The Halloween Franchise’s Most Disturbing Death Had Nothing to Do with Michael Myers

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With so many films in the Halloween series, it’s tough to pick the most shocking kill. Over 13 movies, the franchise is filled with violent deaths, mostly committed by the iconic Michael Myers. From the memorable scenes in the original film, where Myers disguised himself as a ghost, to the more gruesome murders in the Rob Zombie films, there’s no lack of terrifying moments. But one death stands out as particularly disturbing, even for a series known for its horror.

Michael Myers is responsible for a huge number of deaths throughout the Halloween franchise—over 160, if you count the different timelines. The 2018 timeline, which includes the original film and the recent trilogy directed by David Gordon Green, features his highest kill count with 69 victims. However, when it comes to kills per movie, the Rob Zombie films are the most violent, totaling 31 deaths in just two installments. While Rob Zombie movies are known for their brutality, many fans consider the most shocking death to occur in the original 1981 sequel, Halloween II.

Halloween II Has a Kill Scene That Viewers Just Can’t Forget

Picking up immediately after the first film, Halloween II sees Michael Myers continuing his relentless pursuit of Laurie Strode. Despite being severely wounded by Dr. Loomis, he escapes capture and heads to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where Laurie is recovering. Meanwhile, Dr. Loomis and the Haddonfield police continue their desperate search for the masked killer throughout the town.

The death of Ben Tramer in the Halloween series is arguably the most shocking. Tramer was an ordinary 17-year-old, simply trick-or-treating and wearing a Michael Myers mask. He was even Laurie Strode’s crush, making his fate even more tragic. While Dr. Loomis and Sheriff Brackett were pursuing Michael Myers, they mistakenly identified Tramer as the killer and began chasing him. Terrified, Tramer ran into the street and was immediately hit by a speeding police car. The impact threw him against a van, and the resulting explosion trapped him in flames, leading to a slow and gruesome death.

Tramer is the only character in the Halloween franchise to die without being killed by Michael Myers or Corey Cunningham. What’s even more striking is the complete lack of repercussions for the Haddonfield police’s major mistake in the case. After realizing Tramer wasn’t Myers at the morgue, he’s completely forgotten about in the original film series. The idea of a child being hit by a car and slowly burned to death while trick-or-treating is deeply disturbing, particularly because those responsible face no consequences. Fortunately, the newer films, starting with David Gordon Green’s trilogy, acknowledge that Tramer survived.

Halloween II Still Remains the Best Sequel in the Franchise

Despite adding eleven more films and several alternate timelines to the series, this movie stands out as the only one, besides the original, that truly captures the feel of a John Carpenter-directed Halloween. This is due to its direct continuation of the first film’s story, as well as Carpenter’s involvement in writing the script with Debra Hill and composing the music.

Beyond its iconic and shocking kills, Halloween II expands on characters within the series, particularly delving deeper into Dr. Loomis’s fixation with Michael Myers. The movie also introduces a compelling plot twist – the revelation that Laurie Strode is Michael’s half-sister – a storyline that continued in Halloween 4, 5, and 6. However, those later sequels didn’t live up to the quality of the original two films.

As a big Halloween fan, I’ve always felt the series could have taken a stronger path after Halloween II. Maybe if they’d continued the story from there, or even just handled the fallout a bit like the 2018 film did with flashbacks, the last two movies – Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends – wouldn’t have been so disappointing. Keeping the sibling connection between Laurie and Michael could have given those films some much-needed focus, because honestly, both critics and fans really disliked them for feeling directionless. I also think bringing back Ben Tramer’s death could have explained the crazy, mob-like behavior of the townspeople in Halloween Kills – it felt so random otherwise. It’s a shame such a shocking death ended up feeling pointless.

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2025-10-25 18:12