10 Most Intense Moments From The Halloween Movie Franchise

John Carpenter's genre classic - the iconic Halloween - is a movie renowned for its sustained tension and intensity, introducing audiences to the unstoppable Michael Myers. In the thirty plus years since Carpenter's Halloween, Michael - or the Shape, as he is known by horror fans - has stabbed, slashed and stomped his way through the small town of Haddonfield, time and time again.

This year's Halloween Kills sees Michael Myers once again returning to terrorize Haddonfield - boasting the highest body count of any movie in the series so far. While the dust settles on Michael's latest misadventure, and without any spoilers, here we take a look back at ten of the Halloween franchises most nerve-shredding and truly intense moments - from Carpenter's original movie, through to the 2018 reboot.

Limiting ourselves to one standout sequence per movie (otherwise, we might as well just do 1978's Halloween: The 10 Best Bits), join us on a convoluted journey through the many timelines of Michael Myers... yes, including that silly one with the Halloween masks.

Trading in John Carpenter's cold, detached style for his own redneck trailer trash chic, Rob Zombie's remake of the first Halloween movie was nothing if not intense. And sweary. Focusing heavily on Michael's childhood, the film documents the first recorded kills of Michael Myers's career. Just before his sister, her boyfriend and his stepfather, there was Wesley Rhoades - Haddonfield school bully, and Michael's first ever kill.

And it's here that Zombie makes the Halloween franchise his own. Where Carpenter's movie was restrained - almost bloodless - Zombie has no such inclination. His Michael Myers is angry, messy... and a sadist. Following Wesley into the woods, young Michael (Diego Flinch) ambushes the school bully, smashing him around the mouth with a tree branch and quickly pounding the kid into submission. As a terrified Wesley begs for his life, so we see the earliest glimpse of this Michael's sadistic side.

Many baulked at Zombie's portrayal of Michael Myers as a sneering snot-nosed punk, but the brutality with which little Mike goes at his tormentor is truly horrifying, regardless.