Last year, horror fans saw the return of the Halloween franchise. The film was a combination sequel and reboot that ignores every film after the original 1978 classic. The movie brings back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, who spent the last 40 years as a survivalist, preparing for the return of Michael Myers. The big change to the mythology is that she is no longer the sister of Michael Myers in this new timeline. While there was no “AHA” moment or big twist that made this change necessary, it was still a treat to see the character return after so many years.
With the new movie came a new chance at licensing figures, and NECA Toys delivered earlier this year with a stellar Michael Myers release. They’ve followed that release with the first ever action figure based on Laurie Strode. the newly released figure is based on her appearance in Halloween 2018, and includes multiple weapons, two interchangeable portraits and more. NECA was kind enough to provide a figure for us to check out. After the jump, you can see my thoughts on the figure, as well as my full photo gallery.
Halloween 2018 – Laurie Strode Ultimate 7″ Scale Figure by NECA
Pros
- Outstanding likeness on both portraits
- Excellent articulation
- Great use of digital printing on face
- Nice weapons selection
- Easy to swap out parts
Cons
- None
Overall
The Laurie Strode figure is packed in a flapped window box featuring a poster from Halloween (2018) on the front. The back of the box showcases a number of images for the figure. Laurie is set in a plastic tray with her accessories, held in by some twist ties. The figure includes two portraits, a swap out right hand, a rifle, a shotgun, a revolver, and a knife.
For me, this was a highly anticipated release that I couldn’t wait to have in hand. It’s rare for figure companies to produce heroes of the horror franchises. This is usually due to needing separate likeness rights, or a feeling that there’s limited sales potential. Sometimes, like this release, the character and actor/actress are recognizable enough to warrant a figure. While most fans would want a figure based on her appearance in the original Halloween (licensing issues prevent that), the 2018 version of Laurie makes a great addition to the horror shelf. Thanks to an excellent head sculpt, and digital printing for the face paint, NECA has delivered a fantastic likeness of Jamie Lee Curtis. The rest of the figure sculpt is handled just as well, with lifelike wrinkles in the sculpted fabric, and nice small detail work on things the jewelry and boots. Laurie is fully articulated, with double jointed elbows and ball joints in the torso allowing for more natural poses. There were no locked or loose joints on this figure, and the heads and extra hand all swapped out with no issues.
The two included head sculpts give you the option of displaying Laurie with or without her glasses. Her standard hands are designed to hold the guns, while her additional right hand is designed to hold the included knife. The knife can fit into a sheath that is hidden inside of Laurie’s jacket. There’s just the right amount of accessories here for the character, giving you some nice options to have her battling The Shape in your display.
The figure is a must own for fans of the Halloween franchise. The Laurie Strode Ultimate Figure has a great likeness, a nice assortment of accessories, and solid articulation. The figure is in stores now. Check out a selection of images below, and the fall gallery after that.
Some of the backgrounds featured in pics below are from Extreme-Sets.com. Enter code TOYARK at checkout and get 15% off your order!
CompaniesNECA
CharactersLaurie Strode
Scale7 Inch