Top 10: Showdowns #2

Last Updated on July 27, 2021

Every time I read about the
greatest film scenes in cinematic history, I always notice how many of the lists
totally ignore the horror genre. (Except for the bloody showdown at House of
Blue Leaves in Kill Bill.  Most lists usually note that gem.)

Tons of horror films are full
of memorable fight scenes that are hardly ever recognized by anyone besides
horror geeks like you and I. Some of my key choices on this list are obscure,
some of them are well known, and some are even goofy as hell, but they all
deserve a little recognition.

Although I know there are tons
of choices to pick, here is my personal list of showdowns that will be forever
embedded in my memory. *Spit Bullets below for your own suggestions.

READ PART 1 OF THIS LIST HERE!

WARNING – SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!

5. Laurie
Strode vs. Michael Myers-H20

There are many classic
showdowns in the Halloween series, but to me at least, none were as
monumental and as powerful as seeing victim turned bad ass, Laurie Strode (Jamie
Lee Curtis) fight her psychotic brother, Michael Myers in H20.  Seeing a
fed up Laurie with an axe confront her demons (or should I say demon?) made the
fangirl inside me smile with glee.

4.
Ash. His Own Hand-Evil Dead 2

Ash had many
unforgettable battles in the Evil Dead trilogy. In the first installment,
he fought his girlfriend’s head. In Army of Darkness, he fought
mini-Ashes, but no fight is quite as impressive as when Ash ended up battling
his own possessed hand.  It made for a hilarious fight scene meshing slapstick
with horror, and the scene is a fan favorite amongst Evil Dead fans.

3.
Ripley Vs The Queen Alien-Aliens

It’s funny how I’ve
never been a huge Alien fanatic, yet the series always ends up on my top
ten.  If I didn’t put this legendary showdown on the list, I would have a bunch
of hate mail coming my way. Ripley defeating the Queen Alien with the famous
yellow fork lift is a scene most horror fans know by memory, but it’s also one
of the best fight scenes in cinematic history.  (Even regular moviegoers can’t
argue that one!)

*Note: The reason why
Alien vs. Predator didn’t make the cut, is because I refuse to pay
tribute to a PG-13 fight between popular movie villains from R rated franchises.
(I hope AVP2 gets it right!)

2.
Freddy vs. Jason-Freddy vs. Jason

After watching Freddy’s
ginsu knife glove emerge from the dirt at the end of Jason Goes to Hell,
horror fans around the world eagerly waited over ten years to see Freddy and
Jason duke it out.  Although the battle was very anti-climatic, (neither of them
won and neither of them died) it was still amazing to see the two most popular
villains in the slasher genre come face to face. It was most fanboys/girls dream
come true.

1.
John Nada vs. Frank-They Live

This pick
shouldn’t be much of a surprise, considering the fact that it is one of the
longest fight sequences ever shot on film.  Last year when I had attended the
Festival of Fear in Toronto, I had also found out from Roddy Piper that both him
and Keith David did their own stunts for the scene. (Very impressive!) I love
this fight scene, but I never understood why Frank just didn’t put on the
glasses earlier. It would have saved them a whole lot of pain and bruises!

READ PART 1 OF THIS LIST HERE!