Some people can't wait for Rob Zombie's remake of the original 'Halloween'; others figure, why mess with a classic? John Carpenter's 1978 horror film is widely considered a masterpiece of the genre, and its stars will forever be linked to Michael Myers, the slasher we love to fear. Did they ever escape his grasp? Take a look and see.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Then: The daughter of screen legends Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis made her feature film debut in 'Halloween' as Laurie Strode, a babysitter terrorized by Michael Myers. The part made her an instant star and one of the first "scream queens," with roles in 'The Fog,' 'Prom Night,' 'Terror Train' and two 'Halloween' sequels.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Now: Though the star of such hits as 'True Lies' claimed she would retire from acting after 'Christmas With the Kranks' (2004), she's currently at work on the talking-dog family flick 'South of the Border.' She's married to director Christopher Guest, writes children's books and still hates scary movies.

Donald Pleasence

Then: He was Dr. Sam Loomis, who had treated Michael Myers and recognized him as the face of evil. He tried to warn the townsfolk of the grave danger they faced, but no one would believe him. Loomis' last line, "As a matter of fact, it was" (the boogeyman, that is), still gives us chills.

Donald Pleasence

Now: Pleasence died in 1995 at age 75. A lauded stage and dramatic actor (he had four Tony nominations), he is best known to U.S. audiences as Bond baddie Ernst Blofield ('You Only Live Twice') and, of course, as the tireless Dr. Sam Loomis -- he played the character in five 'Halloween' movies.

Nick Castle

Then: A good friend of John Carpenter's, Castle played the babysitter-slaying masked Michael Myers (credited as "The Shape") for almost the entire film ... except for the crucial final scene, in which Laurie Strode tore the mask off to reveal Michael's shockingly cherubic face. Sorry, Nick, but you're no angel.

Nick Castle

Now: Castle's role in 'Halloween' was his only big-screen acting gig, but he's had a fair amount of success behind the camera, directing 'The Boy Who Could Fly,' 'Dennis the Menace,' 'Major Payne' and 'Mr. Wrong,' and writing the screenplays for 'Hook' and the upcoming 'August Rush.'

Tony Moran

Then: Of the five people who wore Michael Myers' mask in the film, Moran was the only one whose face we saw: As he choked Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) in the climactic final scene, she lifted the mask for a few moments. Hence, while Nick Castle had the most screen time, Moran was the one billed as "Michael Myers."

Tony Moran

Now: Moran, whose sister is Erin Moran (Joanie on 'Happy Days'), left Hollywood after 'Halloween II'; but he stays busy on the horror convention circuit, meeting fans and signing pictures and masks. His MySpace page has 3,811 friends on it, including 'Halloween' remake director Rob Zombie.

P.J. Soles

Then: As the "totally!" randy Linda van der Klok, she bared her breasts and had sex with her boyfriend, two extremely big horror movie no-nos (nudity and/or sex means you're about to get dead). As a result, she ended up Michael's final victim of the night, strangled to death with a telephone cord.

P.J. Soles

Now: Soles still acts steadily, with roles in horror flicks like 'Devil's Rejects' and 'Alone in the Dark II.' But it's her '70s and '80s heyday -- turns in 'Carrie' and 'Stripes,' a brief marriage to Dennis Quaid -- that won her a cult following and prompted alt-rock band Local H to entitle its '04 album 'Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?'

Kyle Richards

Then: Little Lindsey Wallace spent most of her evening with Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) after being abandoned by her irresponsible (later dead) sitter Annie (Nancy Loomis). Richards, who was nine when 'Halloween' came out, was already an acting pro, having played Alicia Edwards on 'Little House on the Prairie.'

Kyle Richards

Now: Aside from TV spots, Richards' steadiest acting gig to date has been as recurring character "Nurse Dori" on 'E.R.' Even steadier is her gig as Nicole and Paris Hilton's aunt (their mother is Kyle's sister Kathy), which landed Richards her meatiest role of all: She's been on multiple episodes of 'The Simple Life.'

Nancy Loomis

Then: She played slacker babysitter Annie Brackett, who was strangled by Michael Myers in her car.
Now: Loomis had a cameo in 'Halloween II' and appeared in 'Halloween III' as an entirely different character (Linda Challis). She quit acting and is now a sculptor in L.A. under her given name, Nancy Kyes.

Charles Cyphers

Then: As Sheriff Leigh Brackett, he hunted down serial killer Michael Myers, little realizing that his daughter Annie (Nancy Loomis) was one of the victims. He probably didn't realize she was ditching babysitting to have sex with her boyfriend, either. Parents are so out of it.

Charles Cyphers

Now: Cyphers was in three more John Carpenter films: 'The Fog,' 'Halloween II' and 'Escape from New York.' He played GM Charlie Donovan in 'Major League' but has mostly stuck to TV and horror movies, such as the upcoming 'Sin-Jin Smyth' (starring Roddy Piper and Jenna Jameson), in which he plays ... a sheriff.

John Carpenter

Then: Carpenter directed, wrote, produced and composed the music for his horror classic -- oh, and he was the voice of Paul, Annie's boyfriend (you never see the guy, and then he's dead). He made 'Halloween' for a mere $325,000; it went on to gross around $56 million, making it the biggest indie hit of its era.

John Carpenter

Now: 'Halloween' launched Carpenter's career as a horror master ('The Fog,' 'The Thing,' 'Christine'), but he also had his share of action hits ('Escape From New York,' 'Big Trouble in Little China'). He hit a dry spell after 2001's disappointing 'Ghosts of Mars' but has two films in the works: 'Psychopath' and 'The Prince.'