'Halloween' Easter Egg: Jamie Lee Curtis Played Multiple Roles, And Michael Myers' One Ethical Choice
David Gordon Green's Halloween broke box office records this past weekend, making it the biggest opening in history for a slasher movie. Michael Myers is back, baby – and speaking of babies, there's one specific moment in the film involving an infant child that's dripping with so much suspense that it practically forces audiences to hold their breath.
During a recent interview, Green explained Myers' decision in that moment, and he also revealed a surprising Halloween easter egg: star Jamie Lee Curtis, who returned to play Laurie Strode, also plays another role in the film – and it's not who you might think.
Halloween's Baby Scene
In the newest Halloween film, Michael Myers, AKA The Shape, has donned his old mask and finds his way back to Haddonfield, Illinois, where he goes on yet another killing spree. He murders a woman with a hammer before acquiring a huge knife from her kitchen, and before he heads back out into the night, he passes a crib with a crying baby in it. Myers pauses for a brief second, leaving the audience to consider the horror of him murdering an infant, but he ultimately decides to leave the baby alone and continue on his way.
Jamie Lee Curtis's Surprising Second Role
In a conversation with CinemaBlend, Green revealed that Jamie Lee Curtis was partially responsible for the voice of the baby:
"The baby idea happened on set. Why would a baby crib be in the living room of the house? But the art director had that idea at the last minute. He's like, 'There's this blank space. We need some narrative there. What's the story?' And so we scrambled and found a little mobile. And beautiful note, which you should ask about: the sound of the baby crying? Jamie Lee [Curtis]. I can't believe I haven't said that yet."
Green explained that they used an actual baby cry when the camera is close to the child, but since Curtis has a remarkable talent for creating realistic baby cries, they decided to put that talent to use in the final sound mix. "It was going to be her husband asleep on the sofa, and it's like, 'Who gives a shit about her husband asleep on the sofa?'" he elaborated. "But a baby crying, you're like, 'Oh, there's an ethical choice here.'"
Michael Myers' Ethical Decision
Throughout both John Carpenter's original Halloween and David Gordon Green's direct sequel, Michael Myers is regularly referred to as the embodiment of pure evil. But apparently there are lines that even purely evil beings won't cross, and murdering a defenseless baby is one of them.
Speaking with Collider, Green was asked why Myers didn't kill the infant on the spot:
"Why doesn't he? Because that would be so rude...I think it was a consideration...it's terrifying in its own right. And it was a last minute idea — I mean, why is there a baby crib in the living room? It was gonna be her husband sleeping on the couch, but then he didn't show up and we scrambled and put a baby crib in there. And then, yeah, I thought it was interesting to see one ethical choice that he made in the movie. So that's the one ethical choice he makes."
I suppose Michael Myers never mentally developed beyond a child's capacity for thought, so it stands to reason that his decision-making aligns with that of a child:
Halloween is in theaters now.