Rachel Carruthers

Last updated
Rachel Carruthers
Halloween character
First appearance Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Last appearance Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Created by Alan B. McElroy
Portrayed by Ellie Cornell
Duration1988–1989
In-universe information
Full nameRachel Carruthers
Occupation Babysitter
Family
StatusDeceased
Date of birth1971
Date of deathOctober 31st, 1989 [1]

Rachel Carruthers is a fictional character in the Halloween series of slasher films, and is the final girl of the film Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988). Rachel is the foster sister of Jamie Lloyd, who is the niece of serial killer Michael Myers. In Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), she becomes Myers' 35th victim. Rachel was portrayed by actress Ellie Cornell. [2] [3]

Contents

Appearances

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Rachel Carruthers is the only child of Richard and Darlene Carruthers. In November 1987, Jamie's biological parents Laurie Strode and Jimmy Lloyd were (apparently) killed in an automobile accident. According to Rachel, Laurie babysat her when she was younger. Laurie's friends Richard and Darlene then became Jamie's foster parents. Rachel is older than Jamie by nine years and became a surrogate sister to her.

On October 31, 1988, Rachel sees that Jamie is again wide awake in the living room, being the fourth night in a row she has had difficulty sleeping. Rachel insists that Jamie return to bed. Jamie questions if Rachel loves her. Rachel answers that she does indeed love her. But Jamie wonders if her adoptive sister loves her as a real sibling. Rachel admits that she and Jamie are not real sisters, but that she does not love her any less because of that.

At first, she sees Jamie as a problem to her plans with her boyfriend Brady. Throughout the film, Rachel takes Jamie out to pick an outfit to go trick-or-treating in (which happens to be a clown costume that looks very much like the one her uncle wore), flirts with Brady, and eventually protects Jamie from her uncle and assists in killing him. [4]

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

The character of Rachel only makes a quick appearance in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers before being killed off and having her role as Jamie's protector taken over by her friend Tina. At the beginning of the film, Michael stalks Rachel around her house after she gets out of the shower and eventually kills her by stabbing her in the chest with a pair of scissors. Near the end of the film, Rachel's body makes one final appearance in the attic that Michael chases Jamie into. [5]

Development

“The interesting thing with Ellie Cornell was that we were down to the last two or three girls who we thought could play that part, and there was some disagreement between myself and Moustapha and [Galaxy International Releasing] and Ellie. We had different points of view about which way we should go.”

“Ellie was very real and I felt that she came from Haddonfield and I felt like she represented a kind of wholesome quality that was gonna get our empathy and our sympathy as the movie went along and a lot of 80's sort of scream movies would have very very glamorous leads and I never felt that it was quite real to the town that they were from, and when we projected the film in the theater then Moustapha sort of understood my point of view.”

— Dwight H. Little on the casting of Ellie Cornell (2014) [6] [7]

Ellie Cornell auditioned for the role of Alice Johnson in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Rachel Carruthers in Los Angeles at around the same time. [8] Moustapha Akkad was unsure about the casting of Ellie Cornell; it was director Dwight H. Little who pushed for her to be chosen among the final candidates. [9] Little and McElroy did not return for the sequel. Little later said the duo would have furthered developed the relationship between Jamie and Rachel: "What we would have done was to work on the relationship between the sisters – between Danielle and Ellie – as I do think that was the core of the movie then. We clearly would’ve gone in a very different way, but it really wasn’t up to me to decide at that point because I didn’t have time to participate." [10]

Akkad later expressed regret about killing Rachel off early in Halloween 5, admitting that if he knew how popular her character would become, he might have chosen differently. [11] Akkad also stated that "I think one of the things maybe we felt sorry is we killed Ellie in the first few minutes of the film - I think we should have kept Ellie going on and on because she was very popular". [7]

Cornell did not initially plan on returning as Rachel in Halloween 5 but agreed to with the understanding that her character would be killed off early in the film. She requested that the writers change her form of death. Originally, Michael was to stab Rachel in the throat with scissors. But Cornell felt that ending her character in this way would have been too gruesome. In the finished film, she is instead stabbed in her left breast just below her shoulder. [12] [13]

Reception

Rachel is often cited as one of, if not the second, most popular recurring protagonist of the series behind the obvious Laurie Strode. [9] [14] Medium.com lists Rachel as the 27th best out of 100 final girls. [15] Rachel's early demise in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers brought negative backlash from fans of the series, who had hoped to see Rachel survive longer. The character's replacement in the story with the character of Tina further frustrated fans, as audiences found Tina to be grating and irritating, often citing her as one of the most annoying characters in horror films. [16] [17] [18] On the documentary Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, film critic John Fallon states that "Tina, the character of Tina, in all my experience with horror films, the character of Tina has been the only one where I wanted to choke her, choke her a lot." [19]

