You can have your debates about who is the greatest slasher of all time but there’s no denying that John Carpenter’s Halloween is a classic that shaped the slasher genre forever. And the person responsible for striking fear in all of us, ever since 1978, is The Shape himself, Michael Myers. There’s something so mystique and evil about that plain white mask that hides everything but the devil’s eyes. There have been twelve official installments into the Halloween franchise to date including one, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, that did not have Michael Myers in it, and one that hasn’t been released yet in Halloween Kills.
There have been many, many kills by Michael himself and all of them stand the test of time in one way or another. But what are the most brutal ones? The kills that make you squint your eyes in pure fear and disgust? Well, here are the Top 10 most brutal Michael Myers’ kills of all time, ranked.
10. Annie’s Death - Halloween II (2009)
Rob Zombie’s installments of the Halloween franchise get mixed reviews from fans across the board but as far as Michael Myers (Tyler Mane), he for sure embodied fear in both films. Standing over six feet, six inches tall, Myers was a physical force in the Zombie films which is why this kill stands out as one of the most brutal in the franchise.
After stellar performances in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Curse of Michael Myers, Danielle Harris made her way back into the Halloween franchise as she played the role of Annie Brackett. She was able to survive an attack by Michael Myers in the first film but that luck ran out in Halloween II (2009). While home alone, Annie comes face to face with the boogeyman himself once again. Now, this is a weird sequence as the kill is shown in more of a flashback once she is found by Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton), who discovers her in a bloody, demolished bathroom. Barely alive, Annie is gasping for breath as she is slowly dying after a brutal encounter with Myers. For the most part, this list contains on-screen kills only, but the way Zombie uses suggestion here is just so memorable.
9. Shotgun Impalement - Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers was exactly the film that fans wanted after Halloween III: Season of the Witch did not have Michael Myers in it. Although Season of the Witch is a great film, it didn’t have the effect on fans like the first two installments of the franchise did. With that being said, Halloween 4 definitely brought Michael back with a vengeance.
One of the most shocking kills in the franchise happens pretty quickly with the death of Kelly Meeker (Kathleen Kinmont). Kelly thought she was under the protection of Deputy Logan (George Sullivan), but Michael Myers proved too much for one man to deal with. As Kelly enters the room to hand Logan some coffee, candles reveal Logan's dead body. A second later, Michael appears with a shotgun in hand, using it to impale Kelly on the wall. A quick but decidedly brutal kill.
8. Teenage Barn Kill - Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Across the slasher community, it is well known that if alcohol and sex are involved there’s a very good chance someone’s about to get killed in some way. The death of Samantha (Tamara Glynn) and Spitz in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers makes this list not only for being brutal but also because it’s basically a two-for-one kill and that’s the way we are rolling with it. Too busy making out in a barn to notice, the duo doesn’t see Michael pop up with a pitchfork in hand behind them. They do notice when he decides to drive it through Spitz’s back, not only killing him but causing Samantha to freak. After pulling the pitchfork out of her dead boyfriend’s back, Samantha thought it would be a good idea to charge at Myers. This never works out. Michael tosses her aside and kills her with a scythe slash to the neck.
7. Sartain Head Stomp - Halloween (2018)
In 2018, we finally got to see Michael Myers on the big screen again and it was well worth the wait. Fans have been waiting for nine years for their beloved slasher to invade Haddonfield again and Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) did just that with many brutal kills throughout the film.
There are a couple of kills in Halloween (2018) that had the potential to make this list the death of Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer) is a standout. From the beginning of the film, Dr. Sartain never really came across as normal and as the film developed, we saw just how obsessed he was with not only the case back in 1978 but with Michael Myers himself. After taking out Officer Hawkins (Will Patton), Sartain loaded Michael Myers into a police car to take him to see Laurie Strode. As the car comes to a stop, Myers (of course) wakes up and goes straight for Sartain, dragging him out of the car, lifting his foot, and stepping on his head. Michael Myers, always crushing it.
6. Basement Electrocution - Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers
If there is one thing that Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers has going for itself, it’s the kills. I mean, that’s what we want from Michael Myers right?
