The film, directed by David Gordon Green, picks up exactly where the previous film ended in 2018. We caught up to interview the splendid Jamie Lee Curtis at the Venice Film Festival, where we spoke about everything from her first movie role to feminism, and of course discussed the latest instalment in the Halloween series.

Halloween Kills premiered at the 78^th Venice International Film Festival, where Jamie also just so happened to pick up the Golden Lion award for Lifetime Achievement.

Curtis is an artist with that rare ability to turn on the star quality whilst still seeming like someone you’d love to hang out with. We tracked her down at the Festival and had a chance to find out we can expect from the film, as well as discussing the highlights of her impressive career.

Michael Myers in Halloween Kills (2021)

Coming full circle

Jamie’s career began with Halloween, where we met her character Laurie for the first time back in 1978. Her success in the role subsequently earned her back-to-back casting in other horror films, and status as a ‘scream queen’.

She credits her beginnings in the horror scene for her international career spanning six decades, which led to her meeting John Landis. The rest, as they say, is history.

“My performance in [Trading Places] was a gift from John, who by the way met me, weirdly enough, because of horror films. John did a short that he directed called Coming Soon, which is a ‘50s horror film short about those wonderful trailers that you used to see. And he needed somebody to narrate it and who would you call except the young woman who was now in horror movies?

“He met me and … he must have figured out something because the next thing I know, he hired me to be in Trading Places. And because of Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda happened, and because of A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies happened. I owe a great deal of gratitude to John Landis for having the courage to hire me in that film, which really did change things.”

On top of her impressive filmography, Curtis has lived a rich life. She has two adopted children with her husband Christopher Guest: a daughter, Annie, and a transgender daughter, Ruby. Her marriage to Christopher came five months after she saw a picture of him from the film This is Spinal Tap and told her friend Debra Hill, “I’m going to marry that guy.”

She’s very open about the fact that she is a recovering alcoholic, and was addicted to painkillers. She’s been sober since 1999, and maintains that recovery is the greatest achievement of her life. Jamie was guest of honour at the 11^th annual Women in Recovery gala and fundraiser in 2003, which is a California-based non-profit organisation for the rehabilitation of women in need.

Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween (1978)

All about Halloween

One of the most important things we’ve witnessed is Jamie’s relationship with her character, Laurie. She explained to us how exciting (and unusual) it is to be an actor in the same role for 43 years – particularly as a female actor, and a survivor.

“The beauty of human beings is that we change. We are battered and bruised and we emerge and grow; our bones heal, we move forward, and then we get battered and bruised again,” she muses.

The beauty of human beings is that we change. We are battered and bruised and we emerge and grow

The power of Laurie

She explains that what she loves about Laurie is her relatability. While what we’re seeing within Laurie is scripted for the big screen, the fact is that people can identify. “We are all human, and you relate to Laurie because you are wounded too. You are fighting back against demons in your life. And you somehow look at me and Laurie and say, ‘I am Laurie.’

“There was a moment during my last shot of the 2018 film, where Laurie is alone in her truck watching Michael leave the prison. And it’s written as ‘Laurie is alone in her truck, there’s alcohol, there’s a gun…’ and 40 years of her experience come back to haunt her. There’s no dialogue, it’s just Laurie alone. It was my last shot of the movie and I prepared in my trailer.

“As I approached the set and the entire crew – I’m someone who likes name tags in movies, where it says, ‘Hi, my name is…’ so I can know everybody’s name – and the entire crew were all wearing name tags that said, ‘We are Laurie Strode.’ And what they were saying in the moment was ‘we’re all Laurie Strode, and we are with you Jamie, in this moment, as you face it.’ I must tell you, that was a profound moment for me as an actor, and a profound moment for me as a human being. Because it said that we are all the same, we’re all human, we’re all battered, we’re all bruised, but we’re all still here.”

Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween Kills (2021)

So how did she prepare for the role?

“I scare easily. I know it’s a silly thing to say, but I am an untrained actor. I’ve never been to acting class. I prepare emotionally, but that’s my job. I scare easily. And I hate these movies, I loathe them, I do not like to be frightened. I think that genuine, emotional connection to being afraid… you are watching what is happening in real life, on screen.

“There is no psychological preparation. It’s just… I’ve been traumatised, I’ve had sad things happen, and I’ve had violent things happen. So all of these reactions are just natural manifestations of my own experience.”

Success vs criticism

The Halloween franchise is hugely successful; perhaps one of the most well-known franchises worldwide. How does that feel?

“I think what sets these movies apart is there’s not a lot of deep fake – these movies are real. There’s not a lot of CGI. There are real people in real places, doing scary shit. What I love about Halloween, and particularly Halloween Kills, is that the brutality is real. It’s not a construction. And again, I think that’s why people attach back to them. They’re real and to the point, even the recreation of a dead person is almost real. And I think that’s what also makes these movies all so special, is a little secret sauce.”

I did Trading Places, and I took my shirt off, and I was suddenly what they called legitimate, an A-lister. Now, today, the women’s movement would love Laurie Strode

But with success comes criticism, as is often the case. One of the most significant criticisms of Jamie’s involvement in this franchise is the anti-feminist comments surrounding the first film. John Carpenter – the original director – used to get very frustrated with people calling the film ‘anti-feminist’ or saying it was ‘women-bashing’, mainly because the only one that didn’t die was the virgin.

But Laurie was smart, capable, and John stated: ‘she had no time for boys.’ As a feminist icon, Jamie’s thoughts around this were important to us, and she admitted herself that “the women’s movement kind of hated me.”

