Halloween Unmasked

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Halloween Unmasked is an eight-part podcast series from The Ringer celebrating the remarkable and terrifying phenomenon of America’s most revolutionary horror film, Halloween. Hosted by film critic Amy Nicholson, the show dives deep into the Halloween franchise, unpacking John Carpenter’s accidental classic, Jamie Lee Curtis’s legacy as the ultimate scream queen, and psychoanalyzing the film’s iconic masked killer, Michael Myers.

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Recent Reviews
  • CaptainChaz
    It’s ok
    Halloween unmasked is ok. I’m not a huge fan of these overly scripted pods. Also think it misses the mark on a lot of the Jamie Lee talk…a lot of Halloween fans are sick to F’n death of her for many reasons
  • CastDisRiteHere
    Leftist tripe
    I know you'll find this hard to believe but this podcast series about an iconic horror film turns into a libfreak "white people bad" diatribe within the first ten minutes. You get to hear Jamie Lee Curtis bring up the "metoo" scam, hear about how Carpenter first discovered evil (hint: it's white people), and learn about how those unhip southerners were cruel to those innocent black people during the time when they were being forced to integrate. How has that worked out today, by the way? If this podcast had been made a few years later, we'd be hearing about that now canonized junkie who died and all the other false gods these degenerates have foisted upon us.
  • JTWNSC
    Great movie podcast
    Great retrospective of the classic “Halloween” movie along with a fantastic interview of the legendary Quentin Tarantino. One slight complaint is a lack of acknowledging the inspiration of “Black Christmas” but outside of that, a great listen.
  • Seattle_Ray
    Yes please!!!
    There absolute best of what a long-form interview can be. Tarantino junxtaposed with the a film selection was genius! May I have seconds? An absolute delicious motif. More please.
  • MalkavianActs
    Love
    It’s funny how some of the talks of fear from last year can apply to this new year of 2020. And it’s actually uplifting! This podcast I was listening to to free myself from reality and prepare myself for spooky season actually calmed me for what’s happening outside. So thank you, Amy.
  • Bobby Daubert
    Great convo, too much editing.
    Quentin is a great interview and can fill hours of programming alone. Why the producers smchose to splice up the conversation and insert voice overs and music every minute or two was quite annoying to listen to.
  • WaywardKid
    Great show
    This was really good. Hoping Wuentin gets motivated to do more. Love his passion for the art form.
  • nicknamegoeshere1799
    Amy Nicholson is a Treasure
    Amy does such amazing in-depth work and honestly I love that she is willing to dive into the obscure arcana of hollywood.
  • Dyl watched it
    Finally
    I listened to the Halloween episodes but couldn’t find them again last year and here they are and with a new series!! Love it
  • 0004566327
    Bonus
    Came for the Tarantino interview but really enjoyed the Halloween episodes. A great breakdown of the series and why it’s been so popular
  • GalwayK1963
    Matrix / Heroin Addction
    Always fun listening to QT. But this interviewer just seemed to get it wrong a lot. Watching the Matrix you really think is similar to taking Heroin?
  • HeyLeighD
    Informative and nostalgic
    I could listen to Quentin talk for hours. The host? Meh.
  • Godwin
    Great Listen
    After the Tarantino presentation, I recommend her prior season on the making of the movie Halloween. Her interviews with the movie’s creators and Jaimie Lee Curtis are fantastic. I don’t know how she will top these but I look forward to finding out.
  • @mikeyrots
    Masks matter
    I haven’t even finished yet and I’m leaving my 5 stars. This is a great series about one of my favorite horror films. Halloween is definitely a film that deserves this in-depth exploration. The Myers mask also deserves as much exploration. This mask changed the Halloween industry as much as Halloween changed the genre. It’s worth a deeper dive for anyone interested. It wasn’t a weekend project for Tommy Lee Wallace. It was a more involved task given to Don Post Studios, the legendary Halloween mask company. The artists involved are as much genre heavys as anyone on the film crew. William Malone, director of “Scared to Death” and “Creature”, as well as Robert Short, fx artist and designer on “Predator” and “Beetlejuice” both worked at Don Post in the 70s. They repainted and modified a Kirk mask, that was in production, with added hair from the Chewbacca masks, also in production, to make the mask that we all know and love. More info in The Illustrated History of Don Post Studios by Lee Lambert
  • Miiva
    Informative, insightful, riveting
    Wonderful podcast! I love the depth and detail that the host goes into—great portrait of John Carpenter’s childhood and coming of age against the background of a violent, tumultuous American history. So thankful this exists.
