As far as horror franchises go, there are none quite as beloved and iconic as Halloween. John Carpenter's original 1978 movie created the mold for slashers as we know it, and brought Jamie Lee Curtis to stardom as a young actress. The property has once again returned to the top of pop culture, as Blumhouse's Halloween arrived in theaters, telling an emotional and thrilling story about Laurie Strode and her family.
One of the most chilling sequences from the new Halloween came when Michael finally arrived back in Haddonfield, and began wandering through a neighborhood, and both killing and sparing victims at random. This includes a baby, who Michael ultimately spares during the long shot. Director David Gordon Green recently spoke to this scene, and the decision for Michael to leave without harming the small child.
And now we're looking at a character who I proclaim is the essence of evil and has no motivation, no emotion, no real stimulation other than being a predator. And yet we've given him this one consideration in which he does the right thing. So I'm not exactly sure how to stand by that and justify that, although I think it's fascinating to think of someone that is nothing but a cold-blooded, faceless, motivation-less killer. He made one decision that we are happy that he made.
Now this is fascinating. Part of what makes Michael Myers such a compelling villain in the first Halloween is his total lack of character or clear motivation. This was eventually scrapped when Laurie and Michael were made siblings, therefore giving him logical reason for hunting down the OG scream queen. But Blumhouse abandoned all the sequels for their Halloween, once again allowing Michael to become an agent of pure chaos.
Having Michael actually spare a victim, especially one so innocent, was no doubt a strange experience for hardcore fans of the franchise. The masked killer has only ever been seen murdering countless victims, so there hasn't been an opportunity for moviegoers to agree with him decisions. That is, until he decided not to kill an adorable baby.
Apart from showing a new side of Michael, David Gordon Green also revealed that his moment with the baby actually started as a timing matter, as there was extra time in the already iconic long shot of Michael's rampage. As Green told LA Times,
We were looking for an interesting 15-second gap in a long sequence. And there were 15 seconds, no tension, no new information. And the goal was, 'How do we put something that's 15 seconds' worth of intrigue in the sequence?' And the production designer and the DP came up with the idea of putting a baby crib in the living room and then a baby. It was one of the things that was just exciting, and it fixed the problem; it filled the gap
Sometimes moviemaking is just about logistics, and making things up on the fly. David Gordon Green and the producers seemed open to suggestions when filming their own Halloween movie, and thus the baby moment was, well, born. And these choices seem to have paid off, as Halloween is making a ton of money at the box office, with possible sequel talk already happening.
Halloween is in theaters now. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
