Halloween has had many ups and downs. There have been some legendary entries in the franchise, both for good reasons and infamous reasons. Season of the Witch is far famed for departing from the series’ usual formula and not including Michael Myers whatsoever. The original Halloween was a seminal moment in horror movie history.
To say the films have a body count in the hundreds is probably not an exaggeration. But not every kill ands the same. Sometimes, the series has some kills that are just so unintentionally funny, it takes away from the horror of the situation.
Ghostface (Halloween)
The first film is actually one of the tamest in terms of kills. Only about five human characters die on screen. It also features one of the series’ earliest unintentionally funny kills in the franchise.
The kill involves Laurie’s friend Lynda; having ignored one of the cardinal rules of ‘70s horror film, she’s in the midst of post-coital bliss when Michael sneaks up to the bedroom, disguised as a bedsheet wearing ghost. He’s just killed Lynda’s boyfriend Bob, so Lynda thinks it’s just Bob messing with her. She ends up strangled via phone cord by Michael.
Okay, so it’s not the way Lynda dies that makes the scene unintentionally funny, it’s the set-up. Michael is unusually playful here: he goes through the effort of putting on a cheesy ghost costume and wearing Bob’s funky ‘70s eyewear just to mess with Lynda instead of straight-up killing her. Note that this is also the final kill in the original film. At least he’s embracing the Halloween spirit?
A Random Man Gets Run Down (Halloween II)
Halloween II takes place right after the original film. As such, the police and Dr. Sam Loomis are on the lookout for Michael and everyone’s on edge. Unfortunately, one costumed man (later revealed to be Ben Tramer, Laurie’s crush from the first film) makes the mistake of wearing an outfit similar to Michael’s iconic William Shatner mask. As Dr. Loomis chases him down, he’s nearly about to shoot him…
Only a police car comes out of nowhere, barreling down the road and crushing the man against a van, which promptly explodes. The police officer in the car tries to justify this by saying that the man came out of nowhere, he couldn’t possibly have seen him! Except the man had been walking down the middle of the street for quite some time, being chased down by Loomis and the Sheriff.
It’s the suddenness of the death that makes it land comically. One second, the man is there, the next, he’s literally exploded into flames. It reads like Dr. Loomis was intended to kill the man on accident, but that would’ve made him too unsympathetic to the audience of the horror film, so the over-the-top way he died was chosen instead.
Bucky (Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers)
To be fair to Bucky, he was a plucky and brave guy. Facing down Michael Myers, he tells him not to try any of that “Halloween s***” on him. He gets incensed when Michael remains silent, as is his custom and just plain part of who he is, and demands Michael stay right where he is while he calls the cops.
Of course, Michael doesn’t feel the need to listen to this random electrician, and let’s just say that his profession gets the better of him: Michael throws him into power lines, where he gets fried. At least Bucky died getting in a few verbal barbs in at Michael. Maybe words do hurt more than physical pain.
A Woman Dies By Her Own Hand (Halloween Kills)
This clip has actually been making the rounds recently, and it’s easy to see why: when the citizens of Haddonfield finally have enough, they try to take down Michael once and for all. One particularly brazen woman, Vanessa, in a nurse costume comes at Michael, who’s driving a car, with a gun.
She manages to get a good shot at the driver’s window, but her hubris gets the best of her. As she approaches Michael, he opens the door on her, knocking her hand around, which makes her shoot herself in the head. It’s a convoluted series of events, almost farcical, like something out of The Naked Gun franchise. Maybe Michael would have been dealt with by the citizens of Haddonfield if they weren’t so clumsy.
Busta Rhymes Kills Michael Myers (Halloween: Resurrection)
Halloween: Resurrection is a contentious entry in the franchise, to say the least. It was struck from canon by David Gordon Green’s trilogy, like most of the other films. It features Busta Rhymes in an oddly prescient role of a hapless streamer trying to get views by scamming viewers through fake scares, only to be confronted by the real Michael Myers.
Busta Rhymes ends up saving the day by electrocuting Michael and leaving him in the burning Myers house, accomplishing what took Laurie decades to accomplish. That’s right: Michael Myers was bested by American rapper Busta Rhymes. Sure, he wakes on the morgue table at the end of the movie, but no sequel to this entry was ever made. Perhaps Michael knew to go into hiding, lest he face Busta Rhymes’ wrath once more.
An honorable mention should be made for the woman who brought an iron to face Michael Myers in Halloween Kills. No doubt she would have killed evil once and for all had she actually faced Michael.
Halloween Ends is currently available for viewing on Peacock.