5. Michael Myers - Halloween (1978)
Another faceless, anonymous and evil character a la Jason Vorhees in the Friday the 13th franchise, Michael Myers is the very definition of wickedness. He has escaped from the asylum he was sent to after a dreadful act (he killed sister Judith at age 8) and now in 1978, he is determined to vent his psychotic anger on Laurie Strode - a teenage babysitter played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Michael's psychiatrist, played by Donald Pleasance, is trying to ascertain his whereabouts. Michael is efficiently killing all of Laurie's friends. When he gets the chance to attack Laurie herself, Loomis comes in the nick of time and saves her. He shoots Michael six times, but when he goes to find the body, Michael is not there, thus paving the way for plenty of sequels Halloween was a massively successful film, largely due to the presence of Michael Myers. Myers is depicted as an insatiable killer and an unstoppable phenomenon - taking on hues of the supernatural. Of course, this is what John Carpenter sought to achieve with Myer's character. The fact that his body cannot be found after six shots is meant to catch the imagination of the audience. He becomes a masked, mute bogeyman who is impossible to stop.
Clare Simpson
Contributor
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
See more from
Clare