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Halloween Ends hits theaters this Friday, marking the end of the H40 trilogy and the end of Jamie Lee Curtis playing Laurie Strode. Laurie Strode has become one of the most influential “final girls” of horror films, and in honor of the upcoming film’s release, we are counting down Laurie Strode’s best lines in the Halloween franchise. While Scout Taylor-Compton put her unique spin on the character in Rob Zombie’s movies, the very mention of Laurie Strode brings Jamie Lee Curtis to mind. For that reason, we will only focus on lines that Curtis delivered as the character. So without further ado, here are the best lines Jamie Lee Curtis delivered as Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise.
“It Was the Boogeyman” (Halloween, 1978)
This may be the most memorable line from the original film. Not only does it cement Michael Myers as one who is more monster than man, but it also sets into trajectory the long rollercoaster Laurie Strode’s life has in store for her. After having her friends slaughtered at Michael’s hand, Laurie is about to suffer the same fate until Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) steps in and shoots Michael, who falls backward out of the two-story bedroom window. Laurie tells Loomis, “It was the boogeyman,” confirming what little Tommy told her earlier: “You can’t kill the boogeyman.” Dr. Loomis confirms this to her, and that truth is made more accurate when he looks out the window to see that Michael isn’t there. The boogeyman still walks, and Laurie’s horrors are far from over.
“Try To Live” (Halloween: H20, 1998)
Halloween: H20 was the first time Jamie Lee Curtis reprised the role of Laurie Strode since 1981’s Halloween II. We learn in this film that Laurie faked her death to escape her brother and is working at a boarding school with a fake name, still afraid that Michael may return. Once that fear comes to pass, Laurie decides she’s had enough of living in fear and is determined to survive and take Michael down. This line perfectly captures her life mission and her encouragement to her companions to not fuel Michael with fear. While Jamie Lee Curtis was disappointed by this film, this is the movie where Laurie Strode became the badass that makes her so iconic.
“I’ll See You In Hell” (Halloween: Resurrection, 2002)
Halloween: Resurrection is one of the most hated films in the franchise, largely because they bring Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode, only to kill her off in the first ten minutes. But to the movie’s credit, this is one of the most badass versions of Laurie you will ever see. We see Laurie in a mental institution after accidentally killing an innocent man wearing Michael’s mask at the end of H20. Knowing Michael would return for her, Laurie had a trap set for him. Once it seems like he’s finally caught, she taunts Michael and is about to kill him. However, Michael tricks her into checking under his mask works, and she ends up in the trap with him where he stabs her. While she’s lost the chance to kill Michael, she won’t miss the opportunity for one last taunt. She kisses her brother on his mask and tells him she’ll see him in hell before she falls to her death.
“You Don’t Believe in the Boogeyman?” (Halloween, 2018)
After another long gap, Jamie Lee Curtis reprised the character of Laurie Strode in Halloween (2018), a sequel to the original film that basically threw every storyline in between (including Michael being her brother) out the door. While we see Laurie as a traumatized alcoholic with strained relationships, we also still see the badass warrior who is ready to take the evil Michael Myers down.
Laurie is visited by true crime podcasters working on a project about Michael Myers. One of them asks Laurie about her decision to refer to Michael as the boogeyman, to which she replies, “You don’t believe in the boogeyman?” When he says he believes Michael is a deranged killer, he does not believe in the boogeyman. Laurie’s response is, “Well, you should.” We see here that Laurie knows what nobody else wants to accept. Michael Myers is more than a psychopath: is an evil incarnate and perhaps the scariest movie monster of all time.
“I’m a Basket Case” (Halloween, 2018)
You know that thing where people try to understand a murderer’s mind to uncover their humanity? As well-intentioned as that is, Laurie Strode beautifully points out how the approach can go too far. When the true crime podcasters question Laurie about why Michael Meyers went after her in 1978, they point out her failed marriages and troubled relationships with her daughter and granddaughter. Laurie’s response is, “Michael Myers murdered five people. And he’s a human being we need to understand? I’m twice divorced. And I’m a basket case.” This quote perfectly points out a major issue with trying too hard to normalize violent people, as it can undermine the suffering and trauma of their victims. As we’ve seen in films like Joker, mental illness does not excuse reprehensible acts.
“Do You Know I Pray Every Night He Would Escape?” (Halloween, 2018)
Despite her troubled life, Laurie Strode has not lost her wits or her determination to fight. She tells police officer Hawkins that she’s been praying for Michael’s escape. When he asks why, Laurie responds, “So I can kill him.” She’s known since that Halloween night in 1978 that she was dealing with the boogeyman and that he needed to be taken off the face of the earth. Aside from the threat that he poses to Haddonfield, Laurie has also caused severe damage to Laurie’s life. It’s fitting that she wants to be the one to take the monster out.
“Happy Halloween, Michael” (Halloween, 2018)
Moments after Laurie falls out the same window Michael fell out of in the original Halloween film; she disappears from the scene the way he did. While he is attacking her family, she reappears to stab him in the back and fight him off. But she doesn’t do so without delivering this ironic line. The fact that Laurie is taking this horrifying moment to deliver a snarky barb at Michael is a way to let him know that she isn’t afraid of him. It’s also an excellent homage to the fact that most of these movies take place on Halloween, “The night he came home.”
“It’s a Paper Cut” (Halloween Kills, 2021)
We’ll say it again: Laurie Strode is determined to stay standing. Even after suffering a stab at Michael’s hands, she can dismiss it as a “paper cut.” She’s taken many blows from Michael, and to her this is just another wound she has to deal with in battling evil. As always, Laurie Strode remains a badass who Michael Myers can’t phase.
“Let Him Take My Head As I Take His” (Halloween Kills, 2021)
Once again, Laurie Strode proves herself to be more than a survivor. In reality, she is a warrior. She knows that Michael is after her, refusing to let her be the one that got away, and she’s ready to fight. She proves here that she’s willing to take Michael down at any cost, even if that cost is her own life. Jamie Lee Curtis gives Laurie Strode a fierceness that can’t be beaten.
“Every Time Somebody’s Afraid, The Boogeyman Wins” (Halloween Kills, 2021)
The thing that makes Halloween’s Laurie Strode such an iconic final girl is that she remains determined to stay standing and not cater to the fear that Michael Myers entices and feeds on. Michael has been nearly beaten to death at the end of Halloween Kills. However, when Laurie Strode utters this line, he stands back up and slaughters his attackers. Laurie recognized that Michael was not so easy to take down. Despite the chill that this line evokes, it’s also a testament to Laurie Strode’s determination to stay fearless and not underestimate Michael Myers. Jamie Lee Curtis has taken on Laurie Strode’s persona many times, and her seasoned work only intensifies this line as the character.
Jamie Lee Curtis Bids Farewell to ‘Halloween’ and Laurie Strode
Jamie Lee Curtis made her big screen debut as Laurie Strode in Halloween more than 40 years ago. She told Entertainment Tonight that she owes everything to this character, and she’s bidding an emotional final farewell to Laurie with Halloween Ends. As we look at the trajectory Laurie Strode has been through in the Halloween series with these lines, we feel the same emotional connection Jamie Lee Curtis feels, and we are expecting an epic farewell to the quintessential horror movie final girl when Halloween Ends hits theaters and Peacock on Friday.
