The new chapter in the “Halloween” saga may be a bona-fide mainstream Hollywood picture, but it’s also a conservative-friendly, gun-loving hour and a half at the movies.
Whether it happened on accident or on purpose, “Halloween” — which is projected to open over $70 million this weekend — has a world perspective that is undeniably right-leaning.
Set 40 years after the events of 1978’s “Halloween” where serial killer Michael Myers (pictured above on the left) killed a handful of babysitters and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, pictured above in the new film on the right) survived, the new film ignores all of the “Halloween” sequels and finds Strode as a paranoid woman dealing with PTSD.
She has her fair share of problems. She drinks too much and has trouble maintaining relationships — especially with her daughter and granddaughter — but she’s mainly been pushed to the outskirts of society because of her views.
She is a bit of a doomsday prepper ever since her encounter with Myers as a teenager. She tries warning her daughter and others about the evil of the world and the need to protect yourself, but they mostly scoff at her.
She has an arsenal that would bring a tear of joy to most card-carrying NRA members, and she target practices in her own fortress of sorts in the middle of the woods in preparation for a day when she will face another threat like Myers.
The entire plot of “Halloween” is arguably kicked off by two English podcasters who have somehow wormed their way into an interview with Myers, who is incarcerated in a mental institution and hasn’t spoken in decades.
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They babble on and on about trying to understand the killer’s mind. They speak of him as if he were a victim, rather than a person who has simply given himself over to evil.
The two podcasters finally meet Myers and show him the mask he used all those years ago in what has now been dubbed, “The Babysitter Murders.”
It seems to stir something in Myers and when opportunity arises, he escapes from his chains and makes his way back to his hometown of Haddenfield for a few fresh killings and a rematch with Laurie Strode.
“Halloween” feels less like a slasher flick and more like a modern-day “Dirty Harry.”
When the classic Clint Eastwood-starring cop picture hit theaters in 1971, it was a brutal but honest indictment of the culture’s over-victimization of evil. Focus had slowly moved from the victim to those who commit awful atrocities. “Dirty Harry” aimed to talk straight, shoot straight and set people right.
“Halloween” aims to do the same thing. Those in the film who speak of Myers in a loving manner and look to protect him more than potential victims usually find themselves on the wrong end of a blade.
Strode, meanwhile, is almost a conservative pundit in the film. Along with her seemingly endless arsenal of firearms, she makes sure to give the cold shoulder to anyone questioning her preparedness and her acceptance of evil in the world.
When the podcasters visit her, they even manage to insult her and almost compliment Michael.
Some of the makers of “Halloween” have already been in damage control mode as conservatives embrace the worldview of their new film — National Review’s Kyle Smith called it a “gung-ho, gun-loving, liberal-trolling, capital-punishment-backing conservative manifesto” in his glowing review.
After Fox News released a story pointing out that Jamie Lee Curtis’ character wielded a lot of guns, while the actress seemed to be on the left side of the gun debate, Curtis clapped back in a USA Today interview.
“It was just silly, because they were trying to make a point without ever asking me what I really think,” the 59-year-old actress said. “And what I think might surprise them.”
She continued, “I am vocal about common-sense gun safety and gun laws. For instance, I fully support an assault weapon ban, I fully support a bump stock ban.”
The actress added, “I fully support the Bill of Rights. And fully support the Second Amendment. And have absolutely no problem with people owning firearms if they have been trained, licensed, a background check has been conducted, a pause button has been pushed to give time for that process to take place. And they have to renew their license just like we do with automobiles — which are weapons also.”
It may not be be the most conservative stance — but by Hollywood’s standards, those words make her Rush Limbaugh.
For more on Jamie Lee Curtis and her position on the Second Amendment, check out the video below:
“Halloween,” which is rated R, is in theaters now.
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