Perhaps my most highly anticipated panel of the whole weekend at San Diego Comic-Con was for Halloween. When I first heard that it would have its day in Hall H I tried to make it my priority to get in there despite thinking that it would be virtually impossible. Thankfully, Hall H was a doable endeavor this year and I found myself in the room as Universal and Blumhouse were prepared to blow away the packed crowd who were also hungry for anything from one of the most highly anticipated horror releases in recent memory.
Halloween followed the Glass panel so Yvette Nicole Brown continued on as moderator and, once again, she’s the perfect choice for something like this. Even if she may not have all the knowledge about the project being presented, she’s very present and does a good job moving things along while making the crowd, and the participants, laugh in the progress.
The panel begins with Brown bringing out all the participants one at a time beginning with Jason Blum, the mastermind behind Blumhouse Productions, followed by Malek Akkad, who has spearheaded the Halloween franchise through Trancas International after his father, Moustapha Akkad, passed away. Next on deck was the film’s director, David Gordon Green and last, but not least, was the genre’s favorite Scream Queen, Jamie Lee Curtis. To say that the applause as she walked out brought the house down would be an understatement. The love for her in that room was palpable and it looked like she was humbly soaking it all in.
The panel began with Curtis delving into the power of Laurie Strode and how iconic a character she is. Curtis reflected on the trauma the character suffered when she was 17 and she believes that Laurie, after decades, never had a mental evaluation about it. She carried the trauma and the PTSD of the events over the years and it has led her to where she is in this new film:
“I am not the trauma. The narrative of my life is not that I’m the victim. She’s been waiting for 40 years. She’s waited all these years to take back her narrative.”
Curtis went on to make the connection of Laurie Strode to the #MeToo Movement, focusing on the narrative of women refusing to be victims. It was that aspect of the script written by Danny McBride and Green that made Curtis return to the franchise. They wrote a character who is taking her life back. Curtis’ dedication to delving into the mind of her character made me respect her even more. She could easily dismiss these movies as a quick paycheck or a simple horror film but she’s invested in the journey of the character and it’s important for her to feel connected to the narrative.
Touching on the horror of the film, Curtis explains that she finds random acts of violence terrifying. She believes it is that factor that makes the classic film so scary. A small town in the Midwest where this level of violence and horror isn’t expected. With this latest installment, Laurie is a woman who lives in complete isolation waiting for him to come back because she knows he’s going to.
David Gordon Green gave a bit of backstory as to how he and Danny McBride pitched the idea to John Carpenter. They ran the idea by him at his house and after they were done he had a few questions and they would give him an answer for each one and in the middle of their pitch, Carpenter’s phone rings and his ringtone happens to be the iconic theme from the Halloween films. Green felt like that was the universe telling them they were meant to do this and when Carpenter got off his call, he was all in. He then asked them what he could do to further help and they asked if he could do the music and again, Carpenter obliged.
Carpenter’s involvement, along with the involvement of Curtis, is what made Jason Blum want to get involved under his Blumhouse banner. Blum didn’t seek out the project or push for a remake or sequel, the project was brought to him and when he realized that they wanted to make the franchise scary again and that the original players were on board, he was all in and basically was there to give them the tools they needed.
Before opening up the panel to questions, Green unveiled a scene from the film that showcases how he’s paying homage to the style of the original while bringing his own brand of tension and suspense. The footage starts out with kids trick-or-treating in the small town of Haddonfield. They eventually bump into Michael Myers himself. In what is a continuous one-shot, Michael walks around the back of a house in his full coveralls attire. He picks up a hammer and walks into the kitchen of the house, using the hammer to attack a woman off-camera. When it’s finished, a chair is flipped over, the hammer is bloody and the woman’s body is slumped over a table. Michael picks up a knife, walks past a crib with a crying baby and walks around the front of another house. The camera pans to a family getting ready in another home. A woman is talking on the phone as Michael walks around the side of the house. The woman looks out through her blinds and sees nothing. As she begins to close the blinds, Michael is seen approaching the woman and stabbing her in the neck. From here, the original trailer is shown with added extra clips.
The scene, which is impressive in that it is one continuous shot with no cuts, has a series of easter eggs from Halloween II that will make fans happy who were a bit bummed that this film decided to ignore all the films after the original Halloween. The signature musical themes are front and center in the scene and it looks like it’s going to be a highlight of the film.
Perhaps the most poignant moment of the panel happened as questions were opened up to the audience. A fan, shedding tears during his comment, explained how he was once stalked by a knife-wielding intruder in his home and how Curtis’ Strode character inspired him to take action and defend himself. At first, I thought the crowd would snicker and joke, but the moment was so genuine that just about everyone in Hall H felt how strong the emotions were. It truly represents the power of the genre and the connection that Curtis spoke earlier about. There is something tangible in these films that speak to the audience. Curtis came down from the panel and embraced the fan for a lengthy amount of time as he cried in her shoulder. You can’t hear what she’s saying to him but it appears she’s reassuring him and commending him on his bravery.
When Curtis gets back on stage she states “that’s what it’s all about people.” Essentially all the scary stuff is fun and the movies are entertaining but it’s a real moment like that one that makes her proud to do these films. With the film series has spanned 40 years, Curtis has admitted that she finds it “mind-blowing” how it has lasted, both for Michael and her character of Laurie Strode. Curtis also admitted that the character of Laurie Strode is the best role she will ever play and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Jamie Lee Curtis proved in every way during that panel that she has earned her status as the queen of this genre and she ensures that on October 19, Laurie Strode will have her retribution.
SO stoked you got to experience this and SO JEALOUS that you got to see that clip!