Interviews
John Carpenter Weighs in With His Thoughts on ‘Friday the 13th’
John Carpenter created one of the most iconic slashers of all time with 1978’s Halloween. And just like Hollywood does today, they saw a movie that was made for practically pennies (in their mind) and they wanted to cash in on that by making more just like it. Hence, we got Friday the 13th shortly thereafter.
When Carpenter looks back on such films, he admits that he thinks “…most of them were awful“, which is honestly true. Just like with any decade/era, only a few films rise above the rest and become memorable and iconic, Friday the 13th being one of them. But that doesn’t mean he’s a fan of that film or, it seems, that series.
Appearing on author Brett Easton Ellis’ podcast, Carpenter explained (courtesy of HitFix):
One springs from an organic idea and has a truly artist’s eye working. And ‘Friday the 13th’, I feel, affects me as very cynical. It’s very cynical moviemaking. It just doesn’t rise above its cheapness. I think the reason that all these slasher movies came in the ’80s was a lot of folks said “look at that ‘Halloween’ movie. It was made for peanuts, and look at the money it’s made! We can make money like that. That’s what the teenagers want to see.” So they just started making them, cranking them out…most of them were awful.
You can listen to the full podcast right here.
What do you think? Is there something to what Carpenter is saying or is he just full of himself? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments below!
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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