Rachel's development throughout Halloween 4 was seen as a strong point for acclaim throughout the movie, with audiences reacting positively to Rachel maturing into a protective sister for Jamie. Ellie Cornell's acting in the film was also seen as a high point, especially considering the performance was Cornell's acting debut. Professional critic John Kenneth Muir states that "Ellie Cornell is particularly strong as Rachel, a delightful girl-next-door with just the right measures of sassness and sweetness" and that she is Laurie Strodes equal in resourcefulness and resilience. Muir also expresses annoyance and disappointment that the sequel did nothing to honor Rachel's memory after she had been killed off, arguing that "Halloween V never recovers its footing after the death of Rachel Carruthers, a character audiences care deeply about. And it's worse that others (including Jamie) don't seem traumatized by it. The remainder of the film includes a mysterious stranger and comedic cops, and doesn't really honor Rachel in any significant way, or even treat her character with respect.". [11] Rodolfo Salas on Screen Rant adds in that "Before Rachel's body went cold, this sequel added some shame to her shallow grave. Rachel is replaced by Tina Williams, a naive, boyfriend-obsessed youngster." [20] Modern film critic Chris Stuckmann was mixed on the character in his retrospective review of the film stating "What's unfortunate about the Rachel character in this film is that she's not really a character. She's just, kind of jealous and she's trying to maybe get with this guy and then it doesn't really work out. And she argues with him a little bit and she doesn't really want to babysit but 'fine I'll babysit'. The argument could definitely be made that there's really not that much to the characters in the original Halloween either. Which I'm not denying but if your characters are going to be weak, and your story is very simple, then the helming of it has to be above average. You want your 'big three' to be strong: writing, directing, and acting. And if one of them is weaker, you should usually try to make the other better to compensate." [21] James A. Janisse of Dead Meat stated in his Kill Count for Halloween 5 on the character's treatment "I hate that the previous film's savvy final girl became a bubbly airhead in this one", and compared the character's death early in the film to the deaths of the surviving characters from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors at the beginning of the following movie. [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>Halloween H20: 20 Years Later</i> 1998 American slasher film

Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later is a 1998 American slasher film directed by Steve Miner, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, LL Cool J, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams, Janet Leigh and Josh Hartnett in his film debut. It is the seventh installment in the Halloween franchise. Ignoring the Jamie Lloyd story arc of the previous three installments, H20 is a direct sequel to Halloween II (1981). It follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode, who has faked her death in order to go into hiding from her murderous brother, Michael Myers, who finds her working at a private boarding school in California.

Michael Myers (<i>Halloween</i>) Fictional character in the Halloween franchise

Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) as a young boy who murders his elder sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he returns home to Haddonfield, Illinois, to murder more teenagers. In the original Halloween, the adult Michael Myers, referred to as The Shape in the closing credits, was portrayed by Nick Castle for most of the film and substituted by Tony Moran in the final scene where Michael's face is revealed. The character was created by John Carpenter and has been featured in twelve films, as well as novels, video games, and comic books.

<i>Halloween: Resurrection</i> 2002 American slasher film

Halloween: Resurrection is a 2002 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, who had also directed Halloween II in 1981. Larry Brand and Sean Hood devised the screenplay. The film is a direct sequel to Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later and the eighth installment overall in the Halloween franchise. It stars Busta Rhymes, Bianca Kajlich, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Ryan Merriman, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tyra Banks and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Brad Loree as the primary villain Michael Myers. This was the final installment of the H20 timeline of the Halloween franchise, which had just been rebooted with the previous film in 1998, before it was rebooted again in 2007 and again in 2018. The film follows Myers continuing his murderous rampage in his hometown of Haddonfield when his childhood house is used for a live internet horror show.

<i>Halloween II</i> (1981 film) 1981 American slasher film

Halloween II is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, in his directorial debut, written and produced by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence who reprise their respective roles as Laurie Strode and Dr. Sam Loomis. It is the second installment in the Halloween film series and is a continuation sequel to Halloween (1978). The plot picks up directly after the cliffhanger ending of the first film, with Michael Myers following survivor Laurie Strode to the local hospital, while his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis continues his pursuit of him.

