Halloween Ends takes place 44 years after the traumatic events of the original film, which premiered in 1978. Naturally, it’s being touted as the “final” chapter of the longstanding relationship between Laurie Strode and the — seemingly invincible — masked killer named Michael Myers. As a self-proclaimed horror buff myself, even I know that evil never dies. Luckily, I had the honor of chatting with Jamie about the latest installment of the Halloween franchise. She shared what convinced her to come back to the role in 2018, her favorite scenes to shoot over the years, and, yes, we discussed those viral “trauma” memes. Check out our conversation ahead. BuzzFeed: Did you get to see the original Halloween in theaters? If so, what was the reaction from viewers? I saw the movie in a theater in Hollywood. It was a late-night screening and I remember it was pretty full. I remember sitting in the back, and I was watching the scene where Laurie gets the call from her friend who’s being killed. Laurie checks on the kids and then goes across the street. And there’s that long walk where Laurie is looking at the house; then, you’re back on Laurie, and looking at the house, then back on Laurie. As she gets halfway across the street, a woman stood up in the middle of that theater and screamed, “Don’t go in there! There’s a killer in that house!” The entire audience was, like, released into that fear. And that’s when I understood what John was talking about and why that movie works all these years later: that reality. And the fear and concern you have for Laurie Strode, which people have had for 44 years. Would you say that’s one of the themes of this movie? Halloween Ends talks about the societal poisoning of the victim. The fact that [Haddonfield] turns on Laurie Strode, who was a victim of Michael’s attacks then and now. In Halloween Kills, they attacked the town and the community. In this one, they victimize the victim. The poisoning of that, I think, is a metaphor for so many things. Just how cruel people are to each other. For me, that really established what the movie was going to be about: a little bit of hope, and a lot of poison. And how are you going to resolve it? Are you friends with any of the actors who’ve portrayed Michael over the years? James Jude Courtney has worn the suit for years now. I respect both [Nick and James]. I don’t want to know them very well. We keep our distance. I treat this very seriously, as you can tell. Do you know why? Because if I was, excuse my French, fucking around on set with everybody, then it’s a joke. And it isn’t a joke. Everybody takes it very seriously. There is respect on set. I’m not a method actor. Obviously, I’ll see them and say ‘hello’ on set, but I am not going to pretend that we are close, because we shouldn’t be. That’s a really good point. Is that what convinced you to come back to the franchise for the first time in years? When David suggested the new Halloween movie would be about a woman who lives behind barbed wire, who’s never had any help, whose family has been shattered, broken apart by Michael Myers, that appealed to me because that’s the truth. That’s what happens when you have untreated PTSD. That’s what happens when you don’t give someone the loving support they need. And that was the beginning of the movie. I just thought that made a lot of sense to me. So I don’t have input because they did the input for me. If they had come up with a different storyline, I probably wouldn’t have done it. I felt that it gave respect to trauma. And I know the memes, and I’ve seen the memes. I appreciate it. But it also makes me cry. Yes, the memes. I’ve seen them too. I’m curious — what is it about them that makes you cry? Because Halloween gave voice to what has been going on for women throughout history. Laurie Strode is a fictitious example, but there are women all across the world in real life who are living with perpetrated trauma on them with zero support. No help. No grief counseling or familial support. And they are persevering through it. They have tenacity, courage, and a deep internal drive to exist and survive as human beings. Yes, we can laugh about trauma and make jokes, and I totally go with it. And I’ve posted it many, many a time. But the reason I talked about it is that we were making a movie about it. And it was coinciding with the women’s rising up all over the world saying ‘me too.’ and ‘This has happened to me too.’ What does that mean to you that such a huge part of your legacy is portraying a character who has such reverence and importance in fans’ real lives? You can only imagine the feelings, the number of times I burst into tears during these conversations, because this isn’t fiction. This is life between us at this moment. And it’s really important. What you’re talking about is crucial. For me, I have been able to look in the mirror and realize — through a couple of people telling me the truth or catching me in what I thought was a big JLC is so fabulous world — I had the ability, through the grace of God, to be able to look in a mirror and go, Oh, I’m dead. I’m going to be dead. It’s going to get me to it no matter how groovy the JLC world is. It wants me dead. It’s going to get me dead. So what really scares me? Although I’m sober, it’s that lingering thing. In Halloween Ends, we think Michael Myers has disappeared at the beginning of the movie. We say it: ‘He’s disappeared!’ Well, addiction never disappears. It is right here. It’s like the little cartoons of the devil and the angel on your shoulders. That’s addiction. It’s right there at all times. I’m afraid of it. And I am trying very hard, on a daily basis, to keep it away. Wow. That’s really powerful. I have also learned really to love myself and appreciate all my gifts and all of my being. Not because of the reaction I get from other people, but because of what I’ve now understood is me. And it’s something I was very surprised at. Growing up, I just never thought you spent this much time alone. And you do. It is something that I’ve gotten comfortable with. I can be alone and be fine. And that’s self-love. And I think Laurie Strode gave me it.
