John Carpenter’s iconic 1978 film Halloweenreconfigured the horror film genre, inspiring multiple sequels and remakes, including a new installation in the franchise due out this month. In episode three of the eight-part podcast Halloween Unmasked, host Amy Nicholson takes a deeper look at the horror masterpiece and develops a psychological profile of Michael Myers. Here she’s joined by Dr. Anthony Tobia, who teaches college classes that examine the mental illnesses of killers from classic slasher flicks. Taking into account the mental state of the movie’s masked killer, Tobia suggests a diagnosis, and even calls into question the methods of Myers’ movie psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (played by Donald Pleasence). By looking at the origins of the phrase “serial killer”—which wasn’t coined until afterHalloween was released—real-world serial killers, and less grounded explanations of Myers’ murderous impulses from the franchise and its novels,Halloween Unmasked is the perfect podcast to listen to leading up to Halloween, and even better for augmenting your marathon-watch of the original movie series in preparation for the release of the newest Halloween.
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