Top 10 Creepiest Moments from the Halloween Franchise
Top 10 Creepiest Moments from the Halloween Franchise
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This series has given us some of the creepiest scenes ever put to film. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Creepiest Moments from the Halloween Franchise. For this list, we’ll be looking at the absolute scariest scenes from the “Halloween” franchise and ranking them based on a combination of personal preference and legacy.
#10: Stalking Marion
“Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” (1998) Despite the rather goofy name, “Halloween H20” was a decent entry in the “Halloween” franchise and a welcome return to form, especially after the dreadful “Curse of Michael Myers.” The opening scene, which features Michael stalking and eventually killing Marion, was easily one of the movie’s high points, and it proved that the series was back in capable hands. It featured the classic “Halloween” staples, like slowly building tension and creepy shots of Michael randomly appearing in the background. It also contained one of the most memorable shots of the entire franchise – a quick glimpse of Joseph Gordon-Levitt with an ice skate buried in his face. Now that’s just good slasher movie entertainment.
#9: The Devil’s Eyes
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“Halloween” (1978) This scene proves that you don’t need shrieking violins, sudden loud noises, or buckets of blood to craft a creepy scene. Sometimes all you need are poetic words and a fantastic actor to sell them. Due to Michael’s boogeyman nature, we don’t get to learn a whole lot about him as a person, but this speech does a fantastic job of both filling in the blanks and selling his pure evil to the audience. The speech’s content is harrowing and unsettling, and Donald Pleasence sells every last word of it with his vigilant yet anxious performance. It remains one of the series’ most famous scenes, despite there being no conventional frights to speak of.
#8: Michael’s Body Disappears
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“Halloween” (1978) Try as you might, you may find it difficult to name a more iconic horror movie ending. It confirms that Michael truly can’t be stopped, and may in fact be an immortal, supernatural boogeyman. It also leaves the audience on edge, wondering where and who he’ll pounce on next. Both Loomis and Laurie’s faces say it all – oh crap, now what? While the unstoppable slasher may be cliché today, it was groundbreaking in 1978. This movie arguably started the entire slasher genre and was one of the first to implement the invincible killer trope. It’s not only one of the creepiest, but arguably one of the most influential endings in movie history.
#7: The Nurse’s Death
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“Halloween II” (2009) “Halloween II” was heavily criticized for its brutal violence, and like it or not, it is on full display in this horrific scene, which sees Nurse Daniels (played by the oddly cast Octavia Spencer) being ferociously slaughtered by Michael. This scene forgoes the subtlety of John Carpenter and goes all-out Rob Zombie, including fast cuts, loud, brash music, and the nauseating sounds of slicing flesh, cracking bone, and squirting blood. This scene exemplifies Rob Zombie’s explosive, violent style. Regardless of your personal preferences, there’s no denying that it’s effective in its disgusting-ness.
#6: Ghost Michael
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“Halloween” (1978) It’s little flourishes like this that make “Halloween” such a classic. In a lesser movie, Michael would have simply killed Bob, ran upstairs, and killed Lynda. Instead, Michael decides to play with Lynda by donning Bob’s glasses, fashioning a little ghost outfit, and staring at her from the door frame. The ghost outfit is truly discomforting, and the way Michael simply stands there staring at Lynda is not only incredibly eerie, but it also raises the tension to an unbearable breaking point. Forget Rob Zombie’s overly-sadistic Michael. This is the true Michael Myers – silent, patient, and just weird enough to make him seem otherworldly.
#5: Michael Stalking Laurie
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“Halloween” (1978) “Halloween” is notable not only for its kills but also for its incredible tension-building, like the supremely creepy shots of Michael stalking Laurie. The first true glimpse we catch of adult Michael is when Laurie spots him outside her classroom, and his white, almost supernatural-looking face catches us off-guard. The movie then disturbs us with more creepy stalker scenes, like when Laurie spots Michael beside the hedge or in the yard amongst the laundry. It helps make Michael feel like both an omnipresent supernatural entity and a super creepy guy who just wants to stalk teenagers. It is very unsettling no matter how you interpret it.
#4: The Reunion
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“Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” (1998) This is the reunion we were all (not so patiently) waiting for. The scene begins with John and Molly running from Michael, only to get trapped between a gate and a door. The image of Michael wildly swinging his knife is pretty exciting, and the tension that arises once he picks up the keys is electrifying. It’s a well-constructed scene made all the better when Michael and Laurie reunite. The shot of Michael’s face through the window is probably the movie’s greatest, and the way he simply stares at the distressed Laurie validates his status as one of horror’s greatest villains. There’s no emotion here. Just a quick “hey, it’s you,” and then he’s gone.
#3: The Chase
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“Halloween” (1978) There have been plenty of great chase scenes throughout horror movie history, but the chase between Michael and Laurie is easily one of the most memorable. The entire sequence is brilliantly constructed. It all begins with the heart attack-inducing shot of Michael suddenly appearing behind Laurie and taking a swipe. What follows is three minutes of pure dread, as we watch Michael breaking down the kitchen door to attack the trapped Laurie and slowly walking across the street, knife in hand. The entire scene is constructed like a nightmare – Laurie simply can’t escape the threat. It doesn’t stop, it’s relentless, and it will catch her, even if it’s taking its time.
#2: Watch the Magic Pumpkin
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“Halloween III: Season of the Witch” (1982) “Halloween III” may have suffered a terrible reputation due to the absence of Michael, but it still contained some good scares, including the Kupfer family being attacked by the devilish powers and creatures of the Silver Shamrock mask. This scene is an amalgamation of horrifying sights and sounds, from Buddy’s dead eye staring out of the mask to bugs and snakes crawling and slithering out of his mouth to the repetitive, increasingly frenetic music of the TV. Say what you will about “Halloween III,” but this scene is truly disturbing. Very few movies today, if any, would have the guts to kill off a child in such a gruesome fashion.
#1: Michael Stalks & Kills His Sister
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“Halloween” (1978) The opening minutes of “Halloween” are truly distressing, as we watch through the eyes of a killer as they stalk a couple and brutally slaughter a young woman. The first-person perspective makes us feel voyeuristic and dirty. And then the movie shocks us – not only is the murderer a normal-looking child, but the woman was his older sister. The “Halloween” franchise would return to the child killer gimmick, but it was never as effective. This scene is now iconic, but just imagine everyone’s surprise upon seeing it for the first time. “Halloween III” had the guts to close with a killer kid, but “Halloween” had the guts to open with a psychotic child murderer. And frankly, it’s even scarier.
