Zen Pop Parenting

Zen Pop Parenting


Halloween: Gen X Suburban Fear and the Final Girl- Episode #835

September 30, 2025

Cathy and Todd revisit John Carpenter’s Halloween, the 1978 film that cost just over $300,000 to make and went on to shape the slasher genre. For Gen X kids, it was more than a scary movie, it was a cultural milestone. They talk about why the suburban setting felt so close to home, how a cheap William Shatner mask turned into Michael Myers, and why Laurie Strode became the blueprint for the “final girl.” They also point out the small details you might miss on rewatch, talk about the film’s influence on later directors, and share their favorite final girls and boogeymen from the entire horror genre.

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