John Carpenter’s 1978 genre masterpiece Halloween is renowned as one of the most beloved horror classics in cinematic history. And while Carpenter’s slasher masterpiece has reached this status for several reasons, it’s hard to deny that the bone-chilling opening sequence, in which a young Michael Myers makes his first kill, is the driving force behind a lot of people’s fears. As it turns out, this unsettling opener still strikes fear into Halloween Ends star Andi Matichak.
In an interview with Variety, Matichak, who portrays Laurie Strode’s granddaughter Allyson in the updated trilogy, revealed that the opening scene from Carpenter’s 1978 movie has stuck with her throughout the years, even motivating her to eventually star in the horror franchise.
“Honestly, the opening sequence. The opening sequence.. and, the first time I saw it, I had no idea what was about to happen and it was just so startling. And it’s now seared in my brain and, unfortunately, I just can’t get it out.”
Following Matichak’s comments, the interviewer joked that this made her signing up for a major part in the Halloween franchise a strange decision, to which Matichak pointed in the direction of franchise veteran Jamie Lee Curtis and insisted that it would be incredibly silly not to.
Matichak’s character Allyson was introduced in the first chapter of David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy, where she was seen as the peaceful yet resilient granddaughter of Laurie Strode. With the death of Allyson’s mother Karen in Halloween Kills, it remains to be seen just how long Allyson will last while up against The Shape.
Halloween Ends slashes into theaters and on Peacock this Friday, Oct. 14.