<i>Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers</i> 1988 American slasher film

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a 1988 American slasher film directed by Dwight H. Little, written by Alan B. McElroy, and starring Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, and Danielle Harris in her film debut. Awakening from his ten year coma, Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield on Halloween Eve to kill his seven-year-old niece, while being pursued by Dr. Loomis.

<i>Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers</i> 1989 American slasher film

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a 1989 American slasher film co-written and directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard, and starring Donald Pleasence and Danielle Harris. The fifth installment in the Halloween series, it follows serial killer Michael Myers who again returns to the town of Haddonfield to murder his niece, Jamie Lloyd, who, traumatized from his previous attack on her, has been institutionalized following her attempt to murder her foster mother.

<i>Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers</i> 1995 American slasher film

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American slasher film directed by Joe Chappelle and written by Daniel Farrands, and is the sixth installment in the Halloween film series. Taking place six years after Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, the plot depicts Michael Myers stalking adoptive relatives of his sister, Laurie Strode, who are living in his childhood home, as he hunts down the infant son of his niece, Jamie Lloyd. The film marks the final appearance of Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis before his death, as well as the feature film debut of Paul Rudd, who portrays a now adult Tommy Doyle from the original Halloween (1978).

Ellie Cornell is an American retired actress and producer. She made her film debut in the 1988 film Married to the Mob before becoming known for her roles as Rachel Carruthers in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), and as Detective Janet Wright in the TV series Femme Fatales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Lloyd</span> Fictional character

Jamie Lloyd is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the Halloween franchise. Introduced in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers as the series' new protagonist after Jamie Lee Curtis declined to return as Laurie Strode, the character also appears in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Jamie was created by Alan B. McElroy and portrayed by child actress Danielle Harris in the fourth and fifth films of the series, and J.C. Brandy in the sixth film of the series. Originally, the character was named Brittany "Britti" Lloyd, before her name was changed to Jamie, in an homage to Jamie Lee Curtis.

Marianne Louise Hagan is an American actress and writer. She played Kara Strode in the 1995 horror sequel Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, her film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurie Strode</span> Character in the Halloween franchise

Laurie Strode is a character from the Halloween series. She first appeared in Halloween (1978) as a high school student who becomes targeted by serial killer Michael Myers, in which she was portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis. Created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Laurie appeared in nine of thirteen films in the series. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, and comic books.

<i>Halloween</i> (2007 film) 2007 American slasher film

Halloween is a 2007 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name and the ninth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Tyler Mane as the adult Michael Myers, Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Sam Loomis, Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode, and Daeg Faerch as the young Michael Myers. Rob Zombie's "reimagining" follows the premise of John Carpenter's original, with Michael Myers stalking Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night.

Halloween is an American slasher media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as novels, comic books, a video game and other merchandise. The films primarily focus on Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he escapes to stalk and kill the people of the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael's killings occur on the holiday of Halloween, on which all of the films primarily take place. Throughout the series various protagonists try to stop Myers including, most notably, babysitter Laurie Strode and psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis. The original Halloween, released in 1978, was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill—the film's director and producer respectively. The film, itself inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, is known to have inspired a long line of slasher films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Loomis</span> Fictional character

Dr. Samuel "Sam" J. Loomis is a fictional character in the Halloween franchise. A main protagonist of the overall series, Loomis appears on-screen in eight of the thirteen Halloween films, first appearing in John Carpenter's original 1978 film. Donald Pleasence portrayed the character in five films, with Malcolm McDowell taking on the role in the 2007 reimagining and its sequel. In both portrayals, Loomis is introduced as the psychiatrist of series antagonist Michael Myers, driven to pursue and restrain his murderous former patient. He also appears in a flashback in Halloween Kills.

<i>Halloween</i> (1978 film) 1978 American independent slasher film by John Carpenter

Halloween is a 1978 American independent slasher film directed and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with producer Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis, with P. J. Soles and Nancy Loomis in supporting roles. Set mostly in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, the plot centers on a mental patient, Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium for murdering his teenage sister on Halloween night when he was a child. Fifteen years later, having escaped and returned to his hometown, he stalks teenage babysitter Laurie Strode and her friends while under pursuit by his psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis.

<i>Halloween II</i> (2009 film) 2009 American slasher film

Halloween II is a 2009 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is a sequel to Zombie's 2007 remake of 1978's Halloween and the tenth installment in the Halloween franchise. The story follows Laurie Strode as she deals with the aftermath of the previous film's events, Dr. Loomis who is trying to capitalize on those events with a new book, and Michael Myers as he seeks to reunite with his sister. The film sees the return of lead cast members from the 2007 film Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis, Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode, and Tyler Mane as Michael Myers, respectively.

