[ad_1]
There are movie monsters, then there is Michael Myers. The masked maniac who first appeared in John Carpenter's "Halloween" movie in 1978, and who returns 40 years later to terrorize an old Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), now a hard-survival survivor. , in the much-awaited sequel to this Friday of the same name – is somethtotally different: an almost mythical incarnation of evil in all its purity, killing without distinction and without explanation, its formless white mask not betraying a trace of humanity.
It is this unknown quality of Michael that makes him the most enduring hymn of horror in modern times, not to mention the nightmare accustomed to many bystanders. For David Gordon Green, director and co-author of the new movie "Halloween," watching the original at 11 am – as he remembers during a friend's pajama party – has been extremely traumatic.
"I was so scared that I had to get sick and I had to go home," recalls Green, 43 years old now. What had bothered young Green – who had already considered Jim Henson's movie – "The Dark Crystal" (1982) – was the almost mundane brutality with which Michael tracked down and slaughtered his victims.
"It was realistic," he says, telephoning from his home in South Carolina. "There was no joke, not even an unsavory spirit of Freddy Krueger or a one-liners. It was located in a simple neighborhood, very easy to understand, recognizable, with a series of everyday characters and its horror [concerned] random violence, which to this day makes me even more afraid than anything else.
"I firmly believe that, even if our entertainment is mystical or supernatural, and even if our titles are the subject of global devastation, the idea of a person randomly at home with a knife will scare the public. [expletive] out of you. "
Green has made its mark with the 2000 drama "George Washington", a story of transition to adulthood taking place in rural North Carolina. After having carved out a place of choice with other independent films, Green achieved his first box office success with James Franco and Seth Rogen in the stoner comedy "Pineapple Express" (2008).According to the director, the project that most awoke his admiration – and his fear – of "Halloween" was actually "Stronger" from last fall, the Boston Marathon bombing biopic that he had signed to lead in 2015, two years after its central publication. The subject, Jeff Bauman, lost both legs during the terrorist attack.
According to him, the story of Bauman is inspired by the same primordial fear "Halloween", a sudden and inexplicable violence that derails the lives of innocent people. Green spent time with Bauman, gaining a new appreciation of the physical and psychological toll of the bombing and its aftermath.
Some time after "Stronger" finished production, Jason Blum, head of Blumhouse Productions, the hacker's paradise for micro-budgets, e-mailed to gauge Green's interest in the "Halloween" franchise, which he had signed to resurrect alongside Carpenter. .
Stimulated by the idea of creating a suite that could also serve as a study on trauma, Green recruited two frequent collaborators – Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley, both known since college – to develop an argument, which They and Blum then brought directly to Charpentier. And to hear the original director of "Halloween," who phoned from his home in Los Angeles, he and Green ended up hearing better than Michael Myers and a kitchen knife.
"He had a great story," says Carpenter, 70. "And he liked the original film so much. I felt that he could do it justice, that he could honor him.
Carpenter particularly appreciated Green's approach in the character of Laurie Strode, reinvented in the new movie as action hero Sarah Connor-esque whose deadly feud with Michael left her with both a post-traumatic stress disorder and an obsessive need to prepare for their next encounter. The story also gave Laurie a girl (Judy Greer) and a granddaughter (Andi Matichak), both of whom risk being on the killer's path.
"My initial setup was this trope: the last girl, the survivor," says Carpenter. "And this film reinforces the last girl. She becomes one of three women who triumph over evil and I think it's wonderful. "
Coming out of near-retirement to mark and serve as executive producer on what was to be the 10th sequel to "Halloween," the horror legend says that he always thought that he was imperative to hire someone who could bring "a different imagination" to the property.
"I think the fact that he did not do the horror was an advantage," says Carpenter, saying he had only a few suggestions. "He knew what to do, the important thing is that he's an excellent director, it does not matter if he's done the horror, it's the big mistake people make."
'Horror [concerned] random violence, which to this day makes me even more afraid than anything else. & # 39;
On the set, Green says he's turned to Curtis – who was encouraged to resume his role by "Stronger" star Jake Gyllenhaal, a family friend – to serve as the ultimate expert (and obvious) by Laurie Strode.
"She's been transforming Laurie for 40 years," says Green. As "Halloween" took shape throughout the production during the first two months of 2018, the director and his star shared a common desire. to develop a timely update of the iconic horror property, which could satisfy long-time "Halloween" fans and focus on potential victims fighting the monsters that have long threatened them.
Sometimes a little improvisation was enough to handle both.
"At one point in the film, Laurie spots Michael for the first time, face to face," recalls Green. "They make eye contact. He comes out of the back of the house and runs around the corner with a gun. In the original script, she did not hit him; she shot him and missed. And Jamie Lee Curtis, the day of filming this scene, looks at me and says, "Honey, Laurie is not going to miss."
"I thought," But would not he have been killed then? She answers: "He has already been touched, he will be touched again. "I'm not going to miss it was great, I was just like, uh, okay, guys, go get the [blood] ready squibs.
Isaac Feldberg can be contacted at [email protected], or on Twitter at @isaacfeldberg.
[ad_2]
Source link
