In John Carpenter’s 1978 horror film, Halloween, it is one of the early movies in the newly genre of slasher films. Halloween can be interpreted as a gritty, gutty film in which it portrays a lot of themes and truths in the article Her Body, Himself by Carol Clover. The revolving theme in Halloween is a theme that has been arising in class which is the so called “murderer” always go after the “Virgin” or “good girl” having a psychosexual type of energy.
In slasher films when the final girl is left it appears that she is more masculine than feminine. In “Her Body, Himself” the final girl is more “boyish” than anything. Likewise, the killer is not always himself in manhood. In the final scene of Halloween when Michael is after his final victim Laurie fights back in more of a “boyish” way in which this helps her survive.
Just like in Psycho in how Norman Bates has this feel of psychosexual in him in his drive to kill Marion Crane, Micheal, in Halloween has a little psychosexual fury on his quest to kill Laurie Strode. In Carol Clover’s article Carol claims that sexual intimacies for both men and women are set up for an early death. This claim continues in Halloween when Bob and Lynda sneak off into Annie’s house and eventually have sex. When realizes “Bob” isn’t responding to her, she proceeds to call Laurie, which is when Michaels goes into kill Lynda with the phone cord leaving her squealing for air. This leaves Laurie on the other only hearing Lynda’s squeals to assume her and bob are having fun. In a sense in slasher films if men and women characters have sex in potentially means their death is near.
Source: Compass International Pictures, 1978, Halloween
(Michael choking Lynda with the phone cord)
In slasher films it always seems that the deaths of men and women are almost complete opposites. Mens death always seems to be quick and easy while women’s seem to be dragged out and close up. In “Her Body, Himself” the men have no chance of reacting to the victim with little to no detail. On the other hand the women as they are being chased by the victim are filled with detail and filmed up close and until the woman either escapes or is killed. In Halloween, in the final scene in Michael attempting to kill Laurie it is dragged out and filmed up close in several scenes. With the anticipation that she is going to die it draws the audience in and ends up rooting for her to escape.
Source: Compass International Pictures, 1978, Halloween
(Laure trying to escape Michael on his quest to kill Laurie)
In John Carpenter’s thriller, Halloween, he does a good job of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as Michael tries to get his final victim, Laurie Strode, and kills whoever is in the way on his quest to kill her.
Scott's blog 