Editorials
Horror Education of the Week: John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’
“I met him fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding. Even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes…the devil’s eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply…evil”
Halloween. The 1978 classic.
Oh, come on, you knew I was going to go there this week.
John Carpenter’s simply fantastic tale of Michael Myers – a young boy who brutally murders his sister on Halloween night in 1963 – remains a horror staple to this day. Locked up in an institution under the care of Dr. Samuel Loomis, Michael breaks out 15 years later only to return to his home of Haddonfield – to kill again.
The beauty of the original Halloween wholeheartedly lies within the idea of fate. Be it the actual fate of the characters within the movie, or the psychology behind and interpretation of the steps they take to achieve that fate, the movie is a masterpiece. Everything seems, in a way, to be on purpose. Here are some points to note:
– Immediately we are drawn into Haddonfield, Illinois. A quaint Midwestern town.
– Had Halloween been set in California, where it was filmed, the effect would not be as extreme. To have such a horrific story set in the safe haven of the Midwest, we feel the threat much more.
– Belief in fate is touched on in a school scene with Laurie, giving us an understanding that can be applied to the entire film: “Costaine wrote that fate was somehow related only to religion, where Samuels felt that fate was like a natural element, like earth, air, fire, and water.”
– The Boogeyman, in some cultures, can be seen as part of religion (ex. The Devil) or in regular society, it is almost like a natural element – an imaginary being used to get children to simply behave.
– Ultimately, in either realm, the Boogeyman is an evil used to threaten a specific fate.
– The idea that the Boogeyman is an age-old evil is perfect in that this is exactly how Dr. Loomis thinks of Michael.
– The moment Michael escapes the institution, Loomis cries out, “He’s gone. The evil’s gone.”
– Tommy speaks of the Myers house, “Lonnie Elam said never to go up there. Lonnie Elam said that’s a haunted house. He said real awful stuff happened there once.”
– The fear of the old house in the neighborhood is also something instilled through the ages and a psychological terror. Those who step near the house are simply ‘asking for it’.
– Laurie, Annie and Lynda each have their own personas. Annie and Lynda even appear different when they’re introduced, dressed more hip in their jeans as opposed to Laurie, who is covered head to toe in her homely turtleneck, skirt, and tights.
– Annie and Lynda each plan to have adventurous evenings with their respective boyfriends as they puff on their cigarettes. 
– As we all know, the idea that Laurie only babysits, and is ‘too smart’ for adventures with boys, is what will ultimately save her. Laurie is the martyr.
– Perhaps Laurie could have stayed safe in her homely clothing, but she tiptoes little by little to the line of destruction. To a terrible fate.
– First, she opens herself up to trouble by changing into clothes that look much like those of her friends.
– She then takes another step further by smoking pot with Annie in her car as they head to their babysitting jobs – while Don’t Fear the Reaper plays on the radio.
– Then Laurie admits she does indeed have a crush on a boy at school.
– Upon discovery of the dead dog, we learn more of what Loomis thinks of Michael:
“A man wouldn’t do that.”
“This is not a man.”
– Loomis’ speech about Michael being pure evil goes back to the idea of the Boogeyman being just another simple part of nature.
– There is no reasoning behind this Michael, unlike Rob Zombie’s remake which gives blatant explanation. There is no reasoning other than the idea that he is simply evil.
– Sex, smokes, beer: Lynda and Bob run at full speed to their fate.
– After Michael kills Bob, he looks upon him, slightly cocking his head to one side. It is almost like a curious cat or dog that is trying to comprehend why the bug they’ve smashed is no longer moving.
– This is then followed up by Michael bringing the phone to his ear after Lynda calls Laurie – her struggle being interpreted as a prank call. The way he handles the common household item, like the look at Bob, is very unnerving and not human.
– At the same time Laurie sheds her sweater – bringing her deeper into the realm of her friends who have been brutally murdered after becoming more or less unclothed – she ups her good girl status, taking on the care of Lindsey along with Tommy. This balances out her fate momentarily.
– However, the second Laurie abandons the children in the home to investigate the whereabouts of Annie, she is immediately stalked by Michael. He attacks her and she receives her first and only battle wound.
– Laurie mothers the children, saying she has killed Michael and that everything will be ok.
– Tommy responds, “You can’t kill the Boogeyman.” A very deep statement if taken with the history of the subject matter and its transition through time and cultures.
– Loomis is finally alerted to his fate of stopping Michael, as Tommy and Lindsey escape the house, leaving Laurie behind to fight.
– After all of her sacrifice and fighting the temptations indulged by those around her – Laurie is left standing thanks to Dr. Loomis and his belief in pure evil:
“It was the Boogeyman…”
“As a matter of fact, it was.”
Editorials
‘Immaculate’ – A Companion Watch Guide to the Religious Horror Movie and Its Cinematic Influences
The religious horror movie Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, wears its horror influences on its sleeves. NEON’s new horror movie is now available on Digital and PVOD, making it easier to catch up with the buzzy title. If you’ve already seen Immaculate, this companion watch guide highlights horror movies to pair with it.
Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Cecilia’s warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside gets derailed soon enough when she discovers she’s become pregnant and realizes the convent harbors disturbing secrets.
