The slasher film genius behind Michael Myers, John Carpenter, was recently terror-stricken to discover that he'd treaded into the unknown. Not the supernatural realm or a dystopian future. Nope - he entered the blatantly pastel-colored, unscathed utopia of Mattel's Barbie.
Seated in his armchair, classic horror maestro and self-confessed homebody, Carpenter confessed to LA Times, "I haven't been to a movie in a while, but I see them at my house. I watched Barbie. I can't believe I watched Barbie. It's just not my generation." We can only sympathize, imagining this legend squinting, perplexed at the wash of pink glitter on his screen.
His impression of the movie boiled down to the doll's sudden twist from gender-defined plastic to an empowered feminist, seeking gynaecological validation. He mused, "I watched a doll go from saying, 'I don't have a vagina,' to declaring, 'I'm going to a gynecologist!' That's some radical character development right there!"
While the beloved gothic story-teller had no clue about Allan, Barbie's long-time beau, nor about the movie's subtle messages of breaking down patriarchy, he admitted, "I think she’s fabulous, Margot Robbie." That's one thumb up for Mattel's nose-tipped Barbie!
Surely Carpenter's fans are reeling with laughter imagining the auteur of cult classics like The Thing, The Fog, and the original Halloween, wide-eyed while watching the vivacious Barbie prance across the screen. After all, Carpenter is not exactly known for his affinity for the lighter shades of pink.
This amusing stint comes as Carpenter, who celebrated his 75th birthday this year, returns to his horror roots. After a significant hiatus from television, he's back to haunt us with Suburban Screams, an unscripted horror anthology on Peacock. This series aims at spine-chillingly presenting real-life horror stories as experienced by everyday folks, his first television endeavor since the 2005's Masters of Horror series on Showtime.
Clearly, the master of fright and creator of big-screen nightmares is having a chuckle (and probably a little cringe) at our childhood staple. As Barbie navigates the city in her pink convertible, Carpenter will be at the edge of his seat, popcorn in hand, futilely awaiting the appearance of a monstrous antagonist. After all, what's a Carpenter film without a good scare?
While we might be stunned at this unlikely collision of the world's most iconic doll and a master of horror, it's definitely a conversation we didn't know we needed. Now let's wait and listen to Barbie's response to this. Maybe a Halloween Special Barbie teamed up with Michael Myers? The possibilities are endless!
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