2018 comes out, that also makes him a Libra like me. Yes.
Steve:The Toria serial killers.
Stephen:Well, some real life serial killers who were born under the LIBOR sign are Pedro monster of the Andes Lopez, a Colombian child killer responsible for more than 110 deaths. And unfortunately 300 rapes. Fred west from England killed 12 young women with the help of his. And Andre Chika Tilo who killed 52 women and children in Russia between 1978 and 1990.
Steve:Well, if he keeps it up for two more movies, I'm sure he's going to be most of those body counts.
Stephen:Oh my gosh. Like, so Michael, because of this new one actually jumped up in the. Slasher kill count. Yeah. Because most of the Hellman movies don't have a huge kill count and it was this one and the next one, it moves him up with the whole Jason and Freddy and Chuckie and stuff. So he's actually moving up the ranks now because of the new. Life calls. Yeah. One other fun fact in there's a scene where they are in Karen's childhood bedroom and Laurie's house. And it briefly flashes on to, you know, one of those homemade, big dollhouses that little girls had. Except what Karen doesn't know is that the doll house that Lori made for her is a replica of the Doyle. Where Lori had her showdown with Michael in 1978.
Steve:Yeah. And that is a fun little nod, but I also don't see Lori as the type to be building a doll house.
Stephen:Look what she did with the whole house.
Steve:I know, but I can imagine her being like, this is fucking stupid.
Stephen:I don't know if probably some other way to like bring trauma onto
Steve:her child. Maybe she had a maternal instinct at some point and just last day. Good B. Now what are some hopes that you have for the
Stephen:cul big hopes for the SQL? I want all three Strode women to make it to Halloween ends the one for next. I want Cameron illum to die in the second one because of what he did to Alison I'm super excited because in the new one we have sheriff bracket from the original we have nurse Nancy from the original, and we also have the original. Lindsey Wallace. Now they have brought back a Tommy Doyle, but it is a different actor saying Tommy Doyle. And they have a Lonnie ELAM as well, different than the original, but all these people that were there, the night he came home in 1978 are here for Halloween kills, which is still the same. As Halloween 2018.
Steve:Yes. I can't wait. We'll be sure to report back on it, on our what's keeping us happy in our next episode, which is going to be
Stephen:paranormal activity. Yes. I had to think of it for a second. Cause I forgot
Steve:paranormal activity followed by Hocus
Stephen:Pocus. Yes. And Hocus Pocus. We'll be having Ronnie diamond join us and paranormal activity. We'll be having Travis Ray. Join us once again. Yes. Now my darling, what are your thoughts on this? And as of itself and as a direct successor of the original,
Steve:well, if it wasn't already part of a franchise, it would definitely be the start of a franchise because it was awesome. And yeah, it definitely has a good return to form. I love all of the Halloween. We've watched it and, you know, and there are different ways, but this is by far, like back to being a horror.
Stephen:Yeah. I really, really like this slasher films or my favorite genre of horror and Halloween is my favorite of the slasher franchises. And this was just really, really good. I'm super excited for Halloween kills this week. And I know we'll be talking about it, but I'm sure that come next October, we're going to be covering Halloween kills just in time for Halloween.
Steve:Yes. And we want to hear from you listeners to find out what your favorite Halloween movie is, how would they get in contact with
Stephen:us? My love, well, you can get in touch with us on all the socials, whether it is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and now tick-tock yes, your
Steve:tick
Stephen:talking, babe. I am tick talk and right and left. And mainly we're putting up our audio grams in there, but we are getting people to join in on the conversation and it's fantastic. All of those are at happy life pod. So we make it easy for you to find us. If you just want to get in touch with us directly,
Steve:you can email us@happylifepodatgmail.com.
Stephen:Yup. And until next time everyone stay happy and stay safe.