It was 4am in Savannah, Georgia when Jamie Lee Curtis said goodbye to Laurie Strode.
Owing to the practicalities of production, Curtis’ final scene as Strode wasn’t the conclusion of Halloween Ends. Neither was Curtis filming the long-awaited showdown with babysitter butcher Michael Myers. Instead it was a quiet, contemplative moment featuring Laurie alone in her car by the side of the road. Shortly after, as Curtis watched playback of the shot from basecamp over the shoulder of sequel trilogy director David Gordon Green, the magnitude of what she was looking at hit like a chef’s knife gliding between the ribs.
“I realised that would be the last time I ever saw Laurie Strode,” Curtis tells Total Film, on the verge of tears – and not for the last time – while discussing a film she is adamant will be her last as Halloween’s lone survivor. “It was very powerful for me. I wept. David wept. We all recognised that moment, that it was the wrap for Laurie Strode and me. And this community of artists who made these movies. It was a big deal.”
Neither Andi Matichak (who has played Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson Nelson across all three Green Halloweens), nor James Jude Courtney (the man behind Myers’ mask since 2018) were scheduled to work that day, but both made the early morning pilgrimage to the Savannah location shoot to bear witness to film history. “My heart just broke open,” says Matichak. “It was incredible to know that this is it for Jamie as Laurie Strode.” “It was bittersweet for all of us,” adds Courtney. “She’s definitely ready to put it down. She’s carried this for 40-some-odd years.”
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
RETURN TO OZ
WICKED Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande defy gravity as the Broadway smash reaches cinemas.
GRIN AND BEAR IT
SMILE 2 Trauma-horror sequel sees the curse latch onto a pop superstar...
BAD ROMANCE
TIMESTALKER Alice Lowe falls in love with the wrong man time and time again...
CLOWNING GORY
TERRIFIER 3 Creator Damien Leone says Art the Clown is coming home for Christmas...
SELF EXPRESSION
LAYLA A non-binary, British-Palestinian drag queen navigates their expression of identity.
GENA ROWLANDS
I like difficult roles,' said Gena Rowlands. No kidding. A stage, TV and film actor whose career spanned more than six decades, Rowlands will be most remembered for the series of coruscating dramas she made with her first husband, actor-turned-director John Cassavetes, between 1968 and 1984.
'NOW NOTHING IS ABOUT LOOKS OR ABOUT BEING A LEADING LADY.AND IT'S VERY LIBERATING' EMILY WATSON
Since breaking hearts in Breaking the Waves, Emily Watson has delivered countless screen masterclasses, from Gosford Park and Punch-Drunk Love to Apple Tree Yard. Now, the English star goes toe-to-toe with Cilllan Murohy in Irish drama Smeal/ Things like hese and fronts 1V prequel Dune: Prophecy. Is it her second coming? It's elementary, my dear Watson...
BLODD PRESSURE
BASED ON STEPHEN KING'S MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOK AND WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY IT SCRIBE GARY DAUBERMAN, VAMPIRE MOVIE SALEM'S LOT FACED AN UNHOLY FIGHT TO GET TO OUR SCREENS. TOTAL FILM HUNTS DOWN DAUBERMAN AND STARS LEWIS PULLMAN AND MAKENZIE LEIGH TO LEARN ALL THAT WAS AT STAKE...
Lucky Man
He broke out in Beatles jukebox musical Yesterday and has a varied slate of juicy projects on the horizon, including a very different take on a superhero franchise. But, as the everhumble Himesh Patel tells Total Film, he puts a lot of it down to luck...
A BUE ABOVE
WORLD-BUILDER EXTRAORDINAIRE RIDLEY SCOTT IS ALSO THE MASTER OF THE DIRECTOR'S CUT, RESTORING HIS MISHANDLED GEMS INTO MASTERPIECES. WITH THE EXPANSIVE DIRECTOR'S CUT OF NAPOLEON NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM, TOTAL FILM SPEAKS TO THE GREAT SCOTT ABOUT BLOWING UP BONAPARTE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH EDITING AND WHY BIGGER IS (USUALLY) BETTER.