Young Summer Pays Tribute to John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’ with Spooky ‘Undone’ Video [Premiere]

John Carpenter’s Halloween has influenced everything from other slasher flicks to even music videos. With her new visual “Undone,” indie-pop artist Young Summer rips images from the iconic 1978 film for a tension-splitting story that guarantees to creep under the skin.

Young Summer (real name Bobbie Allen) stars in the video as a woman unaware of her surroundings. While out walking her adorable pooch Scrappy, a stalker (Miloš Šarenac) wearing all black lurks from the corners of each frame.

Everything about the brand new “Undone” music video, on which she worked with frequent collaborator and cinematographer Seth Dunlap, feels very 1970s. From long lens shots to a vibrant but muted color grading, Allen (director/editor) masterfully laces suspense by using various classic film techniques and equipment – namely the telephoto Canon FD 50-300mm T/4.9 zoom Lens. 

“I knew using that long zoom for the spy shots would make the stalking scenes feel truly voyeuristic and build dread,” Allen shares with Bloody Disgusting. “I also used the ‘Iris in’ transition to allude to the filmmaking of the past but also allude to being watched. I never provide relief from the suspense built, as one would usually bookend the use of an ‘Iris in’ transition with the ‘Iris out’ at the end. I purposefully let the feeling of fear go unimpeded – the thing is still out there, coming towards you.”

“Focusing on the construction of the shots, how long or not long to hold on a moment is what makes all the difference, which is also why I love editing so much,” she continues. In other aspects, such as color and lighting, Allen draws upon not only Halloween but Rosemary’s Baby, The Wicker Man, and David Fincher’s Zodiac. 

“These movies have a distinct color that while vibrant also feel limited or muted to an extent which I associate with filmmaking from the ‘70s,” she elaborates. “Very importantly, there’s a glow and halation within [those] films. While being beautiful and of the time period, the softness and glow in those movies give a subliminal false sense of security or comfort.”

From its moody exterior to the funeral march rhythmic base, “Undone” feels primed for a Halloween tribute. But why reference such a groundbreaking slasher? Allen explains, “There is a visual simplicity to ‘Halloween’ that allows for it to be utterly terrifying as it relies on what is universally terrifying – the idea of someone murdering people at random with no real explanation ever given.”

She adds, “I have the man in black less visible in some scenes so the audience has the same experience that the girl in the video is having which is to not realize he’s there, watching her. For example, in the window seat scene, he’s outside and you can see him if you look for him.”

In the video, premiering today, Allen dons Laurie Strode’s signature look (baby blue button-up over bell-bottom jeans) and pops popcorn on the stove just like Annie did on that fateful Halloween night. “I love Jamie Lee Curtis very, very much. The costuming is another reason this movie is legendary. There weren’t flashy costumes, practical effects, or expensive locations. The fear comes from the narrative, the building of suspense, and the score,” she says. Allen also includes a Michael Myers plush toy and a licensed ‘Halloween’ prop knife in the sequence’s climactic third act.

When it comes to horror movies, Bobbie Allen isn’t new to the genre. Growing up, there were several classics and out-of-the-box genre picks that chilled her most. “I am very lucky my parents knew I loved to be scared and would let me watch scary movies,” she recalls. “The movie ‘Return to Oz,’ starring a very young Fairuza Balk, has to be mentioned as one of the first because The Wheelers (the city of Oz’s antagonistic gang) were and are absolutely terrifying. And what a movie it is! I have seen it probably 60 times. I used to watch it every day after school.”

“But the first two that would be classified as horror and had a huge impact were ‘Night of the Living Dead’ (1990), directed by the legendary Tom Savini,” she continues, “which my sister and I watched so much that when I recently re-watched it I remembered each and every zombie as they entered a scene and it felt like reuniting with old friends. It filled me with so much joy and nostalgia.”

The other movie? The People Under the Stairs. “That movie is so weird,” she says. “As a huge David Lynch fan, I would like to mention that Wes Craven chose the actors who play the parents after watching ‘Twin Peaks.’ They are none other than the legendary Everett McGill and Wendy Robie!”

Young Summer’s “Undone” is lifted from the deluxe reissue of her 2023 self-titled album.

Check out Young Summer’s Letterboxd for a list of her favorite horror movies.