The original 1978 version of John Carpenter’s Halloween revolutionized the slasher genre and collected a cult following that has grown tremendously over four decades. It introduced one of the most recognizable villains in horror movie history, Michael Myers, and most importantly, one of the genre’s most crafty and intelligent female heroines, Laurie Strode.
For 40 years and seven films, Michael Myers and Laurie Strode have battled each other to the death. What started as a story of an unstoppable killer, following the horror norm of preying on a helpless damsel, became a kill-or-be-killed contest between two powerful entities. To this day, it is still a mystery as to what Michael Myers is—why he continues to walk after receiving numerous punishments that would kill a normal man. Laurie, on the other hand, is human—a special human. She is an introvert who has matured into a unique individual capable of using her talents to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles—in particular, a silent, masked boogeyman.
Halloween (1978)
Laurie Strode’s introduction came as a surprise to audiences. Not only was it Jamie Lee Curtis’ film debut; it was also a rare display of female self-reliance in a horror movie. She was depicted as a woman of brains and integrity instead of the stereotypical dumb, promiscuous, teenage bimbo people hated in real life.
At first glance, Laurie is a girl most guys probably would not want to date. Her hair lacks character, she is carrying a ton of books, and she has a large purse strapped to her shoulder possibly holding more books. Her outfit is uninspiring and leaves nothing to the imagination. Her mind is on school, babysitting, and being a responsible kid.
Of course, a dull wardrobe doesn’t make one an introvert.
One can tell by her body language, especially the way she holds her books tightly to her chest, that she is reserved and cautious. A viewer can sense an invisible wall surrounding her which makes her unnoticeable.
It appears her only friends are Annie and Lynda, two girls who are the polar opposite of her character: silly, adventurous, and boy-crazy. Together, the three girls complement each other. Laurie brings some sense of responsibility to the others, and Annie and Lynda attempt to bring fun into her life.
When she encounters Michael Myers, or as the film calls it, the Shape, the invisible wall is shattered by her screams along with her innocence. Never imagining in a million years that she would be attacked by a deranged killer, she uses quick wit to defend herself until the evil has gone away. But when the credits rolled, it was only the beginning.
Halloween II (1981)
Michael Myers continues his pursuit of Laurie, for he never allows his victims to get away.
The battle with the Shape has caused her several injuries and has forced her to get treated at the town’s local hospital. Hardly able to move, she finds herself in a more vulnerable state than she predicted, and at the same time, fears the unkillable Shape will come after her for revenge.
Although they realized he survived six gunshots and a fall from a two-storied home, the police were not as vigilant as they should have been. The Shape successfully took out anyone that was in its way, including the hospital staff. Laurie was the only person—along with Dr. Loomis— who truly understood the type of force she was dealing with.
When she realized the phones were out of service, and the nurse arrogantly reassured her there was nothing to worry about, her intuition warned her the Shape was on its way. She fooled the staff into believing she had an adverse effect from the medication as she appeared to be catatonic. As soon as the staff left her alone in the room, which is questionable, she makes her escape, realizing under the dire circumstance, this was now a fight for survival.
Barely able to walk and talk, Laurie was able to survive the night of terror and defeat Michael Myers. But she knew the evil would come back for vengeance. This time she would be ready.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
In a separate timeline that disregarded the previous three Halloween films, Laurie is a single parent to a teenage son and is the headmistress at a boarding school. To avoid another horrific encounter with Michael, she faked her death and adopted a new identity. Her long hair is replaced with a pixie cut—Jamie Lee’s signature hairstyle—to symbolize the removal of an old life or former burdens and the birth of a clean life with a newfound maturity.
Although one would agree this is the best and only strategy to stay alive, it also resembles an introvert’s method of avoiding stress by escaping to seclusion with little to no social support. Who knows what channels Laurie went through to arrange her fake death and create her new identity. Most people might work with the police or the state. But based on their failed decisions, she decided that the best solution to protecting herself would be to get as few people involved as possible.
Although it took Michael 20 years to find her, her decision proved to be correct. However, it might’ve been more effective if she changed her identity every five years.
Studies suggest that introversion may increase the chances of PTSD. During the film, we see Laurie having several traumatic episodes caused by her memories of that deadly Halloween night. The only person she seems to trust is her teenage son, John, who is frustrated by her mother’s neuroticism, and wants to stop acting as her caretaker. She also has difficulty developing relationships with others, including her colleague/boyfriend, Will.
When her long-awaited meeting with Michael arrives, she realizes she can no longer hide from him. It was time to either kill him or die trying.
During extremely stressful situations, introverts can display a powerful determination to exceed. Michael witnessed this firsthand, and for once, he was the prey.
Laurie’s will and ingenuity were enough to defeat the evil in the end. Her unorthodox methods allowed her to achieve success, whereas others who used traditional methods failed. Although a sequel to H20 was released four years later, many fans claimed this movie was the true final chapter to the Laurie Strode saga.
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