Jamie Lee Curtis Hugs Comic-Con Attendee Who Credits ‘Halloween’ With Saving His Life

Horror movies can have a massive impact on someone’s life in a variety of ways and, as demonstrated by one fan at San Diego Comic-Con, Jamie Lee Curtis‘ Laurie Strode in Halloween inspired them to save their lives. Watch the video above to see one man recall how, when confronted with a knife-wielding intruder, he thought of how Laurie would have reacted and managed to escape.

During the Universal panel at San Diego Comic-Con, one fan approached the microphone to ask a question to the cast and crew of the upcoming Halloween sequel and directed his question directly at Curtis. He went on to recount how he was confronted by a man with a knife in his home, with his phone lines cut, but saw a pair of knitting needles to grab in hopes of defending himself before running to his neighbor’s house for help. Laurie Strode did the same exact thing when Michael Myers attempted to invade her house in the 1978 film.

After recounting the harrowing ordeal, the fan became emotionally overwhelmed, resulting in Curtis coming down from her seat to console him, offer him advice, and pose for pictures.

The moment was clearly emotional not just for the two, but for the entire audience, with moderator Yvette Nicole Brown chiming in to express how unique and special the moment was.

When speaking with ComicBook.com, Curtis recalled how a major motivating factor behind this upcoming sequel is a response to Laurie having endured trauma and never receiving the help she needed, leaving her feeling lost in the world.

“Laurie Strode had something happen to her that no one in our lives should ever have happen and she just reacted in her intelligent way to save her life. Period. End of story, the movie ends,” Curtis noted. “This new movie picks up 40 years later and what happened is, 40 years later, there was no trauma therapy. No one went in and gave her mental health services. She was raised by Midwestern, simple people who said, ‘Baby, you’re okay,’ and she went back to school two days later with just a little scar on her arm and that’s it.”

She continued, “You see that kind of PTSD, that kind of trauma, just compounds. And what we’re seeing in the world today is that all of these women who have been traumatized, victimized, beaten, battered, raped, have all found the voice to be able to say, ‘No more.’ And it’s interesting that this movie coincides beautifully with that wellspring of empowerment and understanding. And Laurie Strode was a 17-year-old high school student who nobody paid any attention to. And now she is demanding a moment, and that’s who we meet 40 years later. It’s powerful.”

The new Halloween hits theaters on October 19th.

[H/T YouTube, Cinemaste]