Jamie Lee Curtis takes a bow as Laurie Strode in Halloween Ends (2022). Her return is a great reminder that you can’t keep a Final Girl down. But Laurie isn’t the only long-running foe to Michael Myers. From 1978 to 1995, Donald Pleasence's Sam Loomis was constantly chasing down the slasher icon in the original run of movies, ranting and obsessing the whole way through. It consumes him, and even in the less successful installments, Pleasence remains a consistent presence. In a signature trench coat, speaking poetic words of doom, Pleasence’s intense blue eyes grow wide in fear and understanding of the monster he’s up against. Dr. Loomis’ paranoia might escalate, but it’s really a logical evolution to the character. An obsession like this takes a toll, yet he persists. In legacy sequels made after his death, voice-overs and a brief prosthetic recreation have made sure Pleasence’s legacy to the Halloween franchise continues to thrive. No matter how convoluted the storylines may have become, Pleasence remained the series' anchor in the early days.
Loomis Stood in Michael's Way From the Start
At the start of the original Halloween, Dr. Loomis already knows Michael Myers (Nick Castle) is capable of horrible actions. “Don’t underestimate it,” Dr. Loomis tells nurse Marion (Nancy Stephens) as she drives closer to Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. Torrential rain makes this night drive treacherous enough without this warning. In a split second, Michael escapes and Loomis assigns himself to track his ex-patient down. All the way to Haddonfield, Loomis is a beacon of concern. Once in Haddonfield, he forces Sheriff Brackett (Charlies Cyphers) to keep the cops out longer. But no sign of Michael makes Loomis look like the doc who cried monster.
He’s undeterred, patrolling the quiet neighborhood streets, in and out of the shadows. He stands guard at the Myers house, scaring off a group of kids with wicked glee. His trench coat flaps in the wind like a cape. It all makes for a great image. Six bullets from Loomis’ gun does not stop Michael, and in 1981's Halloween II the night isn’t over yet. Loomis touches the ground where Michael’s body should be, finding blood. With his hands glistening red, Loomis alerts a concerned neighbor to notify the police, quickly! The man bemoans about being trick-or-treated to death earlier that night. Loomis assures him: “You don’t know what death is!” Cue the revamped, heavily synthesized Halloween II theme by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth.
Loomis and his “fancy talk” are highlights to the movies that feature the character. In Halloween II, they start to become unhinged. “The tribe, one of their number’s been butchered -- this is a wake!” he cries out with a pitch of hysteria, watching residents trash the Myers house. While Pleasence didn’t pronounce “Samhain” correctly (it’s pronounced “Sah-win”), all can be forgiven for how entertainingly he delivers his lines. It all adds up to a flamboyant side of Loomis, a dramatic flair that extends into how he moves. Before running, the doc teeters to one side. He’s theatrical with his arms. Halloween II culminates with a chase in the town’s desolate hospital. Here we get to see Pleasence perform these movements for a rare, exciting set piece. Both Laurie and Loomis are forced into escaping Michael, hurrying down hallways and reaching a dead end -- a surgical room to lock themselves in. It’s a shame Laurie and Loomis weren't able to share the screen more over the course of these films. And, by the end of Halloween II, we learn that not even a massive fireball can destroy old Sam.
Pleasence Maintained Continuity After Curtis Had Left
With no Curtis in the cast, 1998's Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) relies heavily on Pleasence’s powerful presence to revive the story of Michael Myers. And he often holds the screen, even when he's sharing it with towering characters, like muscled-up cops or an increasingly taller Michael. Whether you love or hate Halloween 4 and its immediate follow-up, 1989's Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Loomis is a highlight. “I prayed that he would burn in hell," he laments. "But in my heart, I knew that hell would not have him." Later, hoping to be heard, he shouts into the dark woods, “Michael, go home. Go home!” In 1995's Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Pleasence is older but just as committed in what would be his final full appearance before his death. Wearing a snowy white beard and moving slower than ever, Dr. Loomis remains a respected character, which serves as a complete contrast to the unfortunate fates of Jamie (Danielle Harris) and Rachel (Ellie Cornell). He visits Debra (Kim Darby), her family living in the Myers house, with the purpose of getting her to leave immediately. “This force -- this thing that lived inside of him -- came from a source too violent, too deadly for you to imagine," he implores. "It grew inside him, contaminating his soul. It was ... pure evil.” And he gives a death stare to the shady Dr. Wynn (Mitchell Ryan), Pleasence’s blue eyes piercing as ever.
In these last three installments, there are still little quirks to the performance. Early on in Revenge, Loomis plays with the stringy hair of a pumpkin decoration at the facility Jamie is in. At the Myers house, a dead animal suddenly drops by him, scaring the poor man, to which he then lets out a relieved chuckle. But Return and Curse show an increasingly paranoid, jittery Loomis. The way he gets upset over Jamie being unable to speak as quickly as he wants her too doesn’t paint a good picture of how he was with other, younger patients. But this is a slasher series. There is no evidence Michael Myers can be helped, as a kid or as an adult. He will only bring death. Loomis doesn’t seek out rehabilitation for his ex-patient but extermination. To be face to face with the human embodiment of evil and destruction, as Loomis has again and again, could push anyone over the edge. A character mentions that Loomis holds a position that is “more ceremonial than medical.” Ain’t that the truth. He doesn’t have time to be on the clock. When Michael goes into a self-induced hibernation. Loomis sits by, waiting for the beast to stir. Through it all, it’s obvious Pleasence is having a grand time. If you crack a smile at one of Loomis’ lines or actions, so be it. Pleasence knew what he was doing. He said as much in a 1989 interview with Marc Shaprio, while filming for Halloween 5.
"I've tended to play Loomis with a light touch -- not totally comedic, but in a manner that fit with these films' attention to suspense and tension. To play Loomis totally heavy, the way the director [Dominique Othenin-Girard] on this film is trying to get me to do, seems to be at odds with the way the character was set up. But I have no problem taking their money and dancing their dance, as long as I can twist their dance away from them. I'm doing that on this film, right now. They just haven't realized it yet."
In February 1995, Donald Pleasence passed away, and Curse was dedicated to him. It wouldn’t be the last tribute. Voice-overs popped up with Tom Kane doing his best Pleasence imitation for Halloween: H20 (1998) and Colin Mahan doing his own for Halloween (2018). By far, the Loomis cameo in Halloween Kills (2021) is the most impressive act in honoring Pleasence. Not only does the makeup and careful lighting sell the recreation, but the movements of construction foreman Tom Jones Jr. are also quite flawless. He enters the Myers house with a slight skip and bounce. Upon leaving to stare down a soon-to-be apprehended Michael, he staggers on the exit. One could confuse it with a Pleasence performance. Chris Nelson, the makeup visual effects artist, explained that no CGI was used. Instead, an “11-piece prosthetic makeup with hairpieces” did the job in bringing Loomis back to the franchise. And while Curtis returned twice to the franchise with a reset continuity and a clean slate, Pleasence continued plugging away within the confines of the series' muddled mythology. Through all the wild directions the first batch of sequels went in, the late actor was game for it. Whether beating Michael down with a wooden plank or grappling with rituals of the Cult of Thorn, Loomis was in the thick of it. And Pleasence made sure the character never faltered.