The entireHalloweenfranchise started with her and most likely end with her. Debuting in her first feature film role inJohn Carpenter’s 1978Halloweenas Laurie Strode, establishedJamie Lee Curtisas a scream queen and one of the most iconic ones of her time. Her name is almost synonymous with horror. The then-small-budget project written by Carpenter andDebra Hillbecame one of themost successful independent moviesof its time and evolved to become a benchmark for the slasher horror genre, and a major inspiration for many horror movies in the future.
In a career spanning more than four decades, Jamie Lee Curtis has earned recognition as a prolific actor with a long list of horror and slasher thrillers to her credit, most of them being in the early years of her acting. An actress, producer, author, and activist, Curtis is also a winner of Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Saturn Awards. Although she is recognized for her remarkable performances in other genres as well, Curtis remains true horror royalty.
This fall, the story of Laurie Strode will come to an end inHalloween Ends, with a final confrontation with Michael Myers marking the end of a 45-year saga. But before that happens, let’s take a trip down memory lane to revisit Curtis’s horror movie journey and make it the ultimate terror fest this Halloween.
Related:‘Halloween Ends’ & 10 Other Horror Finales That Marked the End of an Era
Prom Night (1980)
Curtis appears in her third film role in this Canadian slasher thriller. The plot follows a group of middle school kids who bully a 10-year-old girl, causing a fatal accident. Six years later, a group of high school seniors become the targets of a masked killer on their prom night. As the friends try to solve the mystery, they realize that their past secret could be the trigger for the killer. Curtis stars as Kim Hammond, the sister of the deceased kid, whose death motivates the killer to go on a spree.
Directed byPaul Lynch,Prom Nightalso starsLeslie Nielsenin the leading role and remains a cult classic and the most influential slasher film of its time. It was followed by three sequels and aremake in 2008, but with no resemblance to the 1980 original.
Halloween II(1981)
This was Curtis’s fifth horror movie in four years since her acting debut. Although the firstHalloweenwas a bigger success at the box office and among fans, the 1981 sequel sees Laurie Strode’s character more well-set in the story, paving the way for future installments.Halloween IItakes off from where the first Halloween movie ends. Myers has disappeared after Dr. Sam Loomis shoots him, but the psychiatrist continues to hunt him down. Meanwhile, Laurie is taken to the hospital and recovering from her injuries, when Myers returns to finish the job and kill everyone who stands in the way.
This sequel is also written and produced by Carpenter and Hill, but directed byRick Rosenthal.
Terror Train(1980)
Another Canadian slasher thriller,Roger Spottiswoode’sTerror Trainalso features a masked serial killer, a very 80s horror trend. Following a prank gone wrong a few years previously, the story sees a group of college students hosting a costume party on a moving train on New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately for them, they are soon targeted by a killer who murders them one by one and steals their costumes to avoid getting caught.
Curtis stars as Alana Maxwell, a sorority girl who reluctantly takes part in the prank that puts a fellow student in a mental hospital. The movie also starsBen JohnsonandHart Bochner, along withSandee Currie,Anthony Sherwood, andDavid Copperfieldin supporting roles. This movie has been billed as “Halloween on a train” and influenced many future slashers.
Related:New Wigs, Old Wounds: Breaking Down the ‘Halloween Ends’ Trailer
The Fog(1980)
This is Curtis’s second-ever feature film afterHalloweenand was also directed by John Carpenter.The Fogis more of a supernatural horror than a slasher. It boasts an ensemble cast withTom AtkinsandCurtis’s motherJanet Leigh, among others. The story is set in a tiny coastal town in California. As the townsfolk get ready to celebrate the town’s centenary year, strange and eerie things start to happen, and inanimate objects suddenly spring to life, along with a dense and mysterious fog descending on the town. It turns out that the fog carries vengeful spirits of shipwrecked sailors who were killed on the coast 100 years ago.
A remake of this film was made byRupert Wainwrightin 2005, featuringTom Welling,Selma Blair, andMaggie Gracein major roles. The remake did not fare well with critics, though it did become a box office hit.
Virus (1999)
This sci-fi horror film is directed by visual effects artistJohn Brunoin his third directorial project and is based on the comic book of the same name byChuck Pfarrer. It starsWilliam BaldwinandDonald Sutherlandin major roles, along with Curtis.Virusfollows a crew on an American tugboat who go aboard an abandoned Russian research vessel, where a dangerous extraterrestrial entity seeking to turn humans into cyborg slaves sees the crew as a “virus” and tries to kill them.
Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Kelly “Kit” Foster, an ex-Navy officer who must confront her rogue captain and the deadly virus onboard the mysterious ship. Despite its lukewarm reception,Virushas become a cult classic in the years since its release.
This Australian slasher thriller is directed byRichard Franklinand stars Curtis andStacy Keachin lead roles.Road Gamesfollows a truck driver who drives around the country and enlists the help of a young hitchhiker to track down a serial killer who is known to kill women, dismember and then dump them along remote highways. Curtis stars as Pamela “Hitch”, the hitchhiker recruited by the truck driver, Patrick Quid, played by Keach. This cat-and-mouse game of a truck driver and a mysterious and deadly serial killer and his victims makes for a spine-chilling thriller and it was Curtis' fifth horror movie since her film debut in 1978.
Halloween Kills(2021)
Laurie Strode returned to theHalloweenfranchise with the 2018 film, sparking off another trilogy of the popular slasher series. But this new set of films is not related to any of the other films in the franchise, except for the 1978 movie, and presents Laurie as an old woman living outside of Haddonfield, still traumatized by the events of 40 years ago. This sequel has a lot of similarities toHalloween IIbut has no connection to the 1981 feature.
Halloween Killstakes off from the end of the 2018 movie and sees Laurie, her daughter, and granddaughter continue to save themselves from Myers, as he tries to get to Laurie, who is in hospital. This time, the Strode women get the help of the rest of the community, including other survivors from 1978. This Blumhouse movie is directed byDavid Gordon Green, and also starsJudy Greer,Andi Matichak,Will Patton, andAnthony Michael Hall, in various roles.
And don’t forget,Halloween Endswill be hitting theaters and streaming on Peacock starting on August 03, 2025.
