Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor is definitely a fan of the horror genre, proven many times over in the past, and during a recent chat with Metal Hammer, the vocalist broke down his all-time favorite horror movie scene. It comes from the original Halloween film in 1978, which left an indelible impression on young Corey.
“My favorite scene of all time, and the one that always comes to mind when I’m thinking about all-time great horrors, is from the original Halloween in 1978," says Taylor. "The scene sees Laurie – Jamie Lee Curtis – backing up after she’s seen that all of her friends are dead. She’s backed up to this doorstop, and all of a sudden the DP [director of photography] pushes the fader up and you see Michael Myers’ mask appear and he steps into the light."
"It’s at that point you realize he’s been watching her all along, just watching her react to all this carnage he’s created. That to me is one of the most beautiful moments in horror, because just when you thought the danger might be gone, it shows you’re never truly out of danger. It’s why its my favorite horror of all-time, so beautifully constructed and it’s not even that violent – it’s Hitchcockian.”
Watch Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in 1978's Halloween
Corey Taylor's Love of Horror Further Explored
Taylor has opened up on his love of horror films on multiple occasions. In 2022, at the For Love of Horror Convention in Manchester, England, Taylor shared with the audience that he considered Ari Aster's 2018 film Hereditary as the best horror film of the last decade.
He also revealed in 2019 that he'd written a horror movie, appeared in the horror anthology Bad Candy, landed a role in the horror film Rucker and worked with horror FX master Tom Savini. He also had a hand in the '80s horror film documentary, In Search of Darkness.
READ MORE: Watch Corey Taylor Play Accordion at a Horror Convention
In a 2020 promo for SyFy's Metal Crush Mondays, Taylor spoke of his fascination with metal, revealing, "My mom took me to see the Gil Gerard [starring] Buck Rogers movie [1979's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century] when I was a kid. I must've been four or five, but the trailer before the movie was John Carpenter's Halloween."
The singer then explained, "You just got these incredible visuals, this sense of it's autumn, it's Halloween and there's just this dude in the background of every shot. I can remember as a five-year-old just being transfixed. Like, I suddenly didn't care about Buck Rogers. I think it was the one moment in my life that really galvanized my taste in what my young mind thought was cool. It was actually a couple years later that I actually got to watch it and to this day it's one of my favorite movies."
And, as you can see, that love of the initial Halloween film has stuck with him by his choice of his favorite horror movie scene.
While horror may be a passion of Taylor's, music is his livelihood. Slipknot will be returning to the road next month and playing shows into the summer. Be sure to get your tickets here. Plus, Taylor just announced plans for his CMF2, second solo album, expected later this year through his BMG label imprint, Decibel Cooper.
