Something I Watched

Tis the season to be spooky so I decided to start early and watch the original Halloween movie. While the horror in the film is definitely dated, there is still some terror about it that is purely psychological.

The villain of the film is commonly referred to by name as Michael Meyers, however the film credits him as 'The Shape.' What is the shape? There are certainly inhuman aspects to this character (super strength, seemingly invulnerable), so I think it's important to remember that the man in the mask is not human at all. Rather, it seems to be a shape of evil. Born out of unknown circumstances in a small, suburban town (much like Norridge, my brain liked to tell me while watching). 

The film came out during a time of uncertainty for America's future as well. In 1978 we were deep within the cold war and at least my mom shared her past anxieties of nuclear annihilation from the Soviet Union. I think we can see some of these anxieties within Halloween as well. The Shape is a force of evil no professional or (in Jamie Lee Curtis's case) teen girl could comprehend. It stalked Americans day in and day out, existing on the periphery. Faceless and lethal. 

I know it sounds like a lot of this article is all gloom and doom, but there is a silver lining. We got through it in the past. Some of you reading this have gotten through several major historical events. Things are constantly ebbing and flowing. Within Halloween we saw influences of the women's liberation movement of the 60s and 70s. The independence and strength Lorie (Curtis) exuded is indicative of our need to keep fighting for a better future. It sucks, but protecting the next generation from unspeakable horror is a noble ambition.

Side note: The Shape is doubly terrifying for me as my Grandpa Igoe wore a similar plumbers uniform like every day so the Shape felt a bit too close to home for me ;)