John Strode (Bradford English) is not exactly a beloved character among fans of the Halloween franchise, and rightfully so. John finds himself in an empty house on Halloween night when the power goes out, prompting him to go down into the basement and see what’s going on. John hears a rattling noise coming from the dryer and when he goes over to inspect it, he pulls out a bloody sheet. That’s when Michael Myers appears behind him, stabs him in the stomach, and lifts him in the air and onto the electricity breaker. Naturally, John’s head eventually explodes.
5. Operating Room Massacre - Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers
There haven’t been a lot of scenes in the Halloween franchise where we see Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur) go on an absolutely killing spree all at once but in Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers we get just that.
On a hunt to find Jamie Lloyd’s daughter, Michael finds himself back at the Smith’s Grove Sanitarium where one of the most brutal kills in the franchise takes place. We see over a dozen doctors and nurses standing outside of an operating room when Dr. Wynn (Mitchell Ryan) approaches and escorts them into the room. Just as they are about to perform surgery, we see Myers approach the operating room where he selects his weapon of choice and enters the room. The next thing we know, a bloody nurse is thrown up against the window of the room. The flashing lights create a great cinematic image as Michael Myers goes on a rampage killing over a dozen people in a matter of seconds making this one of Michael's most productive kills.
4. Skull Crushing Death - Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
As expected, another Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers kill makes the list. The creators of the film knew that they had to go big with this film as it was the first time in seven years that we have seen Michael Myers. There are a few deaths in this film that could’ve made the list but the death of Brady (Sasha Jenson) was absolutely skull-crushing, literally. Unable to reload his shotgun in time, Brady gets lifted off his feet by Michael, the killer using so much force his thumb goes straight through Brady’s cheek. Absolutely gnarly.
3. Jamie’s Barn Death - Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers
Surprise, surprise, it’s another Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers kill. A lot of fans have a love-hate relationship with this film but it’s hard to deny these kills.
Jamie Lloyd is such a big character in the Halloween franchise as she was the star in the fourth and fifth installments. A lot of fans were disappointed with the way Jamie’s character was handled in this film and their point is totally valid. Even though that might be the case, her death is still a memorable one that we can’t ignore. Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers opens up with Jamie escaping with her baby but not far behind her is the boogeyman himself. Getting chased all the way to a barn in the middle of nowhere on a stormy night, Jamie comes face to face with Myers. He quickly grabs Jamie by the throat and impales her on a sharp, three-prong grinder of some sort. But Michael doesn’t stop there, as he turns the prongs on and we hear Jamie screaming.
2. Hot Tub Death - Halloween II (1981)
One of the best sequels in the Halloween franchise is 1981’s Halloween II film written by the legendary John Carpenter. This film picks up directly after the events on Halloween night in the first film that was released just 3 years earlier and contains a kill that is legendary in the Halloween franchise.
After taking a break from her shift, nurse Karen (Pamela Susan Shoop) decided it would be a good time to meet up with the paramedic, Budd (Leo Rossi), in the hot tub for a little relaxation. Once it started to get a little too hot, Karen made Budd turn down the temperature which ultimately led to him getting strangled to death by Michael Myers (Dick Warlock). Karen keeps talking, thinking Michael is Budd. Once she sees that it’s not, she lets out a scream, and Myers forces her head into the hot tub where she eventually drowns, an image made all the more disturbing by the hot water peeling the skin off her face. An iconic kill by Michael Myers.
1. Death In a Hospital- Halloween II (2009)
Say what you want about Rob Zombie’s installment into the Halloween franchise, but one thing you can’t deny is that Michael Myers was an absolute force of nature in these films. There’s an argument to be made that it's the most brutal Michael Myers we have seen to date. There’s a chance the Myers we get in Halloween Kills could take that crown but as of now, that goes to Tyler Mane, who played Michael in the Zombie Films.
Dream sequence or not, the brutal kill of nurse Daniels, who is played by the talented Octavia Spencer, is still a hard scene to watch. As nurse Daniels turns to face Laurie in the hospital, we see she is already covered in blood. As she tries to get away, slowly crawling and screaming, Myers steps over Daniels and grabs her by the back. With all of his force, Myers brutally stabs nurse Daniels in the back over ten times as we hear the knife hitting her flesh with each strike, the last strike landing straight to her skull. This is by far the most brutal kill in the entire Halloween franchise.