Just before the screening of Halloween Kills (2021) at the Venice Film Festival, actress Jamie Lee Curtis was presented with the Golden Lion Award in Lifetime Achievement. Looking back fondly on her film career up to this point, she stated that the significance of receiving the award while reprising her role as Halloween protagonist Laurie Strode was not lost on her. The film franchise that got her career off the ground was now the same one taking center stage during one of her proudest moments as an actress.
As beloved as Laurie Strode is in the annals of horror history, Curtis' contributions to the horror genre go far beyond the bloodied streets of Haddonfield, Illinois. Her talents haven't always been able to carry certain films, but her on-screen presence still brings quality to any film she appears in. Let's take a look at Jamie Lee Curtis' top portrayals in horror outside of her work on the set of Halloween.
#5 - Kit Foster (Virus, 1999)
Based on the comic book Virus by Chuck Pfarrer and directed by visual effects mainstay John Bruno (Ghostbusters, Terminator 2: Judgement Day), this film didn't hold up with regards to box office gross, though it has since gained cult appreciation. A hybrid sci-fi/horror flick, Virus follows the crew of a tugboat as they investigate a derelict Russian research vessel they think is a prime location to collect salvage. Unbeknownst to them, the vessel has become host to a vicious alien presence that is manufacturing cybernetic and robotic killers.
Curtis portrays Kelly "Kit" Foster, an ex-officer of the United States Navy and a navigator of the tugboat Sea Star. With her captain (Donald Sutherland) absorbed in his drinking habits, Kit takes a strong position of leadership as the chaos about the vessel begins to come to life at the whim of a highly intelligent alien being. She undergoes stresses that would likely crack a less-hardy person, meeting the moment and attempting to survive and keep her subordinates alive at all costs.
The film was produced in part by Gale Anne Hurd (Aliens), and it carries some of the DNA of James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster along with it. It's not a perfect movie, but Curtis' performance elevates the cast around her in tandem with Donald Sutherland.
#4 - Kimberly Hammond (Prom Night, 1980)
Jamie Lee Curtis is a natural fit in the slasher genre, and it's no surprise she found herself in Prom Night soon after her breakout performance in Halloween. However, her portrayal of high school senior Kim Hammond varies somewhat from that of Laurie Strode. At the outset of Prom Night, Kim and her twin brother Alex (Michael Tough) have already been met with tragedy at the loss of their little sister Robin (Tammy Bourne) and are still coming to grips with it. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when their father (Leslie Nielsen) informs them that the sexual predator who killed their sister has escaped from a nearby facility. With the senior prom fast approaching, Kim is about to have a bloodbath on her hands.
This Canadian slasher flick drew polarized critical reviews but has settled into retrospective appreciation geared towards the film's soundtrack as well as its myriad references ranging from crank calls reminiscent of Black Christmas (1974) to a black-garbed killer in the vein of Dario Argento's works in giallo. Prom Night by no means breaks the mold, but it can be enjoyed by both horror and slasher fans alike, and Curtis' portrayal as Kim Hammond spearheads the narrative to its twist-centric conclusion.
#3 - Alana Maxwell (Terror Train, 1980)
It may seem odd that another Canadian slasher from 1980 is listed here, but Jamie Lee Curtis was a busy woman in that particular year, shooting this film almost immediately after wrapping Prom Night. Roger Spottiswoode's (Tomorrow Never Dies) directorial debut, Terror Train is undoubtedly a movie aiming to be cut from the same cloth as Halloween, with its inception visualized by executive producer Daniel Grodnik (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) as "Halloween on a train." Though it didn't have the most innovative premise, Terror Train would earn the distinction of being the first slasher movie distributed by 20th Century Fox and would make a three million dollar profit from its theatrical release.
Curtis portrays Alana, a reserved college student from Northern Illinois University who should really find better people to hang out with. She is talked by her peers into feigning seduction towards Kenny (Derek McKinnon), a Greek pledge with some social hangups. Alana draws Kenny into a dark room where he finds the corpse of a woman "procured" from the university's medical school, horribly traumatizing him and leaving him institutionalized.
In traditional slasher fashion, we pick up three years later during New Year's Eve. NIU's collective fraternity brothers and sorority sisters have planned a costumed extravaganza on a local train. However, one uninvited guest arrives to crash the party, killing one of the partygoers and donning his costume, complete with a Groucho Marx mask, and begins a killing spree once the train is full speed ahead. The killer doesn't stop at one costume either, and their constant wardrobe changes leave viewers guessing who's who underneath even some of the goofiest outfits.
Curtis' performance is very much in line with her portrayal of Laurie Strode in Halloween, though with a slightly different personality. That's quite alright because it's all that's needed in order to keep the plot moving. The writing even includes underlying themes on the perception of reality and illusion, creating a divide between the living and the soon-to-be dead. With some classic kills, creative set design on a budget, and a soundtrack reminiscent of Friday the 13th (1980), which had been released a few months prior, Terror Train has enough flair to satisfy.
#2 - Elizabeth Solley (The Fog, 1980)
Reunited with the iconic John Carpenter after Halloween, Curtis kicked off her busy 1980 with a haunting atmospheric horror film that made a $20 million profit at the box office and would go on to become a cult classic in spite of its so-so critical reception. Curtis' portrayal of Elizabeth is enhanced by fellow cast members Adrienne Barbeau (Escape from New York), Tom Atkins (Halloween III: Season of the Witch), Hal Holbrook (All the President's Men), John Houseman (The Paper Chase), and even her mother Janet Leigh (Psycho).
The story concerns a sleepy Californian port town that is overwhelmed with strange paranormal happenings. As the history of the town unravels, an otherworldly fog rolls through the town, knocking out electrical power and causing the dead to rise and attack the living. Elizabeth, a somewhat sardonic youth caught in an untenable situation, must assist her fellow survivors to uncover the debt that must be repaid for sins committed by their town long ago.
The beauty of Curtis' role in this film isn't squarely on her shoulders, but instead showing her chemistry with the capable cast alongside her. Throw a signature John Carpenter-scored soundtrack into the mix, and you have a recipe for a classic macabre horror movie with plenty of atmosphere and scares to go around.
#1 - Cathy Munsch (Scream Queens, 2015-2016)
University dean, world-class author, and eventual sex health guru, Cathy Munsch is a wide-ranging character that showcases Jamie Lee Curtis' acting talent while simultaneously respecting her place in the horror genre. She's ruthless, promiscuous, and calculating, and it doesn't take long into Scream Queens' first season to see how she handles her opposition. She even slams poisoned cider like it was water, cementing her bonafides within the show's cast as a character who does whatever the hell she pleases.
However, she's not simply cruel for the sake of it, as it comes to light that a moment of lovesickness in her past caused her to retreat inward and put herself above anybody else. She may be the perceived Wicked Witch of the series, but her vulnerabilities make her seem human despite all of her nastiness. Even at Munsch's worst, there's something to admire about a woman who lets nobody stand in her way. While Curtis is well-known for being a Final Girl, her role reversal as a cold-blooded mastermind is a delight to watch.