Jamie Lee Curtis Reveals Her Halloween Plans Free of Horror

Despite her reputation as the “Scream Queen,” Jamie Lee Curtis had no plans to celebrate Halloween this year. 

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala on Saturday, October 5, Curtis—who has been in over 40 Halloween films as Laurie Strode—said that, despite her renowned role, she “no longer” feels the “pressure to go all out” on October 31.

“I have retired my pumpkins”

Curtis said “I have retired my pumpkins. I have hung up my butcher knives. I have stepped away from the vehicle. I am bowing gently to others who are taking up the mantle,”

This year, the celebrity had no intention of decorating her home for the occasion.

“Nothing. Zip, Nobody comes by our house except my neighbor and we do that at like three o’clock,” so she won’t feel the pressure to answer the door to anybody.” She added.

“My children are old enough now that they don’t want me to decorate for them. So no, I’m just gently stepping into the darkness,”  Curtis said.

The actress first appeared on screens as Laurie in the original Halloween in 1978

In 1978, the actress made her screen debut as Laurie in the first Halloween movie. Her last appearance was in Halloween Ends in 2022.

Michael Myers, often known as “The Shape,” was first introduced to horror fans in the John Carpenter classic. The film’s success led to the creation of 12 more films, many of which starring Curtis. 

Over the years and counting, the franchise has made over $1 billion. Curtis doesn’t watch herself in the Halloween movies, even with the success of the franchise. She jokingly asked PEOPLE, “No, what kind of life do you think I have?”

“You call me the Scream Queen. I don’t call myself that, but I get it. Not the queen part. The scream part. But what you may not know about me is that I scare easily — and often,”  she has said before.

Prior to the premiere of the final movie in the trilogy in October of that year, in July 2022, Curtis talked to PEOPLE about bidding the character farewell.

Curtis said “Well, you know, endings are a bitch, and endings are very difficult to do in a very satisfying way, The last shot [filmed] was [part of] a night shoot and I was in a car — it was a close-up of me in the car. And when we got out of the car, it was 4:30 in the morning and there was the picture of my face on the screen.”

“I realized that was the last image of Laurie Strode after 44 years of portraying her, Isn’t that amazing? And it felt very satisfying.” She added.

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