20 best badass women of horror movies

16. Laurie Strode (Halloween)

Many of the women included on this list were forced into badassery. Surely, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) was aiming to remain a regular high school student for a while longer. Before the events of one fateful Halloween, she was more concerned about looming tests and a teenaged social life than anything else. Still, things change, and sometimes dramatically. An escaped, knife-wielding lunatic will do that to your plans.

Laurie’s particular problem is Michael Myers. He’s the previously-mentioned lunatic, who has made his way to Laurie’s quiet little town. As horror movie villains must do, he goes on a murderous rampage on Halloween night. The efforts of Myers’ psychiatrist and the local sheriff to track him down don’t work quickly enough. A few teens encounter Myers and his knife to gory ends.

Soon enough, it’s Laurie’s turn. While she’s babysitting, Laurie discovers the bodies of her friends. She initially cowers, but the appearance of Michael Myers forces her to change tactics. She escapes the madman and makes her way back to the house where she had been babysitting. Perhaps bringing the villain back to the sleeping children wasn’t the greatest idea, but give the high schooler some credit for escaping in the first place.

At any rate, Laurie fends off Myers long enough for the kids to escape. She fights back with plenty of intensity, ultimately using a wire hanger to incapacitate Myers. That’s enough for the psychiatrist to show up and shoot him, though Myers still escapes.

Still, Laurie deserves to be recognized for her strength and bravery in the face of a truly frightening madman. Plus, all of that running and fighting must have helped her get some seriously good grades in P.E.