Great Scene: “Halloween”
3 min readFeb 19, 2010
This is one of the iconic scenes in the history of horror movies: Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) versus Michael Myers (Tony Moran) in the Final Struggle at the very end of the 1978 movie Halloween, screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.
INT. DOYLE HOUSE — ANGLE THROUGH BEDROOM DOOR — NIGHTWe SEE through the bedroom door. In f.g. sits Laurie,
slumped against the door frame, staring out at nothing,
tears streaming down her face. In b.g. lies the shape.Slowly Laurie begins to pull herself together once again.She gets up to her knees and begins to pull herself up to
her feet.Her back is to the shape. As she starts to stand the shape
sits up, the head turning to Laurie.CLOSE SHOT -- LAURIELaurie rises into frame, holding herself erect by grasping
the doorframe.Behind her the shape rises up into frame, quickly, silently.Laurie just hangs there on the doorframe. An exhausted,
ironic smile comes over her face.LAURIE
Well, kiddo. Some Halloween...Slowly the shape moves for her, his hands outstretched.Just as he is about to grab her, Laurie manages to step
out the door.ANGLE IN HALLUnaware he is behind her, Laurie limps toward the stairs.Suddenly the shape jumps out of the bedroom and grabs her,
hands around her neck.Laurie SCREAMS. She twists and squirms and claws at him,
her finger ripping at his mask. She pulls it off over his
face, wriggles out of his grip and turns around.CLOSE SHOT -- MICHAELThe shape, Michael, stares at her with his one eye. He has
a dank, white face with blond hair. There is something
completely unhuman about his features, the open mouth, the
dark staring eye.ANGLE IN HALLMichael lunges at her again.Suddenly there is a THUNDERING EXPLOSION and Michael is
blown off his feet. Laurie falls back against the wall.ANGLE ON LOOMISStanding at the top of the stairs is Loomis, gun in his
hand. He moves forward down the hall.ANGLE IN HALLMichael slowly gets to his feet, still refusing to die.Loomis stops and takes aim. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!Michael is hit three times, each bullet throwing him
backward further down the hall until he hits the window at
the end and SMASHES through it.EXT. DOYLE HOUSE -- UP ANGLEMichael falls from the second story right down into CAMERA
with a CRASH!ANGLE IN HALLLoomis rushes to Laurie and bends down beside her. For a
moment she just cries in his arms, sobbing hysterically.Then she looks up at him with a glazed, wild expression.LAURIE
It was the Boogeyman...Loomis looks down at her, then up at the shattered window
at the end of the hall.LOOMIS
As a matter of fact it was.He walks slowly down to the window and peers out.LOOMIS' POV -- BACKYARDHe looks down at the spot where Michael should be, but
there is nothing there, just a trampled patch in the grass.ANGLE ON LOOMISHe stares down with a growing fear, then looks out from
the house.LOOMIS' POVThe backyard, the neighboring yards, the street, all are
empty, quiet, dark. There is only the SOUND of the wind
swelling in the trees.Michael is gone.FADE TO BLACK.ROLL END TITLES.THE END
And of course, the surprise ending: “Michael is gone” — leaving open the door to the inevitable sequels:
With the newest iteration of the movie franchise opening big this weekend, it’s good to remember the original.
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