13 Horror Movie Heroines That Kick Butt

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in Halloween (Image via Compass/Trancas)

6.) Laurie Strode (Halloween)

Laurie Strode starts off as a pretty typical, if not especially exciting teenager. Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) plans to babysit young Tommy Doyle on Halloween night. The fact that she keeps seeing a mysterious masked figure throughout her day doesn’t deter her. However, it will soon become violently clear that this person is not a figment of her imagination. It’s Michael Myers, an escaped mental patient who has already committed murder fifteen years ago.  (Fun fact: that iconic mask was originally a William Shatner mask that was slightly modified by the production team.)

Though her friends promise to call Laurie throughout the night, they are quickly killed by the murderous Myers. Laurie grows increasingly concerned and leaves the house to investigate. Perhaps not the smartest move, given that she’s leaving her charge alone, even if only to walk across the street.

Of course, Laurie discovers her friends’ corpses in due course. She’s attacked by Michael Myers and quickly defends herself. She stabs Myers with a knitting needle, a metal hanger (this is after an especially tense scene where she tries to hide in a closet), and finally Myers’ own knife.

Okay, I’ll admit that Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) is the one to eventually shoot Michael Myers and save Laurie Strode, but let’s have a round of applause for Laurie’s sheer will to survive.