Michael Myers is the iconic villain of the Halloween horror movie franchise. With his emotionless white mask and dark jumpsuit, Myers has stalked and killed countless victims over the course of 12 Halloween films. However, in the original 1978 Halloween movie by director John Carpenter, one character manages to narrowly escape Myers’ killing spree. Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is the only person who survives an encounter with Michael Myers in that first film.
The Original Halloween Movie
The original Halloween movie introduced audiences to Michael Myers and the seemingly unstoppable killing machine that he is. As a child, Michael murders his older sister Judith on Halloween night in 1963. He is sent away to a psychiatric hospital but escapes 15 years later to return to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. On Halloween in 1978, the adult Michael stalks Laurie and her friends Annie and Lynda throughout the day. He kills Annie and Lynda that night while Laurie is babysitting young Tommy Doyle.
Laurie senses someone following her throughout the day and spots Michael outside the houses where she is babysitting. She is horrified when she finds Annie’s body earlier in the evening and Lynda’s body a bit later on. Laurie fights back when Michael attacks her and manages to temporarily stop him. But Michael gets back up and continues pursuing Laurie. She inflicts more damage on him and flees the house with the children in tow. Dr. Loomis, Michael’s psychiatrist, appears and shoots Michael multiple times, causing him to fall off a balcony. When Loomis goes to check Michael’s body, he finds that Michael has disappeared.
Laurie Strode Survives
While Michael kills Annie, Lynda, and several other Haddonfield residents during his rampage, Laurie Strode is the sole character who survives her encounter with him. Although injured, frightened, and traumatized, Laurie manages to fight back against Michael through quick thinking and self-defense tactics. She uses knitting needles, a clothes hanger, and his own knife against Michael at various times while also running away or hiding from the killer. Laurie sustains some injuries including a stab wound to her shoulder but ultimatley manages to evade being murdered.
Laurie’s Survival Tactics
Here are some of the key tactics Laurie uses to ultimately survive against Michael Myers:
- She keeps her distance and remains observant after spotting Michael watching her
- She arms herself with knitting needles and uses them to stab Michael in the neck
- She runs and hides in closets or rooms, not letting Michael corner her
- She uses a clothes hanger to poke Michael in the eye when he breaks into a closet where she is hiding
- She takes away his knife and stabs him with it
- She flees the house he has trapped her in and gets the children to safety
Laurie combines self-defense weapons, running away, hiding, and ultimately fighting back with Michael’s own knife to inflict damage on him and escape with her life, albeit not unscathed.
How Laurie Survived
Several key factors contributed to Laurie Strode’s survival when all of Michael’s other victims perished:
- Wariness – Laurie senses she is being watched and followed throughout the day. This puts her on alert.
- Caution – Though confused and scared, Laurie does not brush off her fears or let her guard down even when others assure her things are fine.
- Bravery – Rather than panicking, Laurie screams for help, fights back physically, and thinks quickly to protect the children under her care.
- Resourcefulness – Laurie uses everyday items on hand to use as improvised weapons against Michael.
- Resilience – Despite being injured, Laurie keeps fighting back and refuses to give up or succumb to the pain and terror.
Ultimately, Laurie exhibits the smarts, courage, and perseverance needed to hold her own just long enough to escape from the superhuman threat that Michael Myers represents in the movie.
Laurie Strode in Later Halloween Movies
Laurie Strode only directly appears in two sequels to the original Halloween movie – 1981’s Halloween II and 1998’s Halloween H20. In Halloween II, Laurie once again encounters Michael Myers, this time at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. Though she manages to survive again, Michael murders several other people at the hospital.
Two decades later in Halloween H20, Laurie is working as a headmistress at a private school in California under an assumed name. On the 20th anniversary of the original killings, Michael tracks down Laurie once more. She ultimately decapitates Michael, believing she has finally killed him for good. Of course, Michael would return yet again in later films despite Laurie’s best efforts to stop him permanently.
While Laurie survives her initial experiences with Michael Myers, the encounters leave her severely traumatized. She lives in constant fear of Michael returning some day to finish what he started. As a result, she becomes reclusive and survivalist in nature, arming and barricading herself in preparation for Michael’s eventual return. So although Laurie lives, Michael still haunts her both physically and psychologically throughout her life.
Why Laurie Survives
There are some key reasons why Laurie Strode is the sole survivor when Michael murders all his other victims in the original 1978 film:
She Keeps the Children Safe
Laurie manages to get the kids she is babysitting – Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace – to safety. Protecting these innocent children gives Laurie a selfless purpose that likely motivates her survival instincts.
She Has Time to Barricade and Arm Herself
Since Laurie is babysitting isolated in a house across the street from where Annie and Lynda are killed, she has time to realize the danger and prepare to fight back by blocking doors and finding makeshift weapons.
She Fights Back Repeatedly
Rather than freezing up in fear or pleading for her life, Laurie actively defends herself at every opportunity even when injured and terrified. Her boldness and refusal to give up takes Michael off guard.
Michael Fixates Specifically on Her
For unknown reasons, Michael singles out Laurie to stalk throughout the day. This focus gives Laurie more awareness of the danger than other victims who are caught unawares.
She Inflicts Damage on Him
Though Michael withstands an impressive amount of damage, Laurie still manages to temporarily neutralize him with repeated stabbings and poke out his eye. This buys her needed time.
Ultimately, Laurie exhibits enough smarts, fight, and grit while also benefiting from some lucky advantages to become the sole survivor of Michael Myers’ killing spree.
Conclusion
In John Carpenter’s classic original Halloween movie, teenager Laurie Strode becomes the only character to survive an encounter with the unstoppable killer Michael Myers. While Michael brutally murders other teens and Haddonfield residents, Laurie manages to stay alert, fight back in self-defense, and protect the children under her care throughout the terrifying ordeal. Thanks to quick thinking and unrelenting bravery, Laurie just barely escapes the fate of Michael’s other victims, making her the sole survivor of Michael Myers in this first film. Of course, no one can suppress Michael forever, and he returns again and again in later sequels to haunt Laurie. But by managing to evade death at Michael’s hands when no one else could, Laurie Strode becomes an iconic “final girl” of horror cinema and the only original victim to live to tell the tale.