Editorials
Join Us in Celebrating Horror’s 10 Unsung Halloween Heroes
In horror set around Halloween, it’s the holiday setting and iconography that steals the spotlight. The colors of autumn, jack o’ lanterns, costume parties, and all things related to Halloween captured visually on screen. It’s also the villains of Halloween horror that dominate discourse. What’s October without Michael Myers? Or Angela from Night of the Demons. Or even the Headless Horseman.
But there’s one aspect of Halloween horror that doesn’t get nearly as much attention; the heroes and protagonists that honor holiday tradition as well as save the day, ensuring everyone will live to see another Halloween.
Here are 10 of the most unsung heroes of Halloween-set horror.
The Scarecrow – Dark Night of the Scarecrow
This 1981 made-for-television movie might’ve framed the Scarecrow as a terrifying presence, but the motives behind his murder spree make him less a villain and more a Halloween avenging angel. When a group of vigilantes murder mentally challenged Bubba Ritter (Larry Drake) for a crime that never actually happened, they’re exonerated in court. Shortly after, right around Halloween, a mysterious Scarecrow appears in the fields. One by one, the men find themselves stalked and killed by it. Bubba gets the justice he deserved, and that small town is cleaned of its most unsavory people. It’s a win win.
Christopher Hawley – Murder Party
Christopher is a lonely but extremely polite man that lives alone with his cat, Sir Lancelot. He decides to break out of his comfort zone and attend a Halloween party from an invitation found on the street, dubbed “Murder Party.” Like a good guest, he assembles a costume from scratch and bakes pumpkin raisin bread to bring along, because etiquette says you should never show up empty-handed. He soon discovers that the party theme is literal, and he’s now the intended victim. A long night of survival sparks an internal journey of growth, and plenty of gory laughs. Homemade costumes and Halloween baked goods would make Christopher a Halloween winner as it is, but that he finally embraces his inner strength makes him a hero as well.
Ernest P. Worrell – Ernest Scared Stupid
Of all the family-friendly Halloween horror movies, Ernest Scared Stupid doesn’t come up in conversation as much as it should during October. Of all the Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) movies, this one is the best. Sure, the bumbling Ernest is technically to blame for unleashing the demonic troll in the first place, but he’s also the one who saves the day. How? With the heart of a child and unconditional love. That sums up Ernest in a nutshell; he might not be the brightest, but he’s got an innocent heart of gold. Using it to save Briarville, Missouri on Halloween makes for a seasonal treat that at least deserves an annual spot on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween programming. Or any TV channel, really.
Rodger – Night of the Demons
Judy is presented as the central protagonist and final girl of this ‘80s favorite, but Rodger is the true hero of the film. He’s clearly well versed in horror, or at least self-preservation, because the moment he gets a whiff that something is wrong with the place he searches for an exit. When he can’t find one, he locks himself in a car outside. A move that keeps him shielded from most of Hull House’s demonic activity. Eventually, he’s pulled back into the fray, but Rodger never loses sight of what’s important- getting the hell out of there. It’s Rodger who figures a way out, and it’s because of Rodger that “final girl” Judy even survives in the first place. He’s the true MVP.
Eddie Weinbauer – Trick or Treat
Eddie is a bullied outcast in his high school, made even lonelier by the passing of his heavy metal hero Sammi Curr. But Sammi isn’t really gone; he has sinister and deadly plans to implement from beyond the grave. Plans that involve a lot of death on Halloween night. He offers Eddie a chance to get revenge on his bullies. When Eddie realizes Sammi has serious physical harm in mind, he balks. Even when his classmates don’t deserve his mercy, Eddie is a genuinely kind person. He not only spares them the cruelty they likely have coming; he saves the town from Sammi’s madness on Halloween night.
Anna Peterson – The Guest
A stylish action film by way of Halloween, The Guest is one cool Halloween-themed movie. Even cooler is its protagonist, Anna Peterson (Maika Monroe). Like everyone else, she falls under David’s spell when he first arrives at the Peterson family’s doorstep. It doesn’t take long for her to realize something is off about him, though, and acts on her suspicions in a smart way. She’s savvy and brave like your standard Final Girl, but she’s far more modern than that. A rebellious streak, hanging with the wrong crowd, and a penchant for drinking at parties makes her more the Annie Bracket type than a Laurie Strode. It’s refreshing.
Anton Tobias – Idle Hands
In terms of Halloween horror (or horror-comedies in this case), Idle Hands sometimes feels like an underdog. So, too, does reluctant hero Anton (Devon Sawa). All he really wants is to get stoned and do, well, nothing. Too bad his hand becomes possessed by Satan and sets off on a murder spree, which includes Anton’s friends and family. Anton steps up to save the day, and his final showdown with his hand takes place on Halloween. Sawa infuses the stoner with amiable charm and though Anton’s not your average horror hero type, he’s an unsung Halloween hero worth discussing more.
Brigitte Fitzgerald – Ginger Snaps
Sure, Ginger is the assertive older sister, the one featured in the film’s title, and the spotlight stealer thanks to her lycanthropy, but the true hero is Brigitte. Not that that’s a surprise to anyone who’s seen the film. Even still, Brigitte doesn’t often get the credit she deserves. Not only did she step out of her sister’s shadow and save the day – right at Halloween no less- but she continued the fight in Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed. A sequel that did her so wrong. Brigitte deserves better.
Rhonda – Trick ‘r Treat
It’s Halloween enforcer Sam that serves as the connective tissue in this holiday horror anthology, and it’s Sam that takes center stage with merchandise tie-ins. That’s understandable, as he’s Halloween personified and a champion of tradition. Yet it’s Rhonda that offers up the film’s biggest moment of karma. Said to be a savant, Rhonda is a Halloween fanatic. Her yard is adorned with jack ‘o lanterns, and her costume of choice is the classic witch. It’s Rhonda that explains Samhain and the purpose of a jack ‘o lantern on Halloween night, and it comes into play in an integral way when her classmates lure her away from home for a mean prank. Our Halloween hero Rhonda comes away shaken, but just fine after teaching her bullies a valuable Halloween lesson.
Rachel Carruthers – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Laurie Strode is the one that sparked the very concept of the Final Girl, and the hero that faces off against Michael Myers time and time again. In Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, the film introduces a new final girl in Rachel Carruthers, foster sister to Strode’s daughter Jamie Lloyd. Before Michael Myers even shows up, we get to know Rachel as a normal teenager girl. One that wants to date and have fun with friends but is torn by familial responsibility. Ellie Cornell imbues her character with warmth and complexity that makes Rachel feel less a Final Girl and more an average person facing horrific circumstances. She’s also less a survivor and more of a fierce protector. The lengths she goes to protect and save Jamie Lloyd deserves major respect. It’s because Rachel is such a great Halloween hero that this sequel works. It’s also because of Rachel’s unceremonious early demise in Halloween 5 that it’s one of the worst sequels.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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