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SHOW: Halloween Unmasked
HOSTS: Amy Nicholson
NETWORK: The Ringer
HOSTS: Amy Nicholson
NETWORK: The Ringer
EPISODE BEING DISCUSSED: "Horror in the Suburbs | Ep. 1"
Yesterday was October 1, which for a certain type of person could only mean one thing: it's Halloween time! It's when you break out the horror movies, decorate the house in macabre fashion, and get into morose festivities. There's so much that makes this time of year unique, and in part it's because of the chance to embrace what scares us. For people who grew up in the late 70's, it likely includes the cinematic idea of a serial killer. While Halloween and Michael Meyers wasn't the first, it was the definitive icon who would launch a franchise of films (including a new release this month) and a series of "copycats" that would scare audiences by piling up bodies in horrific fashion. It would be easy to just go into the various ways that serial killers have impacted the zeitgeist in the past 40 years, but there's something more interesting on Amy Nicholson's mind in Halloween Unmasked.
Why does Halloween as a film and franchise resonate with audiences so much? After all, serial killers have the same generic motivations at a certain point, and the idea of them en masse is only as appealing as space invaders or werewolves. However, Nicholson starts the 10-part miniseries off on a note that is pretty ingenious, and one that establishes what director John Carpenter brought to the original. It's the voyeuristic element, where the audience is Meyers walking through a house, experiencing such profane acts that no one would dare to do. Meyers is a killer, sure. But he's also someone who hits literally too close to home. He is a man with a complex back story who haunts the suburbs as a mental patient who escaped. In a sense, Meyers is scary because of his plausibility, and the fact that this towering mass of terror's face is covered by a mask.
Nicholson has been doing excellent work for years on the podcasts The Canon and most recently on Unspooled. She is a seasoned vet and her film criticism is top notch when it comes to finding what makes the history and legacy of a film so interesting. Here, she clearly shows her passion by expanding the subject of Halloween. The first episode is as much about why she wishes to do the miniseries as well as interviewing those who made it possible. There's of course Carpenter as well as David Gordon Green, who is doing the 2018 version. There's even a background story about Carpenter's upbringing in a log cabin, and just how exactly he got the knack for being a weirdo who would redefine horror. There's a lot of subtext to the details on display here, and it all makes for a history lesson on par with You Must Remember This, or even the many Wondery series about horror classics. The gist of the series isn't specifically on the origins or history of Halloween, but probably more about the film as a phenomenon. There promises to be a psychological analysis episode on Meyers, and there's plenty to speculate as to what Nicholson will say about the more maligned later sequels. Still, there's a sense that this scary movie has more going for it than jump scares. It has enough credibility to spawn a horror icon who, 40 years later, still hasn't left our imaginations. Even the knock-offs (the most obvious being Jason Vorhees of Friday the 13th fame) have sustained quite the legacy. With all of that said, it feels like essential listening for those who love horror movies and want to give it a better social context.
Halloween Unmasked is quite possibly Nicholson's best produced show yet, full of clips and interviews that add genuine depth to a subject that most take for granted. Even the passion on display in the opening voyeurism segment perfectly sets the table for why this is among Carpenter's greatest work. It isn't just a film that took the idea of Halloween as a holiday and exploit it for scares. No, it has so much more going on, and it's all in part because it took horror from the world of fantasy and brought it to the suburbs, where the audiences line up to see these films. Suddenly Meyers could be around the corner or behind bushes. It's scary to think that danger lurks that closely. Luckily for Nicholson, in partnership with The Ringer, she has managed to start off a miniseries with promising commentary and a chance to legitimize Michael Meyers to audiences who probably wouldn't give him the time of day otherwise. Here's hoping that the show continues to be this good.
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5
WORTH A SECOND GO?: If you're into movie history, and specifically Halloween-related stories, then this is a must listen. If you're not, it's still worth checking out because Amy Nicholson is one of the best film historians in the podcast medium right now, and she is well worth checking out whenever she releases something.
Yesterday was October 1, which for a certain type of person could only mean one thing: it's Halloween time! It's when you break out the horror movies, decorate the house in macabre fashion, and get into morose festivities. There's so much that makes this time of year unique, and in part it's because of the chance to embrace what scares us. For people who grew up in the late 70's, it likely includes the cinematic idea of a serial killer. While Halloween and Michael Meyers wasn't the first, it was the definitive icon who would launch a franchise of films (including a new release this month) and a series of "copycats" that would scare audiences by piling up bodies in horrific fashion. It would be easy to just go into the various ways that serial killers have impacted the zeitgeist in the past 40 years, but there's something more interesting on Amy Nicholson's mind in Halloween Unmasked.
Why does Halloween as a film and franchise resonate with audiences so much? After all, serial killers have the same generic motivations at a certain point, and the idea of them en masse is only as appealing as space invaders or werewolves. However, Nicholson starts the 10-part miniseries off on a note that is pretty ingenious, and one that establishes what director John Carpenter brought to the original. It's the voyeuristic element, where the audience is Meyers walking through a house, experiencing such profane acts that no one would dare to do. Meyers is a killer, sure. But he's also someone who hits literally too close to home. He is a man with a complex back story who haunts the suburbs as a mental patient who escaped. In a sense, Meyers is scary because of his plausibility, and the fact that this towering mass of terror's face is covered by a mask.
Nicholson has been doing excellent work for years on the podcasts The Canon and most recently on Unspooled. She is a seasoned vet and her film criticism is top notch when it comes to finding what makes the history and legacy of a film so interesting. Here, she clearly shows her passion by expanding the subject of Halloween. The first episode is as much about why she wishes to do the miniseries as well as interviewing those who made it possible. There's of course Carpenter as well as David Gordon Green, who is doing the 2018 version. There's even a background story about Carpenter's upbringing in a log cabin, and just how exactly he got the knack for being a weirdo who would redefine horror. There's a lot of subtext to the details on display here, and it all makes for a history lesson on par with You Must Remember This, or even the many Wondery series about horror classics. The gist of the series isn't specifically on the origins or history of Halloween, but probably more about the film as a phenomenon. There promises to be a psychological analysis episode on Meyers, and there's plenty to speculate as to what Nicholson will say about the more maligned later sequels. Still, there's a sense that this scary movie has more going for it than jump scares. It has enough credibility to spawn a horror icon who, 40 years later, still hasn't left our imaginations. Even the knock-offs (the most obvious being Jason Vorhees of Friday the 13th fame) have sustained quite the legacy. With all of that said, it feels like essential listening for those who love horror movies and want to give it a better social context.
Halloween Unmasked is quite possibly Nicholson's best produced show yet, full of clips and interviews that add genuine depth to a subject that most take for granted. Even the passion on display in the opening voyeurism segment perfectly sets the table for why this is among Carpenter's greatest work. It isn't just a film that took the idea of Halloween as a holiday and exploit it for scares. No, it has so much more going on, and it's all in part because it took horror from the world of fantasy and brought it to the suburbs, where the audiences line up to see these films. Suddenly Meyers could be around the corner or behind bushes. It's scary to think that danger lurks that closely. Luckily for Nicholson, in partnership with The Ringer, she has managed to start off a miniseries with promising commentary and a chance to legitimize Michael Meyers to audiences who probably wouldn't give him the time of day otherwise. Here's hoping that the show continues to be this good.
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5
WORTH A SECOND GO?: If you're into movie history, and specifically Halloween-related stories, then this is a must listen. If you're not, it's still worth checking out because Amy Nicholson is one of the best film historians in the podcast medium right now, and she is well worth checking out whenever she releases something.
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