Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

Did Mel Brooks Accidentally Inspire One of the Most Disturbing Scenes in ‘Halloween’?

A scene in Mel Brooks’ 1977 comedy High Anxiety bears a striking resemblance to a memorable murder in John Carpenter’s Halloween.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

In 1977, Mel Brooks directed and starred in High Anxiety, an homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s films. Brooks plays Dr. Richard Thorndyke, who’s framed for murder after he discovers that the institute he works for has been exaggerating the illnesses of their wealthy patients in order to cheat their families out of money.

During one scene, Thorndyke calls up his patient’s daughter (played by Madeline Kahn) and an assassin tries to strangle him in the process. Listening to this on the........

© Vice