From Will Bates’ gothic score to the filming locations and even shot compositions, Immaculate owes a lot to its cinematic influences. Mohan pulls from more than just religious horror, though. While Immaculate pays tribute to the classics, the horror movie surprises for the way it leans so heavily into Italian horror and New French Extremity. Let’s dig into many of the film’s most prominent horror influences with a companion watch guide.
Warning: Immaculate spoilers ahead.
Rosemary’s Baby
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The mother of all pregnancy horror movies introduces Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), an eager-to-please housewife who’s supportive of her husband, Guy, and thrilled he landed them a spot in the coveted Bramford apartment building. Guy proposes a romantic evening, which gives way to a hallucinogenic nightmare scenario that leaves Rosemary confused and pregnant. Rosemary’s suspicions and paranoia mount as she’s gaslit by everyone around her, all attempting to distract her from her deeply abnormal pregnancy. While Cecilia follows a similar emotional journey to Rosemary, from the confusion over her baby’s conception to being gaslit by those who claim to have her best interests in mind, Immaculate inverts the iconic final frame of Rosemary’s Baby to great effect.
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s horror classic shook audiences to their core upon release in the ’70s, largely for its shocking imagery. A grim battle over faith is waged between demon Pazuzu and priests Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). The battleground happens to be a 12-year-old, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), whose possessed form commits blasphemy often, including violently masturbating with a crucifix. Yet Friedkin captures the horrifying events with stunning cinematography; the emotional complexity and shot composition lend elegance to a film that counterbalances the horror. That balance between transgressive imagery and artful form permeates Immaculate as well.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. It’s a dance academy so disciplined in its art form that its students and faculty live their full time, spending nearly every waking hour there, including built-in meals and scheduled bedtimes. Like Suzy Bannion, Cecilia is a novitiate committed to learning her chosen trade, so much so that she travels to a foreign country to continue her training. Also, like Suzy, Cecilia quickly realizes the pristine façade of her new setting belies sinister secrets that mean her harm.
What Have You Done to Solange?
This 1972 Italian horror film follows a college professor who gets embroiled in a bizarre series of murders when his mistress, a student, witnesses one taking place. The professor starts his own investigation to discover what happened to the young woman, Solange. Sex, murder, and religion course through this Giallo’s veins, which features I Spit on Your Grave’s Camille Keaton as Solange. Immaculate director Michael Mohan revealed to The Wrap that he emulated director Massimo Dallamano’s techniques, particularly in a key scene that sees Cecilia alone in a crowded room of male superiors, all interrogating her on her immaculate status.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
In this Giallo, two sisters inherit their family’s castle that’s also cursed. When a dark-haired, red-robed woman begins killing people around them, the sisters begin to wonder if the castle’s mysterious curse has resurfaced. Director Emilio Miraglia infuses his Giallo with vibrant style, with the titular Red Queen instantly eye-catching in design. While the killer’s design and use of red no doubt played an influential role in some of Immaculate’s nightmare imagery, its biggest inspiration in Mohan’s film is its score. Immaculate pays tribute to The Red Queen Kills Seven Times through specific music cues.
The Vanishing
Rex’s life is irrevocably changed when the love of his life is abducted from a rest stop. Three years later, he begins receiving letters from his girlfriend’s abductor. Director George Sluizer infuses his simple premise with bone-chilling dread and psychological terror as the kidnapper toys with Red. It builds to a harrowing finale you won’t forget; and neither did Mohan, who cited The Vanishing as an influence on Immaculate. Likely for its surprise closing moments, but mostly for the way Sluizer filmed from inside a coffin.
The Other Hell
This nunsploitation film begins where Immaculate ends: in the catacombs of a convent that leads to an underground laboratory. The Other Hell sees a priest investigating the seemingly paranormal activity surrounding the convent as possessed nuns get violent toward others. But is this a case of the Devil or simply nuns run amok? Immaculate opts to ground its horrors in reality, where The Other Hell leans into the supernatural, but the surprise lab setting beneath the holy grounds evokes the same sense of blasphemous shock.
Inside
During Immaculate‘s freakout climax, Cecilia sets the underground lab on fire with Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte) locked inside. He manages to escape, though badly burned, and chases Cecilia through the catacombs. When Father Tedeschi catches Cecilia, he attempts to cut her baby out of her womb, and the stark imagery instantly calls Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s seminal French horror movie to mind. Like Tedeschi, Inside’s La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) will stop at nothing to get the baby, badly burned and all.
Burial Ground
At first glance, this Italian zombie movie bears little resemblance to Immaculate. The plot sees an eclectic group forced to band together against a wave of undead, offering no shortage of zombie gore and wild character quirks. What connects them is the setting; both employed the Villa Parisi as a filming location. The Villa Parisi happens to be a prominent filming spot for Italian horror; also pair the new horror movie with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood or Blood for Dracula for additional boundary-pushing horror titles shot at the Villa Parisi.
The Devils
The Devils was always intended to be incendiary. Horror, at its most depraved and sadistic, tends to make casual viewers uncomfortable. Ken Russell’s 1971 epic takes it to a whole new squeamish level with its nightmarish visuals steeped in some historical accuracy. There are the horror classics, like The Exorcist, and there are definitive transgressive horror cult classics. The Devils falls squarely in the latter, and Russell’s fearlessness in exploring taboos and wielding unholy imagery inspired Mohan’s approach to the escalating horror in Immaculate.
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