<i>Halloween</i> (2018 film) 2018 American slasher film

Halloween is a 2018 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green, Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride. It is the eleventh installment in the Halloween film series and a sequel to the 1978 film of the same name, while disregarding all previous sequels. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis who reprises her role as Laurie Strode. James Jude Courtney portrays Michael Myers, with Nick Castle returning to the role for a cameo. Halloween also stars Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Haluk Bilginer, and Virginia Gardner. Its plot follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode who prepares to face Michael Myers in a final showdown on Halloween night, forty years after she survived his killing spree.

<i>Halloween Kills</i> 2021 American slasher film

Halloween Kills is a 2021 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems. It is the sequel to 2018's Halloween and the twelfth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis and James Jude Courtney, who reprise their roles as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers respectively. Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, and Will Patton also reprise their roles from the previous film, with Anthony Michael Hall and Thomas Mann joining the cast. The film, which begins where the previous film ended, sees Strode and her family continuing to fend off Myers, this time with the help of the Haddonfield community.

<i>Halloween Ends</i> 2022 American slasher film

Halloween Ends is a 2022 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green, Danny McBride, Paul Brad Logan and Chris Bernier. It is the sequel to Halloween Kills (2021), the thirteenth installment in the Halloween franchise, and the final film in the trilogy of sequels that started with the 2018 film, which directly follows the 1978 film. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Rohan Campbell, Will Patton, Kyle Richards, and James Jude Courtney. The plot follows Corey Cunningham, a young man who falls in love with Laurie Strode's granddaughter while a series of events, including crossing paths with Michael Myers, render him a murderous outcast.

References

  1. ↑ Rhiannon Elizabeth Irons (September 27, 2016). "KILL OF THE WEEK: RACHEL CARRUTHERS". Truly Disturbing. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  2. ↑ Magnotta, Ernie (20 October 2018). Halloween: The Changing Shape of an Iconic Series. ISBN   9781726033589.
  3. ↑ "Halloween 4: Celebrating three decades of The Return of Michael Myers". 1428 Elm. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  4. ↑ Dwight H. Little (director), Alan B. McElroy (writer) (1988). Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (DVD). United States: Galaxy International Releasing.
  5. ↑ Dominique Othenin-Girard (director, writer), Michael Jacobs and Shem Bitterman (writers) (1989). Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (DVD). United States: Galaxy International Releasing.
  6. ↑ Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, John Carpenter (2014-09-23). Halloween: The Complete Collection - Limited Deluxe Edition (Blu-ray) (Documentary (extra discs)). Anchor Bay. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  7. 1 2 The Making of Halloween "Part 4". YouTube . and "Part 5". YouTube . (extra discs documentary)
  8. ↑ "10 Fun Facts You May Not Know About 'Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers'". Bloody Disgusting. 2017-10-21. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  9. 1 2 Andrew Pollard (October 17, 2018). "Ellie Cornell | HALLOWEEN 4 & HALLOWEEN 5". Starburst .
  10. ↑ "Dwight H. Little HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS". Starburst. October 20, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Muir, John Kenneth (2007). Horror Films of the 1980's. McFarland & Company. ISBN   9780786428212.
  12. ↑ Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers DVD commentary featuring Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell
  13. ↑ "Michael Myers Was Here: You can Tour the House from HALLOWEEN 4–And Buy It!". Dread Central. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  14. ↑ "Four Underrasted Final Girls by Mathew A." Kindertrauma. 2017-04-13.
  15. ↑ Patrick J. Mullen (2018-10-28). "Best Slasher Movie Final Girls". Medium.com . Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  16. ↑ "Myers Monday: Is Tina Williams the Halloween series' worst character?". 1428 Elm. 2019-04-29. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  17. ↑ "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers Remains Awful 25 Years Later". Consequence of Sound. 2014-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  18. ↑ "The Top 7 Most Annoying Horror Characters of All Time". Slasher Studios. 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  19. ↑ Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (DVD). Anchor Bay Entertainment. 2006-07-25. 29 minutes in. ASIN   B000FC2GA0.
  20. ↑ "Halloween Franchise: 5 Most Chilling & 5 Eye Roll Inducing Moments". Screen Rant. 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  21. ↑ Chris Stuckmann (2019-10-31). Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers - Movie Review . Retrieved 2021-06-25– via YouTube.
  22. ↑ Janisse, James A. (2018-09-21). Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) KILL COUNT . Retrieved 2021-06-25– via YouTube.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.