  • Ry Fitz
    Errr
    Make the Halloween part a YouTube channel.
  • Chrissypoo321
    Overproduced but great interview
    I love the questions and the interview but it is heavily overproduced. Id like to hear more conversation and less clips from movies and narration.
  • Manny CR
    Flawless!
    I've been waiting for this podcast for years! Collateral: best podcast so far!
  • Moviegoer727272
    Sounds Like It was a Great Interview
    Tarantino is compelling when we hear him, but Nicholson is completely overbearing and obnoxious, and wastes so much time on insufferably drawn out setups, tangents, and editorializing. Terrible podcast structure. I wish it were just a straight interview, because from what I can hear of it, it seems like it would have been great.
  • jimmy champane
    Good, not great.
    I really enjoyed the Halloween Unmasked podcast so when I saw my feed update I clicked immediately. This one was not as good, as sad as I am to say it. 3 episodes are not enough for the big topics this podcast wants to cover and because of that it feels rushed. I wish the host would have talked to Tarantino about the Bruce Lee scene in OUATIH instead of taking weak potshots at it and quickly moving on. The same goes for his use of the n-word. Play his response for us or push harder instead of saying “he didn’t want to talk about it.” If you’re going to ask the hard questions, commit. Anyway, if it sounds like I didn’t enjoy the show, that’s not the case. The production value and writing are top notch and the host is very well spoken and concise. Again, I just wish it wasn’t so compact and I wish it was more focused in certain areas. Either way, I’m excited for whatever is next!
  • Capt. Sav-A-Ho
    3 stars for QT
    Devin Faraci Better
  • Sambo401
    More please!
    This was fantastic. I was left wanting more. You two should have your own show!
  • Doug Moe
    Here you have
    A one on one chance to talk to Tarantino in long form and you waste it talking about 'The Hollywood shuffle?' He's not interested, I'm not interested, no one is interested. Outside of that the production values are fine and it's not poorly made. Just kind of a waste.
  • ay2234567798765
    Amazing
    Wonderful insight, very thoughtful and fun conversation. What does episode 3 drop!?!
  • Tsmfotp
    More please...
    My only complaint is that I want more!
  • ChillDP
    Amy is the best
    Better than the rest
  • RGGBB92
    Amy is one of the best movie podcasters!!
    Can’t wait to hear the new Tarantino pods! Been a fan of Amy’s since the canon days!
  • ReidV3
    Fluff
    Interesting material about the making of the original and new Halloween weighed down nonsense psych interviews and out of place opinions from the host.
  • akashley12
    Super interesting!
    I binged this podcast far too quickly! Great information and really well done!
  • Lizexp
    Super great and chilling
    Love your podcast I’m a big fan of Halloween an your podcast I listen to it every night please post more content
  • fbneverresponds
    Awful Host
    I’m a fan of the movie & the genre. The narrators voice, cadence & opinions killed it for me. I can’t get past episode 1.
  • EricksonPrime
    A Podcast For Any Horror Fan
    Fascinating insight into how the original Halloween was made, plus an overview of all the sequels up to and including the 2018 film.
  • Horror Film Junkie
    Terrible Host
    I was excited to listen to this being it’s one of my favorite horror films, but the narrator ruined it for me. Her voice is very hard to listen too, I can’t get past episode 4.
  • Kurzawapower
    Chillingly good
    Amy Nicholson and the team behind Halloween Unmasked made the perfect companion piece to the run up to this year’s Halloween film. It deeply slashed into mythology of Michael Myers, the inception of the original film, and the undeniable impact the family of Halloween films has had on culture. The episodes are excellently paced and enjoyable with killer guests, from then and now. It might be a new October yearly tradition for me to listen to this series in the ramp up to Halloween.
  • Donuts and Stuff
    Setting a Bar for Movie Deep Dives
    I had this podcast downloaded for the Telluride Horror Festival, but didn’t get around to it until a flight to Ireland. It slays! I’ve listened to Amy Nicholson on other podcasts for years. She’s a great film reviewer and has recently really hit her stride. Her work on this podcast is brilliant. Like Dan Carlin or Sarah Koenig level brilliant. Excellent interviews, retrospectives, writing. This really set a new bar for movie deep dives.
