Why ‘Halloween Ends’ Should Kill Off Laurie Strode
Laurie Strode is one of horror’s most iconic Final Girls. We’ve seen her face-off with the terrifying Michael Myers multiple times, putting her life on the line to protect others from the ominous Shape. So, with the impending release of Halloween Ends, I have but one simple request: let Laurie Strode die. At this point, I’m practically begging for it.
This wouldn’t mark the first time Laurie has died. Or even the second. Laurie Strode has lived quite a few lives throughout the franchise, so her death wouldn’t be unprecedented by any means. In Halloween 4, her death is unceremoniously written off as a car accident (admittedly this is due to Curtis not wanting to come back to the series). But then she returns in Halloween H20, only to be killed in Halloween: Resurrection. Then, if you count the director’s cut ending of Rob Zombie’s Halloween II, Laurie is shot as she takes up her brother’s dark deed. Just like Michael, Laurie has been killed and resurrected more times than necessary for any horror movie character, good or evil.
Also Read: ‘Halloween’ Has A Massive Karen Strode Problem
I love Laurie Strode with all of my heart. She’s a survivor, a badass, and a crucial cultural touchstone in horror history. Jamie Lee Curtis embodies her character with grace, sass, and rage throughout the decades. And we’ll give Scout Taylor-Compton her flowers for taking on such a daunting task as to play a character made so special by Curtis. But, at this point, Laurie has been put through the wringer enough. There comes a point where it feels like a character is resurrected over and over again simply to make them suffer for audience entertainment. After a whole trilogy has been made to capitalize on the trauma that Strode has endured and continues to endure, it’s time to let her find peace.
I do understand that she’s a fictional character. But, after being such an integral part of horror history, Laurie Strode transcends being simply a character. She’s something else entirely. She’s a beacon of survival for some, like me, a symbol of resilience. So when you see someone survive only to continuously be beaten, attacked, and dragged through the mud, it slowly undoes the work that’s been done for decades. Yes, Halloween (2018) is a fascinating, yet surface-level, look at PTSD and trauma when it comes to the Final Girl. But at this point, Laurie has lost lovers, friends, and even children to Myers. Her suffering has become fodder for Halloween box office numbers. It’s no longer about the power of Laurie, but about how much we can put her through.
Also Read: The Not-So-Gruesome Halloween II Death You’ve Never Seen
With that being said, calling for the end of Laurie also means calling for the end of Michael Myers. They’re two fucked up peas in a bloody pod. They’re the twisted lifeblood of Halloween. If one goes, they both go. There shouldn’t be a Halloween without them (this is not a slight to Halloween III, I love that movie). Laurie and Michael are horror’s most toxic relationship and I for one cannot wait to see it end. Let them set each other alight, going down in a blaze of horrific and murderous glory. They’ve terrified us all for decades, a symbolic and entertaining personification of the battle of good versus evil. With their bloody end, perhaps there’ll be room to understand how there is no good and evil. There are only strange grey areas we all must navigate without any easy answers.
So with Halloween Ends, let’s give Laurie Strode the send-off she deserves, one that’s definitive and full of dignity (before the inevitable reboot in the next few decades). Let’s let her go gentle into that good night, one that’s void of giant knives and men in William Shatner masks. Let’s lay Laurie to rest and pave the way for a new Final Girl.
Categorized:Editorials News
