5. Annie in Halloween II (2009)
First and foremost, we have to give credit here to Danielle Harris. Considering her career began with Halloween 4 and 5, she’s never been a stranger to this world. In returning for Rob Zombie’s reboot as a different character, Harris became integral, and Annie was a central figure. But while she survived Halloween, by the sequel, her time was up. And it was Harris’ idea for Annie to go out the way she does. In a film chock-full of over-the-top slasher violence, Annie’s death is surprisingly heartfelt but no less brutal. We get brief, frenzied flashbacks to her attack, but mostly what we see is the aftermath: bathroom walls painted with blood and Annie’s last moments before bleeding out. It’s equal parts harrowing and horrifying, and though there are no creative gimmicks to the death scene, it’s the one we remember most. (Anna Swanson)
4. The Thumb in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
The greatest lesson I learned in stage combat is that to truly sell a death scene, you’ve got to feel it corporeally. You have to ask yourself, what do you imagine would be the first sensation you feel when a knife pierces your skin? How would you physically and emotionally react as the blade slides into your belly, puncturing organs as blood fills up your insides? The more believable it feels to you, the more that sensation of pain is transferred to the audience. And I can’t think of a more simple, more brutal transference of pain than the idea of a thumb pressing with such force that it can push through the soft flesh, penetrating the bone, before sinking into the ooey gooey sponge of your brain. Michael Myers killed others in far-flashier scenarios, but here it’s the simplicity that makes it so impactful. (Jacob Trussell)
3. Pitchfork Sex in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
I’m a simple woman. This is to say: I frequently visit IMDb’s parental guide page for the unintended comedy of prudish descriptions of outlandishly gory kills. And I, for one, am so glad that the pearl-clutching hero who wrote up the “violence and gore” section of Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers went above and beyond to mention just how bloody Sam’s boobs get when her boyfriend is impaled with a pitchfork whilst the pair are having sex. The Lord’s work, really. For all its flaws (and boy, howdy are there flaws), Halloween 5 has some fun death scenes… most of them involving farm tools. While Sam and her boyfriend Spitz roll in the hay (literally), Michael shish kabobs Spitz (say that five times fast, I dare you). And because Michael Myers is a goofy goober in this movie, he stomps off to fetch a scythe for Sam because double dipping is for losers. A tasteful blood gush ensues. Ah, Halloween 5. Never change. (Meg Shields)
2. Bob Gets Hung Up in Halloween (1978)
The killing of Bob in the first Halloween film is a staple of Michael’s death reel. After having some premarital teenage sex with his girlfriend Lynda, Bob heads to the kitchen for a brewski. Unfortunately for Bob, he ends up impaled to a wall by a kitchen knife. Not as refreshing as he had hoped. Impressed by his own superhuman strength, Michael pauses, slightly tilts his head, and admires his handy work. The creepy head tilt gets all the publicity, but the real kicker is when Michael shows his sense of humor by tossing a white sheet over his head, putting on Bob’s glasses, and pretending to be Bob dressed up as a ghost. It’s easy to see why he’d eventually go on to make all those Austin Powers movies. (Chris Coffel)
1. Kid Gets the Worms in Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Look, it’s understandable that some of you out there might consider topping our Halloween kills list with a kill from Halloween III, the Michael Myers-less Halloween film, to be sacrilege. I wish we could feign an apology. We’re not sorry. We’re merely speaking from a place of truth. We must recognize that Little Buddy Kupfer (Brad Schacter) rupturing with bugs, spiders, and snakes is just the nastiest damn thing this franchise ever produced. Director Tommy Lee Wallace brutally extends the sequence, occasionally cutting back to the kid’s oblivious parents, while the Silver Shamrock commercial blares its strobing sound effect. When mom and dad finally recognize what’s going on with their son, the boy is a flat sack of skin on the floor. Kids are rarely safe in films associated with John Carpenter, but even those with Kathy’s fatal ice cream shooting in Assault on Precinct 13 at the forefront of their minds couldn’t imagine Little Buddy going out in such a repulsive fashion. Respect. (Brad Gullickson)
Slash your way through the Halloween season and follow along with more 31 Days of Horror Lists!
Previous 2 of 2