Director John Carpenter’s 1978 Halloween is a notorious horror movie that set the benchmark for suspense movies and birthed a frenzy genre of slasher films. The film is not based on Michael Meyers, the enigmatic six year old who brutally murdered his older sister Judith and escaped fifteen years later to find his next victims, instead it’s based on three 17 year old girls in a quaint American suburban town. Laurie (the protagonist) and her friends Lynda and Annie are the true main focal points of the story.
Halloween is praised as a feminist movie, but is it? My answer is… hardly. There are three mainstream waves of feminism and it barely reaches the second. Sure the movie surpasses first-wave feminism, but this is expected when the setting is placed in an era where Western women already had the right to vote, receive an education, strive for prestigious powerful positions etc. Carpenter’s meaningful work is subpar compared to second-wave feminism. Second-wave feminism focused on issues transcending political inequalities. Second-wave feminism was formed to improve the social fabric and embedded gender inequalities in the culture of Westernized societies. In 1978, women were victims of false beliefs requiring them to find identity through men and children.
Don’t get me wrong, in many ways Laurie combats the typical girl stereotype. Her appearance of mid-length hair, bare makeup, anad tomboyish clothes of conservative button downs and pants complicates ties between gender. Beyond her appearance, her personality is tenacious and resourceful that oftentimes are more depicted towards men in cinema. It was empowering to see a woman capable of defending herself against a terrifying serial killer.
Yet, ultimately Laurie is unable to kill Michael Meyers. At the end of day, a male detective, Dr. Loomis saves her by shooting the murder mulitple times with a hand gun. The movie reestablishes that there must be patriarchal authority in the world. Laurie is also seen as the “not like other girls” character where she chooses to care more about her work than boys unlike her best friends. Lynda and Annie seem to be indulgent and irresponsible who care more about boys than anything else. This is harmful rhetoric that perpetuates horizontal oppression within women instead of being inclusive. Laurie’s difference is a weakness in the film, when two other girls are problematically portrayed by screenwriter, Debra Hill. It’s disappointing to see a woman writer using negative stereotypes.
To speak of gender roles, Laurie, Lynda and Annie are seen as sole babysitters. It’s sexist to square women into a box of preconceived roles. When Laurie used the majority of household items such as hangers and knitting needles to defend herself she was playing into another sexist cliche. In the end, something did not sit right with me when the virgin survived but the promiscuous women were murdered.
If it wasn’t for the two minute scene where Laurie is in the closet defending herself than Halloween would never be considered a feminist film. The movie is a prime example of why third-wave feminism is needed- due to the narrative of emphasizing only white-middle class women in the past. Third-wave feminism seeded to be inclusive and intersectional. This problem was in many other movies too, “The fact that Cleopatra Jones’s main enemy in both films is a white woman offers possible commentary on the standard criticism that the second wave of feminism primarily catered to issues concerning middle-class white women…. interpreted as a reaction against such perceived exclusions when it comes to feminist political projects. (Hole, Kristin Lené. Film Feminisms (p. 300) Taylor and Francis.) I hope for further movies that include the intersectionality of race and sexuality are applauded more than Halloween is. By no means, I would call Halloween a movie ahead of its time.
Sara's Blog About Film, Gender, Sexuality 