Read about Jamie Lee Curtis’ big win: Backstage chat at the Oscars – the big four

But she feels like maybe the this was all back to front, no pun intended…

“I did Trading Places, and I took my shirt off, and I was suddenly what they called legitimate, an A-lister. Now, today, the women’s movement would love Laurie Strode.

But at that moment, it was interesting for me as a young actress, because I’m playing the very thing that we really – I think – respect, particularly about women; their strength and intelligence and ability to, excuse my pun here, shape shift. And, you know, fight back against the adversity that women have done since the beginning of time. And yet, it was sort of anti-feminist. Anyway, I always thought that was funny.”

Trading Places cast
L-R Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd

An uncertain star

Someone at the Venice Film Festival asked Jamie if she was aware that Trading Places was shown every Christmas Eve in Italy. Of course, it also appears in the UK too. But it seems like the US doesn’t get the full unedited version, certainly not on TV. Jamie is surprised.

“Somebody mentioned that to me today and I said, ‘They show it on television?’ and they said, ‘Yes.’ And I said, ‘They show all of it on television?’ and they said ‘Yes! It’s a beloved film here in Italy.’ And I’m thinking about 14-year-old boys at Christmas seeing my incredibly beautiful 21-year-old self and thinking ‘Wow – that’s very different from America’. I love that movie.”

Now, in 2021, Jamie has received the Golden Lion Award for Lifestyle Achievement. She explained she has mixed feelings about winning this sort of award and was finding it hard to wrap her head around it.

“[That achievement] seems to be sort of closed, whereas I’m working more and more creatively today than I have been since I was born. So it’s odd for me, and yet I am incredibly honoured,” she explains. She thinks of Halloween, A Fish Called Wanda, and True Lies as the three films she’d called her legacy, though explained that of course there were others, work she bluntly refers to as “pieces of shit”. And no, we don’t know what she’s referring to!

If you want to try and get ahead before seeing the latest film, it looks like most of the Halloween films are on Amazon Prime, although goodness only knows which order to watch them in! Wikipedia can probably tell you that.

As told to Jenny Davis / edits Carly Pepperell

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The post Getting candid with Jamie Lee Curtis appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Horror enthusiast Peter Appleyard, from Ealing’s MetFilm School, has taken the time to pull together this haunting selection of the century’s most spooky stories. A collection that ranges from iconic classics to unusual thrillers, there’s bound to be something for everyone.

Nosferatu – 1922

This early, unofficial adaptation of Dracula by F.W Murnau still holds every bit of its gothic power almost 100 years after it was made. Its filled with iconic gothic imagery and features an amazing central performance by stage actor Max Schreck as the terrifying Count Orlock (who’s name translates as Max Fear). It also works as a wonderful introduction to silent film for those new to early cinema.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LOOhc2eML4

Frankenstein – 1931

The first Horror blockbuster and the film that made a star of Boris Karloff. Few films can claim to be as iconic as this classic from universal pictures. From the gothic production design to the incredible Jack Peirce make-up for the Monster, Frankenstein feels like the definitive version of Mary Shelley’s morality tale of man playing god.

Dead of Night – 1945

One of the few Horror films produced at Ealing Studios during its golden era, Dead of Night is one of the earliest examples of the Horror Anthology film. Essentially a collection of short films linked together by a wraparound story, the anthology format became a staple of British horror films through to the 70’s and 80’s but rarely was it done as well as here. The scenes of Michael Redgrave being menaced by an evil ventriloquist dummy remain terrifying to this day.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UCJz617E8s

Night of the Living Dead – 1968

With his debut feature George A Romero managed to do some incredible things. First and foremost he re-invented the Zombie film moving away from the voodoo stories of old to the flesh eating ghouls we know and love today. Secondly, he cast the genre’s first black lead actor, the amazing Duane Jones. And finally, Romero managed to hide biting social commentary on the civil rights movement and the US’s role in Vietnam amongst the gore and mayhem. Political horror at its best.

Nightmare on Elm Street – 1984

The horror boom of the 80’s gave birth to a number of new horror icons but king amongst them has to be Wes Craven’s ultimate boogie man Freddy Kruger. A killer who stalks you in your dreams, Kruger was brought to life by the classically trained Robert Englund. Whilst the sequels are imaginative and fun it’s the original film that has all the scares, including a very gory encounter with a young Jonny Depp.

Looking for more fun things to do at home? Try these fun home kits

The Ring – 1999

The late 90’s saw and explosion in new Japanese horror cinema and the most terrifying of all has to be The Ring. The set up is simple, once you have watched the cursed VHS tape you have 7 days to live unless you pass the curse onto another. Blending MR James with Japanese folk law, The Ring is a slow burn of a film with an explosive and horrifying final. Forget the watered down American remake and numerous sequels, the original is the real deal.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Z-MOqAvtY

Raw – 2016

Julia Ducournau’s Raw starts as a coming of age drama about a young woman joining her older sister in a French veterinary school but soon morphs into something more sinister. A strange mix of John Hughes and David Cronenberg, it’s one of the most effective body horror films in recent years and represents a new wave of female directed horror.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFlXVX2af_Y

Host – 2020

The haunted Zoom call film! A great example of what you can do with very limited recourses, Host was written, shot, edited and released during the Covid-19 lockdown. Drawing its influence from other format bending films such as The Blair Witch Project and Ghostwatch, it has more atmosphere, jokes & scares packed into its lean running time than most horror films made for 10 times its budget.

Carly Pepperell

Carly gets to do everything under the sun, including writing, editing, taking photos, creating stories, and swanning around at launches. She can down a glass of Prosecco without pausing for breath, and aims to be the youngest Pulitzer winner ever.

The post 8 of the best horror films to watch this Halloween appeared first on Silver Magazine.