Hellbound Showdown: Horror’s Greatest Warriors and Battles
By Aaron Posey
Today, we’re looking back at some of the horror genre’s greatest warriors and their intense battles with notorious slasher killers.
Freddy, Michael, Pinhead and Jason are all names we know and love. But I think it’s time to have those guys step aside as we look at some of the greatest warriors in horror history who have given the bad guys a run for their money.
Now, on with the list!
First up is Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis in John Carpenter’s hit Halloween. Not only does she go toe to toe with the Boogeyman and survive, but she fends him off long enough for Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace to escape the house of horrors. She also fights back in an awesome scene with a giant knitting needle.
Run, Laurie, run!
No list of horror warriors could be complete without a mention of Lefty Enright. The man on a mission of revenge in Tobe Hooper’s classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, played beautifully by Dennis Hopper.
You knew Leatherface and family were in for a fight when Lefty famously buys chainsaws and tests them out by hacking an innocent log to pieces to the delight of the store owner. Anybody who proceeds to chainsaw down the support beams on Leatherface’s house while screaming Bible verses and then engages in an epic chainsaw battle with the main villain deserves a special place on this list.
Even more badass than Leatherface with a chainsaw.
Next on our list is Nancy Thompson, played by Heather Langenkamp in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. The ending battle is amazing; enough said. After seeing all of her friends slaughtered by Freddy Krueger, Nancy takes it upon herself to bring Freddy into the real world and lead him through her awesomely booby-trapped house. Exploding lamps, strategically placed sledgehammers and boiler room fires are all you need to know.
Who did it better: Nancy or Kevin McCallister?
All great horror villains have their nemesis. Michael Myers has Dr. Sam Loomis, Dracula has Van Helsing, Freddy has Nancy, and Jason Voorhees has Tommy Jarvis.
First portrayed by Corey Feldman in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Tommy Jarvis holds the honor of being the one who first truly defeated Jason. By disguising himself as a younger Jason and distracting the killer, he eventually gets his machete and dispatches Jason with extreme prejudice.
While he has this honor, we also have Tommy Jarvis to thank for Jason resurrecting in Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives, and the killing starts again. Eventually they have another showdown that leads to Jason at the bottom of the lake incapacitated.
Being attacked by a child: Jason’s only weakness!
And last but certainly not least goes to a fan favorite film. Jason Patric portrays Michael Emerson in Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys. New to town Michael falls in with the wrong crowd to discover that they are really a horde of vampires.
Deciding against joining them he is aided by his brother (Corey Haim) and his two friends known affectionately as The Frog Brothers. The ending of the film is a climatic battle between the three and the powerful vampire horde led by Keifer Sutherland. With a bathtub full of holy water and garlic, you can guess who ends up on the losing side of that one.
Next: Horror Slashback: Remembering Maniac Cop (1988)