  • Spooky Boo's Scary Story Time
    Love the sound effects
    It's both fun and creepy. The sound effects are great. Thanks
  • hasonjask
    !
    Fantastic in-depth exploration of this series! Very much looking forward to what Nicholson works on next. A must watch for any fan of horror or the Haloween series--totally a gem podcast.
  • strxer
    Film buffs will love this
    Covers not only the trivial aspects of the film series but also the broader social implications of horror in general. Hope there are more of these in the future.
  • MizzPeachy
    Slow down!!!!
    The host rattles on way too fast! Also did she not notice that in every horror movie a girl that enjoys sex is going to die? In the third episode she talks about why Michael Myers is so scary and says it’s because he kills for no reason, for nothing. Wrong!!! Sex will always get you killed.
  • MF Haggard
    Loved It!
    Fantastic podcast! I loved every minute of it. It helped me get into the Halloween spirit this year. Great production, super informative, and the host Amy Nicholson was a joy to listen to. She brought such enthusiasm and fun to a great podcast. Thanks!
  • Numbbaby
    Deep dive into one film
    I'm just getting used to the idea of an entire podcast series deep diving into one film for a whole run. I honestly thought there was a chance it would be one to three people being like the Chris Farley character saying, "and remember this part...that was awesome!" But the quality and variety of the topics and interviews presented here are really perfect. And on a tech note, this podcast has very good 'production value', is very well put together. With such fantastic insight/opinions on a wide net of topics, I'm a new convert to the One Film being a podcast series subject (if produced as well as this one is). Will keep an eye out for anything else you work on.
  • Parsimonee
    Horror Homage
    Love letter to Halloween the movies and horror. The host Amy Nicholson sets the perfect tone for what is at the heart of Halloween-scares, fun & meaning.
  • eyoh ajax
    Incredible Series
    Loved all of this, so much fun to listen to. Lots of actual new information and incredible tact is displayed through the entire saga and legacy of John Carpenter's first major strike intro the cosmos. The final episode though, totally explains the short comings and do it no matter what attitude that created another tired entry into the series. Artists who just wanted to do it, not people who needed to do it, or had to do it. Fan service, but not for inspired fans, just for the occult of horror culture who maybe seem to want to be insulted with paper thin plots, reprises of a 40 year old movie, and more grinding of the same mistakes all the sequels made. Very eye opening interviews! Nice work , thanks for the content.
  • arrrrrrrghh!
    +/- mediocre
    [I will change this review in the future if the episodes beyond ep. 4 get better.] The affect of the host is at once slick and ingratiating. The fast-talking host makes the intellectual content of the podcast seem even thinner than it actually is (and it's pretty thin). It's also weird that the host routinely refers to Carpenter as "John," as though the two of them are the most intimate of friends. It sounds very unprofessional. Still, the podcast deserves two stars for the few, all-too-transient, clips from interviews with the people involved in making the film. When they are talking, the show is better than when the host is inundating the listener with the "infinte deal of nothing" that is her insight and acumen.
  • Whitdogg33
    Thank you
    Thank you for this great podcast about an iconic horror movie. Really enhancing my Halloween experience.
  • Micah Scott
    Self-interested
    Informative but feels like the host of the show just wants to talk about how awesome women are, rather than discuss the actual movie.
  • NicoleB104
    Fascinating & Brilliant
    I’ve been a Michael Myers fan since the 6th grade (thanks to my dad!)! This podcast was nothing short of fantastic! I learned a lot and loved all the interviews! I kinda have a thing for Danny McBride ;) the new Halloween movie is hilarious, gross and awesome!!
  • jmdin12
    Great Podcast
    Halloween is my favorite movie of all time and it was great to get a podcast with a fresh take on the movie and related topics. It’d be great if the Ringer would pick a classic horror movie & do one of these each October. Amy did a great job so maybe she could stay on for that. Thanks to all who pitched in!
  • aapodacag
    Excellent content, narrator needs help
    This was such a cool podcast, but I really had to look past the narration. It’s definitely still worth a listen if you’re a big fan of the movie.
  • jtwork7
    hard to listen to
    I love the Halloween series and was really excited to listen to this... but the narrator is unbearable to listen to. The speed, tone, and cadence of her speech is beyond grating. Great info, but couldn’t get past episode 2 because of the host. Bummer!
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