Michael Myers celebrates Halloween in a very unique manner, to say the least. The devil-eyed slasher has never been seen carving a pumpkin into a jack o’ lantern. (Unless you count the opening to Halloween 5.) However, he has been seen attempting to carve up his sister, niece, nephew, and doctor. As frightening as that sounds, he has stumbled upon some ridiculous situations in his brutal path.
His encounters with musicians, models, hooded figures, and braindead teenagers are just scratching the surface to this hardened piece of candy corn. Here are the five most chilling (and five most groan-inducing) moments from the Halloween film franchise.
Chilling - Halloween Score (Pt. 1)
The Halloween theme is iconic, there’s no doubt about that. It grasped the audience’s ears while sending frigid chills down their spines. The theme has most often been tagged with every installment in the franchise. (Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the sole exception.) Not only the theme, but John Carpenter’s droning score to the film is one to admire for its simplicity and effectiveness.
“If you watch the film on mute, it’s not scary,” stated Carpenter. The film needed the final fearful ingredient of the score to certify it as a horror classic. The score and theme always added a layer to the film as a whole.
Eye Roll - Never Sensible Tina (Pt. 5)
One -dimensional characters can be considered cliche, stock, or cannon fodder. It goes to show that these horror archetypes should never be given a film’s prominent role. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers commits a few crimes in this department.
The first offense was dispatching of Rachel Carruthers, Jamie Lloyd’s foster sister. Audiences had appreciated Rachel’s development from a boy-desperate teenager to stern and protective sister. By the end of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Rachel was a good character.
That was the perfect reason to have her offed by Michael Myers in the first fifteen minutes of Halloween 5. Before Rachel’s body went cold, this sequel added some shame to her shallow grave. Rachel is replaced by Tina Williams, a naive, boyfriend-obsessed youngster. A classic tired staple of the slasher genre.
Chilling - Atmospheric Opening (Pt. 4)
Aforementioned, the Halloween theme is classic. It is usually the genesis and exodus of every Halloween film. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers did something very different with its bookends.
This sequel establishes a haunting atmosphere within its opening credits. Shots of scarecrows, pumpkins, pitchforks, and sickles drench the screen while the tangerine sun sets behind them. An illuminating aura of dread hovers over these opening credits. The film seems to be misted in an unseen threat.
This unnerving sensation of spectral evil feeds into the film’s conclusion. This looming specter of evil seems to have left Michael and cocooned itself into Jamie, Michael’s niece.
Eye Roll - Trick ‘R Treat, Maternal Fornicator (Pt. 8)
Nothing will ever date a movie more than miscast musicians or celebrities that were popular at the time. Unfortunately, Halloween Resurrection fell into this trap of trendy miscasting.
For whatever reason, Tyra Banks and Busta Rhymes were cast as internet reality showrunners producing a live-cast from Michael Myers’ home. (Wow, that sentence sounds extremely analog.) Banks is dispatched traditionally… with television cables? Anyway, the bigger detriment to this sequel is Busta Rhymes. His Kung-Fu kicks and one-liners wear thin fast.
And, yes, Busta Rhymes spin kicks Michael Myers in the face. Not before scolding him with the poetic line, “Trick ‘R Treat, mother- Hee-Yah!”
Chilling - Stoic Stance (Pt. 1)
Does anybody remember the days when a frightening scene in a movie wasn’t accompanied by pushy sound design? Clink! Clank! Clang! Bong! If those sounds reverberate in your memory banks, please re-visit the original 1978 Halloween.
Quite possibly the most chilling portion of the movie is not knowing where Michael Myers will appear next. Laurie looks out a window. He’s there. Laurie walks down a sidewalk. He’s there. Laurie looks across the lawn. He’s there.
That sudden shock of suspense chills audiences to the bone. No clink or clank needed. The original Halloween was a maestro in atmosphere and unnerving subtlety.
Eye Roll - Should Have Been A Bayonet (Pt. 4)
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a decent installment to the franchise. Its tone and aesthetic established a daunting mood while expanding the story. This expansion is through the introduction of Jamie Lloyd, Michael Myers’ niece, and new target. Simple, decent, and new premise. However, in the film, there are some “unique” choices.
The conventions of the slasher genre are well engrained in the film. Slashers are well equipped in taking damage from firearms but not utilizing them, apparently. Michael Myers in Halloween 4 arms himself with a shotgun after murdering an officer. He aims it at a soon-to-be victim. Does he shoot? Nope, he stabs his victim with the shotgun barrel. He stabs with such force that he embeds her into the wall. We have no words, tricks, or treats for this one.
Chilling - Bloody Tears (Pt. 2)
Halloween II is one of the most polarizing installments in the franchise. It was plagued by utilizing too similar devices from the first film. However, having traces of the same DNA as the first isn’t a terrible thing.
Pertaining to DNA, the second installment brought in more bloodshed as opposed to its predecessor. This added gore gave birth to one of Michael’s most memorable and chilling moments. In defense of herself, Laurie unloads two slugs from Dr. Loomis’ revolver into each of Michael’s eyes. The audience is treated to the icy image of bloody tears streaming down Michael Myers’ mask.
Eye Roll - He’s My Father & My Uncle (Pt. 6)
(Dealing with the caveat that this moment deals with the producer’s cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.) A franchise will run out of steam eventually. This is usually when the well of ideas has run dry. The magnitude of a franchise’s fall is measured by the absurdity of their choices.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers didn’t topple the franchise. It scraped its knees, causing it to collapse into a six-foot crater known as slasher purgatory. The catalyst to this collapse was a creative decision involving Michael Myers and his teenage niece, Jamie Lloyd. Audiences adored, cheered, and followed Jamie since Halloween 4. Disgusting details will be left out of this excerpt, but let’s just say Michael will have more familial targets thanks to his own perversion. Awful.
Chilling - Michael Myers Is Everywhere (Pt. 1)
The presence of Michael Myers is the most chilling effect of his persona. Butcher knives are deadly but a looming aura with a swift hand makes it deadly.
1978’s Halloween solidifies this notion better than any other movie in the franchise. Michael Myers looms like a specter of death in nearly every film frame. As the audience is drawn to a foreground element, Michael hovers in the background. The most chilling, in fact, is that he’s everywhere. This is displayed after he’s shot by Dr. Loomis and disappears. The audience is treated to the sounds of Michael’s breathing while shots of everywhere he’s been are showcased.
Eye Roll - Dig Through The Sequels & Burn Through The Remakes
Subtlety is not one of Rob Zombie’s strong points. He can deliver grindhouse aesthetics with disturbing plots. That artistry should not be at the helm of a Halloween sequel much less remake.
The atmosphere is replaced with gore galore. A mysterious villain made of pure evil is replaced by a tormented child with a not so complex childhood. The villain’s target is no longer a goody two shoes that musters up the courage to defend herself. In this remake, we get a protagonist that doesn’t take charge, fingers bagels, and becomes a run of the mill scream queen parading around as the poor man’s Laurie Strode.
Rob Zombie’s Halloween I & II are glorious atrocities with lessons to be learned—lessons of how not to approach a classic with your change for change’s sake ideals.
