Aside from Michael Myers, Ben Tramer just might be the most popular character among Halloween fans to have never spoken a single line on screen. Laurie Strode’s high school crush, Ben was mentioned in John Carpenter’s original Halloween before briefly appearing in Halloween II. He was again mentioned in Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake in 2007, further establishing the character as a part of the franchise lore. With at least two more Halloween films on the way, the door is open for the character to return in either Halloween Kills or Halloween Ends, but will it actually happen?
For those who need a refresher, let’s take a step back for a moment to remember what happened with Ben Tramer in the original Halloween timeline. In the first film, he is merely referenced as a fellow student whom Laurie Strode has a crush on. On Halloween night, he walks the streets wearing a mask very similar to the one worn by Michael Myers, leading to Dr. Loomis and and Sheriff Brackett chasing after him. Confused, Ben walks into the street where he is struck by a police car and burned beyond recognition, killed by the fiery impact of the vehicle pinning him to a van.
When director David Gordon Green released the 2018 reboot, it was revealed that the new timeline will ignore every other film in the series beyond the original Halloween. By not acknowledging the events that occurred in Halloween II, this not only meant that Laurie Strode and Michael Myers were no longer siblings, but also spared Ben Tramer’s life. Because the 2018 movie was filled with Easter eggs paying homage to the prior films, including an older Ben Tramer for even just a moment would be awesome to see in Halloween Kills or Halloween Ends.
Seeing so many other classic characters return in the upcoming films will also make for good reasoning to bring back Ben Tramer. Halloween Kills will reveal that many of Haddonfield’s residents from 1978 are still living in town, including Sheriff Brackett along with Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace — the two children babysat by Laurie Strode in the first movie. Even Lonnie Elam, a schoolyard bully only shown briefly in the first Halloween, will be featured in Halloween Kills. It certainly wouldn’t be any stranger to learn that ol’ Ben Tramer is still in Haddonfield as well.
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At the least, it would be fun to see a quick appearance or even just a mention of Ben in one of the upcoming sequels as an Easter egg for longtime Halloween fans. However, it’s also worth pointing out that there’s a much more fantastic way of including the character in one of the new films. We all know that Ben has a penchant for the Michael Myers mask, although he prefers the blonde-haired version over the kind that’s actually worn by Michael. Can you imagine an older Ben looking to scare the children on Halloween night by wearing a similar mask, only to meet a similar fate to how he died as a teenager in the original Halloween sequel? Perhaps his death can also be reminiscent of poor Ted Hollister from Halloween 4.
In any case, for those of us who’ve always appreciated the Ben Tramer character, it’s nice to see him getting some more love from the franchise and its fans in recent years. Complete with the blonde hair, you can now buy an officially-licensed Ben Tramer mask from Trick or Treat Studios, and it looks just like the one from Halloween II. CSR Collectibles has also managed to recently track down Ben Tramer actor Jack Verbois for a very rare signing event, including a signed mask. For whatever reason, he’s a beloved character for many fans, despite his limited time on screen. Let’s just hope he makes one more appearance in the Halloween universe in one way or another.
Halloween Kills will premiere in theaters on Oct. 15, 2021.
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