The Halloween franchise is best known for the iconic Haddonfield bogeyman Michael Myers, AKA “The Shape”. However, like all the other slashers, it’s also known for giving us some of the best and most creative kills. Now, with October 31 lurking on the corner like Michael Myers himself, let’s take a look at some of the films’ most memorable kills.
1. Swept off His Feet — Halloween (1978)
The original Halloween‘s Bob Simms (John Michael Graham) gets the most iconic kill in the franchise. After investigating a noise in the kitchen, the teen is startled by Michael Myers (Nick Castle), lifted off the ground, and then pinned to the wall with a big kitchen knife. This kill inspired many others throughout the series (one victim even gets “double-Bobbed” in Halloween: Resurrection), and it’s also the first time we see Michael’s infamous “head-tilt”!
2. Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot — Halloween II (1981)
Karen Bailey (Pamela Susan Shoop) is one of many nurses to fall prey to Michael Myers (Dick Warlock) in Halloween II (1981). After enjoying a relaxing, pre-shift soak in the hospital’s hydrotherapy hot-tub with male orderly Budd (Leo Rossi), she’s repeatedly dunked face-first into increasingly scalding water by the bogeyman. It’s one of the most vicious kills in the Halloween franchise, and all the more memorable for it.
3. Bringing Guns to a Face Fight — Halloween 4
Despite having one of the worst versions of Michael Myers (George P Wilbur) in the franchise, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) has some decent kills, with the death of Brady (Sasha Jenson) being the most stand-out. While squaring off on a mezzanine, the poor teen tries to get a few rounds off at Michael, but the bogeyman swipes his rifle, throws it away, and then lifts Brady by his head and breaks his face like an Easter egg. Ouch.
Related: Does Michael Myers Actually Talk In ‘Halloween Kills’?!
4. Exploding Jack-O’-Lantern — Halloween 6
If there’s anyone in a Halloween movie who deserves to come face to face with the Haddonfield bogeyman, it’s the misogynistic bully, John Strode (Bradford English). An inebriated John arrives home to hear strange noises in the basement. Upon investigating, he encounters “The Shape” (George P Wilbur), who impales him in the stomach, carries him gut-first over to the fuse box, where he electrocutes him until his head explodes.
5. Flattery Gets You Nowhere — Halloween II (2009)
Rob Zombie’s Halloween II (2009) is one of the goriest entries in the entire series, so it’s hardly surprising that there’s a kill that sees the towering, hulking Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) repeatedly stomping on strip club employee Howard Boggs’ face until it’s as flat as a pancake (one filled with jam, of course). This might just be the most uncomfortable kill in the franchise. Probably a lot more uncomfortable for Howard (Jeff Daniel Phillips), though.
6. Campfire Kebab – Halloween Kills
Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) kills a lot of firefighters in Halloween Kills (2021). After emerging from Laurie Strode’s burning house in the woods, Michael grabs a crowbar, ready to do business with a team of first-responders. There are some truly gnarly kills here, but the most iconic is when Michael viciously impales a firefighter in the stomach before almost effortlessly lifting up into the air and then throwing him back onto the ground.
7. Radio Silence — Halloween Ends
In Halloween Ends (2022), local radio DJ Willy the Kid (Keraun Harris) is a pretty awful character, as he exploits the victims of Michael Myers to try and boost his number of listeners. But his comeuppance isn’t at the hands of Michael — it’s bogeyman-wannabe Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) who storms into Willy’s DJ booth, smashes his face so hard into the desk that his jaw is hanging off, and then cuts off his tongue with a scissors.
What are your favorite kills from the Halloween franchise? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
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