Shape-ology — Introduction

Halloween from 1978 is my favorite movie. And I have a lot of ideas, theories and opinions that I want to share, but instead of creating a YouTube channel, I’m doing them as a series of essays.

I’m very comfortable speaking in front of people in real-life, I’m just not crazy about being recorded while doing it. I’m way too self-conscious to put my face (or even just my voice) out there in cyberspace.

I’ve always enjoyed writing, and I think I’m better at expressing my thoughts that way, rather than speaking. And it allows me to make best use of my research skills (I’m a librarian), so I can contribute something a little new and different to the conversation. You can think of these essays as mini research papers, so I’m calling the series “Shape-ology,” in other words, the study of The Shape.

Whenever possible, I’m going to include facts or quotes to support what I’m saying, along with a link or reference to the original source. These can include YouTube videos, blogs, and social media posts, as well as old-school sources like journal articles and books.

I don’t have any experience or expertise in film-making or film criticism. So these are just my own ideas and opinions, written as a fan rather than an expert. And my essays will deal more with the story, characters, and interpretations, rather than the craft of making a movie.

Please note, I seem to have a mental block that prevents me from ever being concise. I simply cannot say anything in just a few words. My motto is apparently, “Why say something in 10 words, when 50 will do?” It probably has to do with me being detail-oriented (or obsessive and anal-retentive, if you want to be blunt about it). So these essays will be pretty long, and sometimes broken into multiple parts for easier reading. But I hope you’ll enjoy them, and possibly see some aspects of Halloween in a new light.