People enjoy arguing over what constitutes a holiday movie. Is Die Hard a Christmas film? Does Nightmare Before Christmas count as a Halloween movie or Christmas movie? What happens if I watch New Year’s Eve in the middle of the summer (please don’t watch New Year’s Eve anytime of year)? Obviously people can enjoy any movie they like whenever they like. Please keep an open mind then as I make a truly insane and unsupportable statement– Drive is secretly a Halloween movie.
Yep. That Drive. With Ryan Gosling in his badass scorpion jacket and that instantly iconic pop soundtrack. It’s a Halloween film, and while I sure as hell cannot prove it, I can at least explain my madness.
For my first piece of evidence I would like to introduce one jack o’ lantern mask, worn by Benicio (Kaden Leos) upon meeting the driver (Ryan Gosling). Obviously a kid is going to have toys and costumes around the apartment all year around. But it does hint towards a Fall/October setting.
Which brings me to my next piece of visual evidence– not even in focus, by the way. When the driver is stalking Nino (Ron Perlman) during a party at his pizzeria, a blurred Goodwill Halloween billboard can be seen behind the driver. This alongside Benicio’s mask make the October setting all the more likely.
The next bit is more conjectural. While stalking Nino to get revenge for a friend’s death, the driver dons a mask himself, one he stole from his day job as a stuntman.
During the sequence in which Gosling tails Perlman from the pizzeria to an isolated stretch of ocean, Gosling becomes a faceless killer, as if Death Proof’s Stuntman Mike threw on a Michael Myers’ mask. Even the setting of Nino’s death, foggy with a lighthouse in the background, calls to mind a slasher more than a heist film. The music pulses as Nino survives the initial car crash only to get chased down and drowned in the surf, Gosling’s calm meditative pursuit calling to mind Myers once again.
Finally for Gosling’s other kills, namely the hotel and elevator sequences, Refn keeps the camera on Gosling post-violence, watching him return to consciousness as if coming out of a fugue state. Staring at Gosling’s blank blue eyes with the rest of his face dripping blood it’s hard not to make associations with past cinematic psychopaths.
Drive like most Nicolas Winding Refn films revels in the ultra violence. So violent deaths alone do not turn it into a horror film. Fear X and The Neon Demon exist for those looking for Refn’s more psychological and supernatural ventures. But due to its admittedly subtle Fall setting and slasher undertones, I do make the claim that Drive very well may be a Halloween crime film.
What depth would it add though, if any, this seasonal setting? The driver is a character that hides in plain sight. Very talented behind the wheel, he is also capable of extreme violence. Yet he refuses to let his criminal activities define him, even as the consequences start to hurt him and those close to him. Similarly a Halloween costume allows party goers and trick ‘r treaters the chance to become some other ghoulish figure for a night, albeit for much more festive purposes. The driver wants to be someone else other than the monster he becomes when pushed, be it with a hammer, his car or boot heel.
Or Refn shot the film during the Fall and I need to stop watching Drive so often. Alright I’ll show myself out– yes I see the door, you don’t need to keep shoving me thank you, also I believe I left my hat in the other room if I could just– alright, fine, fine, I’m leaving.
