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‘Halloween’ at 40: The Lasting Legacy of Donald Pleasence’s Dr. Sam Loomis

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“I met him, 15 years ago; I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding; and even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes… the devil’s eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply… evil.”

For 17 years, Donald Pleasence would remain a steadfast fixture of the Halloween franchise as the unwavering Dr. Sam Loomis, longtime adversary of Michael Myers. Where there was Michael Myers, there needed to be Sam Loomis, too, as the only one to truly understand the boogeyman and stand in his way. Though John Carpenter wrote the character, including his dialogue, it was Pleasence that would shape him into the tragically obsessed hero that we love so much still 40 years later.

Pleasence wasn’t the first choice for the iconic role, however, as John Carpenter had initially approached the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing to play Loomis. Both turned him down, a move that Lee would later state that he regretted as an actor. Feeling pressure to cast a big name in a film of mostly then unknowns, Pleasence won out, only accepting the role due to alimony bills that needed to be paid and a daughter that was a big fan of Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13. A huge fan of the actor’s work, Carpenter was initially intimidated to work with Pleasence, the most experienced actor on set, but quickly forged a close friendship.

Pleasence shot all of his scenes over 5 days, and it’s funny to think that all of his scenes amounted to just 18 minutes of screen time in the movie when he wound up being much more intertwined with the series than lead final girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Those 18 minutes of Dr. Sam Loomis were important to the mythos of Michael Myers, the character delivering important backstory to his time at the sanitarium, the one to save Laurie in the final showdown by shooting Michael six times, and the one to ultimately leave an opening for the sequel.

That he managed to portray the character with that perfect of balance between too serious and too campy spoke to Pleasence’s tremendous experience as an actor. His experience also meant bringing more logical changes to his character. In the script, Loomis was supposed to have a phone conversation with his wife. Pleasence didn’t do it; he ultimately felt his long-running obsession over his failures with Michael Myers meant he shouldn’t have a family or a past. The script also called for Loomis to have a surprised reaction at the disappearance of Michael Myer’s body from the lawn at the end of the movie, but Pleasence felt his reaction would be a knowing one, as if to say he predicted it would happen. So Carpenter shot it both ways, keeping Pleasence’s take on the character reaction in the final cut.

Dr. Sam Loomis would return to Haddonfield, again and again, to warn the town of Michael Myer’s impending return and to save those in his path. From Laurie Strode to Jamie Lloyd, and even a grown Tommy Doyle, Loomis would survive explosions and injuries to stand between Myers and his targets. Even after Donald Pleasance passed on, his character remained integral to the story, providing warnings from beyond death Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.

Rob Zombie would turn the character from one of fervent obsession to one rooted deep in greed in his remake and sequel. Despite a great performance by Malcolm McDowell, it’s hard not to look at his version like a betrayal to Donald Pleasence’s memory. Pleasence brought depth and humanity to Sam Loomis. His was a character who tried to do the right thing again and again only to fail, yet it never stopped him from persisting. Michael Myers is an unstoppable boogeyman, and Dr. Sam Loomis was the one weapon that seemed to work against him.

Now 40 years later, with Halloween set to begin anew, Dr. Sam Loomis is a character noticeably absent from the cast list, which is a move that seems to be more befitting of honoring Pleasence’s memory. There’s no true recreating what Pleasence brought to the table, time and time again. Thanks to Carpenter and Pleasence, Dr. Sam Loomis is one of horror’s most enduring characters. Even though Pleasence delivered countless memorable roles, many in horror alone, the lasting legacy of Dr. Sam Loomis is one that fans hold in highest regard.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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