One of the most beloved protagonists within all of horror of all time is the character of Dr. Sam Loomis from the Halloween films. While the impeccable writing of John Carpenter created the structure and the background, it was the flawless performance of Donald Pleasence who truly brought Loomis to life. The passion and spirit he put into his action & his dialog were what made Loomis such a hero to so many of us.
Our hearts were ripped out of our bodies and honestly the soul of Halloween died the day Pleasence passed away nearly 28 years ago. To quote both Daniel Farrands and Malek Akkad, the franchise has never been the same without him. He is sorely missed. His absence has been deeply felt as the series has moved on. It's hard to swallow that he wasn't given a more proper exit. He deserved and furthermore he had earned a better end. I do think though that of all the poor decisions that have been made regarding Halloween throughout the years, it was a wise decision to let the character die with the actor.
I wonder though, what if they hadn't? What if they had decided to replace Pleasence with another actor? Who might they have chosen to fill the role? Obviously nobody was going to fill the shoes of the veteran actor, but there are those who would've given it a valiant effort. With no help whatsoever from a horrendously awful written screenplay, Malcolm McDowell gave it a gallant effort. He put forth a tremendous performance, despite a script that went out of its way to make him look a fool. Yet, when I say a new Dr. Sam Loomis, I'm not talking remakes or reimagining. I'm speaking specifically to continuation. As if the Loomis character had not died & ended up in Halloween H20.
Well, I don't know who they would have chosen but had I been in charge here are the four actors I would have gone after. From #4 to #1, I give you the top actors in my opinion who could have taken over the Dr. Loomis character.
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| #4 Christopher Lee |
If you're a diehard Halloween fanatic you already know that Christopher Lee was the original choice to play Dr. Loomis before the role went to Pleasence. It's so hard for me to imagine anyone other than Pleasence in the role, but I do think Lee would have done an outstanding job. He would have kept Pleasence's poetic nature, while at the same time giving the character a bit more anger. Pleasence's Loomis was so calculated, fixated and precise. I think Lee would have made him a bit more unstable & that would have been fun to have seen. As to him taking over, I think he would have done his best to honor the spirit of Pleasence while at the same time making the character his own. We would have had him through 2015, when Lee sadly passed away.
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| #3 Richard Attenborough |
With the massive success of Jurassic Park I could have seen the studio plausibly going after Richard Attenborough to replace Pleasence. He had a similar build, albeit a tad heavier than Pleasence & he had a natural altruistic nature to him that would have fit the character perfectly. Dr. Loomis was a protector, a guardian if you will. His life's purpose was to protect as many as he could from Michael Myers and this is a point that I feel Attenborough would have accentuated. We would have had Attenborough up until 2014.
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| #2 Bernard Hill |
I think Bernard Hill would have been a great choice to have been the next Dr. Loomis. A gifted actor who plays his roles with precision and expertise. I can see him studying the role so well that he would completely encompass the character. I think he could have matched Pleasence's obsession and determination. As to the brightest side of Hill playing the character, he not only could have been in H20, he could have also been in the recent trilogy. He was ironically enough only in his early 50's when Titanic came out.
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| #1 David Ogden Stiers |
If you can't give me Donald Pleasence, David Ogden Stiers is the next best thing. I think Stiers would have been as close to Pleasence as any of us could have hoped for in a new Loomis. The heart, the devotion, the intensity, I believe Stiers would have brought it all to the table. I think fans would have felt he played homage to Pleasence and been very happy with his performance. He's who I would have picked. He would have been my #1 choice.
Again, to reiterate, I think the decision to have the character die off the day Pleasence passed away was the right decision to make. This is only speculation as to what if they had decided to have replaced him instead?
How about you? Who would have been your picks?
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