‘Halloween’ (1978) with Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan
October 26, 2021 · Halloween (1978) · Horror · Thriller · 1:30:37 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes: Loomis driving to Illinois State Hospital in the rain, three girls walking from high school with Myers driving by, Annie's last 15-20 minutes, Loomis parked outside Myers house with kids, and Bob goes to get a beer leading to the Myers head tilt▶ 30:04
Chris RyanAgrees with and adds commentary to SPEAKER_00's picks, particularly noting the effectiveness of the teenage dialogue and character archetypes▶ 32:33
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsMyers killing his older sister even though he's six (logistically problematic), Jamie Lee Curtis stunt casting no longer matters since people don't know the Psycho connection, and the sexual subtext interpretations becoming disturbing when later sequels reveal sibling relationship▶ 54:29
Chris RyanThe sexual conditioning that people were okay with sexually active characters dying in horror movies through the 80s-2000s, and how horror movies drew deep psychological interpretations that may not have been intentionally crafted▶ 59:08
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsPeter Cushing — Discusses multiple casting what-ifs: Pleasance was third choice after Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee turned down Dr. Loomis for low pay; notes Christopher Lee would have been weird casting; mentions Anne Lockhart was Carpenter's original choice over Jamie Lee Curtis; highlights Dennis Quaid was supposed to be Bob but couldn't film due to scheduling▶ 1:00:31
Chris RyanPeter Cushing — Comments on Peter Cushing coming off Star Wars and having leverage to turn down roles; shares anecdote about Dennis Quaid at a screening ready to fight a heckler while dating PJ Soles▶ 1:00:53
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsJohn Carpenter — John Carpenter: Escape from New York, Jamie Lee Curtis: True Lies, Michael Myers: H2O, PJ Soles: Stripes, Halloween: perpetual apex mountain, Movie Serial Killers: yes for Michael Myers▶ 1:08:38
Chris RyanJohn Carpenter — John Carpenter: Escape from New York, Jamie Lee Curtis: agrees with True Lies, Halloween: perpetual apex mountain, Movie Serial Killers: yes for Michael Myers, compares him to Lecter▶ 1:08:43
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsHow Michael Myers can drive a car after 15 years locked up, navigate 150 miles back to Haddonfield, and have enough gas for a 300-mile round trip plus driving around all day when 1970s cars only got 11 miles per gallon. His explanation: Satan is controlling Myers and guiding the car.▶ 1:20:22
Chris RyanThe driving logistics - researched that 1970s cars averaged 11 miles per gallon, making Myers' extensive driving impossible without refueling. Also questions how Myers would know how to get gas or have money to pay for it.▶ 1:21:28
Who Won the Movie
Chris RyanJohn Carpenter — John Carpenter (noting Curtis is right there with him, but it's got to be Carpenter)▶ 1:25:05
Movies Referenced (37)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaws (1975) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 16:13 |
| The Mask (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:13 |
| Psycho (1960) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 24:01 |
| Carrie (1976) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:51 |
| Escape from New York (1981) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:08:41 |
| Scream (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 7:31 |
| Blade (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:27:22 |
| Don't Breathe (2016) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 18:45 |
| Friday the 13th (1980) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 15:12 |
| Neighbors (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:27:57 |
| Rushmore (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 2:41 |
| Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:00:53 |
Directors Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Carpenter | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Halloween | ▶ 3:37 |
| James Wiseman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 55:05 |
Actors Referenced (27)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Cold Mountain | ▶ 11:47 |
| Dennis Quaid | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Far from Heaven, The Day After Tomorrow | ▶ 1:02:11 |
| Jamie Lee Curtis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | True Lies, Everything Everywhere All at Once | ▶ 5:39 |
| Paul Rudd | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp | ▶ 20:47 |
| William Shatner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 45:50 | |
| Christopher Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | The Wicker Man | ▶ 1:00:33 |
| Peter Cushing | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope | ▶ 1:00:33 |
| Vincent Hanna | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:03:20 | |
| Butch Cassidy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:30:41 | |
| Kyle Richards | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Halloween | ▶ 51:04 |
| Tommy Wallace | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | A Christmas Story | ▶ 45:26 |
| White Lies | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:09:03 |
Writers Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debra Hill | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Halloween | ▶ 22:33 |
| Andy Greenwald | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:33 | |
| Raymond Chandler | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Double Indemnity | ▶ 1:07:06 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 22:44 |