Nothing ends up dead at allespecially when it comes to evil. It’s a lesson we learned from John Carpenter in the original ‘Halloween Night’ and it’s something David Gordon Green tries to capture in his reboot trilogy of that film, especially in its conclusion with ‘Halloween: The Ending’. Because it is sold as the grand finale, but deep down we know that the franchise will return one way or another.
Beyond that, we’re going to put a little more focus on Gordon Green’s latest film. Specifically, we are going to recover three unexpected movie influences that the director himself has revealed in different interviews. Three interesting works, not all of which can be framed in horror, that have shaped in one way or another the last fight against Michael Myers and that can be seen in streaming.
‘My bodyguard’ (‘My Bodyguard’, 1980)
Address: Tony Bill. Distribution: Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon, Paul Quandt, Joan Cusack.
A forgotten adolescent film, with touches of dramedy, does not seem the most obvious choice as a reference when it comes to making an ultra-violent and unruly slasher. However, Gordon Green assures that the emotion and message of the film marked him deeply as a child and wanted to replicate both when approaching ‘Halloween: The End’.
And, in a way, it is not difficult to understand how it marks his way of approaching the saga. Tony Bill’s movie directly addresses bullying, with some lightness but also with a certain brutality, especially in its remarkable final stretch. The way in which there is an escalation of violence in this film is an idea that beats both in ‘Halloween Kills’ and in this one.
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‘Menace in the night’ (‘Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker’, 1981)
Address: William Asher. Distribution: Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell, Bo Svenson, Marcia Lewis, Julia Duffy.
Key to the development of this reboot trilogy is the exploration of the relationship between psychopath Michael Myers and his victim Laurie Strode, so conflictive as loaded with complex details that make it unbreakable. A complexity that undoubtedly beats, with certain differences, in this film by William Asher.
An aunt’s obsession with caring for her sister’s son, who died with her husband in a tragic accident, is taken to interesting and perverse extremes in a competent slasher with slight ‘Friday the 13th’ legacies. In her modest appearance, she leaves powerful dramatic details, especially through the character of Susan Tyrrell and with the dodgy appearance of the intolerant policeman. Details that it is not surprising that they call Gordon Green.
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Christina (1983)
Address: John Carpenter. Distribution: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Harry Dean Stanton, Robert Prosky.
John Carpenter could not be missing either, although this time it is not with his ‘Halloween night’ but with one of his undervalued jewels which was valued as a mere commission that came to rescue him from the commercial disappointment that ‘La cosa’ had entailed. But make no mistake, there are elements here of both a remarkable Carpenter film and a great Stephen King adaptation.
A formidable piece of automobile terror where the director manages to give the story charisma without giving up all the ridiculousness inherent in the concept of the “evil car”. A well-edged piece of devilish rock and roll that shines in the murder sequencesso well shot that some of them remain completely etched in your mind.
See in Filmin | Criticism in Espinof