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The Bogeyman: Five Minutes with Halloween
Halloween
With Rob Zombie’s remake in theaters this weekend, I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore why Michael Myers (or “The Shape”) worked so well in John Carpenter’s 1978 movie Halloween.
In this commentary track, part of Culture Snob’s Five Minutes series, I use the movie’s ending to discuss the transformation of Michael Myers from troubled child into bogeyman — from human to supernatural.
I haven’t seen Zombie’s movie, but I’m guessing that he misses what makes Michael — and Halloween — special in its genre. A big part of why The Shape works is that he has a blankness that makes him ripe for projection — he’s malleable as a source of fear. So adding a big back-story section seems like the wrong strategy to me.
The monster unmasked:
Acting hurt:
Permanent link: http://www.culturesnob.com/2007/09/the_bogeyman_halloween
Listen to "'Halloween': Five-Minute Commentary Track" (00:05:05)
Download "'Halloween': Five-Minute Commentary Track" (mp3, 1.20 MB)
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Published by Culture Snob on Saturday, September 1, 2007 |
Last modified on Thursday, January 24, 2008
Viewed 1572 time(s) since November 7, 2007
Filed in: Movies
Additional labels: Audio (42)Audio, Commentary Tracks (17)Commentary Tracks, Five Minutes (8)Five Minutes, Halloween (1)Halloween, Horror (50)Horror, John Carpenter (1)John Carpenter
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