WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Halloween, in theaters now.


The best character in director David Gordon Green's Halloween likely isn't the one you expected. That’s not to diminish the other, of course. Laurie Strode becoming a survivalist to deal with her own demons is great, as is the unending and uncomplicated darkness of Michael Myers. New characters like Allyson and Dr. Sartain are interesting in their own right because they subvert their archetypes. But none of them is the best.

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No, that honor goes to Julian, the little boy whose babysitter is attacked and killed by Michael Myers. He’s one of the most likable, and intelligent, characters in Halloween, and arguably the best example of a kid stuck in a horror film.

The Best Kid Ever

Unlike some of the other children who have appeared in Halloween movies, Julian is treated less as a shy scaredy-cat and more as a normal kid. He watches TV with his babysitter and jokes with her. Played by newcomer Jibrail Nantambu (his only other credit is an episode of Preacher), Julian casually curses, not pushing his luck, but rather attempting to speak with confidence to the cool teenager. He's realistic, making him immediately more likable than other kids in the series' history.

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But he’s still a kid. When he thinks he sees something watching him from the hall, he becomes scared and calls for his babysitter to  check on him. He clutches a blanket to his chest like any little kid would. When he asks Vicky to look in his closet, it’s a perfectly little-kid delivery of the line. It’s adorable, raising the tension by threatening him and his equally sweet babysitter Vicky.

Smartest Person in the Room

Halloween 2018

Julian is also smart for his age. Once Michael pops out of his closet and makes his move against Vicky, Julian books it, and reaches the stairs. Vicky makes a good attempt, but can’t escape. Terrified, Julian still rushes back and promises to get help.

He races downstairs and warns Vicky's boyfriend, before running off to get the police. We don’t see Julian again, but considering his body isn’t pinned to a wall when the police arrive, we can assume he made it out alive. By actually making the kid likable and intelligent, director David Gordon Green transforms a scene that, by this point, should have been repetitive -- Michael has already killed 10 people by this stage of the film -- into something that's still tense and exciting.


Now in theaters, Halloween is directed by David Gordon Green from a script written with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer and Andi Matichak, with Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney sharing the role of Michael Myers. The film is executive produced and scored by John Carpenter.