Characters / Halloween: Rachel Carruthers

Halloween Main Character Index
Michael Myers | Laurie Strode | Samuel Loomis | Jamie Lloyd | Rachel Carruthers | Tina Williams | Season of the Witch | Halloween (2007) | Halloween (2018)

Rachel Carruthers

Played By: Ellie Cornell

Appearances: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

"How could they? When are they going to realize that she is not him? She's just a child."

Jamie Lloyd's protective foster sister, who is looking after her on Halloween.

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A-G

• Aborted Arc: Halloween 4 director Dwight Little stated that if he and the film's writer had come back for the sequel, it would have furthered the relationship between Rachel and Jamie. Considering how early Rachel dies in 5, it's likely their version would have kept her around longer or had her survive the whole film.
• Action Survivor: She survives Michael's rampage in the fourth film, and manages to hurt him by running him down with a pick-up truck.
• Affectionate Nickname: In 4, Lindsey Wallace calls her "Rach" after they pick up Jamie from school.
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: As Jamie and Rachel are fleeing from the Meeker house, Rachel begs Michael to leave them alone.
• All for Nothing: She saved Jamie in Halloween 4, but within days of her death, Jamie is kidnapped and ultimately killed several years later by Michael, making it appear that Rachel only succeeded in delaying the inevitable in hindsight. Jamie does live long enough to have a child of her own due to Rachel, although not under ideal circumstances.
• Alone with the Psycho: Rachel, Jamie, Tina, and Loomis all take turns being alone with Michael throughout Halloween 5, with Rachel being the first as she's alone with him in her house. She's also the only one to get killed during this solo encounter with him.
• Ambiguous Situation: Rachel knows about Halloween 1978 and Michael's murder spree that night. What is less clear is the extent that she knows of other people's roles in the tragedy. Although she is friends with Lindsey, there are no implicit mentions that she knows of her being babysat and protected by Laurie that night. She also doesn't appear to know who Dr. Loomis is when she meets him, implying that he was never mentioned when she learned of Michael's original Halloween killing spree.
• Amicable Exes: Zigzagged. Although Rachel looks negatively on Brady for having an affair with Kelly and lets both of them know her disdain for their respective roles in the disillusion of her romance, Brady seeks to coerce Rachel to leave with him before they found Jamie and Rachel still calls out for Brady to leave the Meeker house with Jamie and herself. This demonstrates the pair still have some mutual level of concern for each other.
• Anger Born of Worry: When she becomes separated from Jamie after the latter goes off to continue her trick-or-treating, Rachel finds her and angrily tells Jamie to never go off by herself again.
• Arch-Enemy: To Kelly. They pine for the same man and besides Michael, Kelly is the only character Rachel is shown to heavily dislike.
• The Atoner: After Jamie overhears her complaining about having to babysit with her, and Rachel's father chews her out for hurting her foster sister's feelings, Rachel tries to make things right with her by trying to do things together.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:
  • Despite her telling Jamie they are not real sisters and the resentment she showed toward Jamie for having to babysit her, Rachel cares enough about her to put her life on the line to keep her safe from Michael.
  • Though she angrily dismisses Brady after finding out he was cheating on her with Kelly, the pair have a strong mutual affection for each other, enough for Brady to try getting Rachel to flee the Meeker house with him after they discover the corpses of others and not letting her out of his sight. Likewise, Rachel tries to get him to come with her and Jamie as he holds off Michael and only finally allows herself to be pulled away by Jamie just a short time before Brady is killed.
• Awkward Kiss: Has one with Brady as a result of her having to tell him that she's cancelling their plans to babysit Jamie and Kelly, who Brady is having an affair with, being close enough to see them.
• Badass Normal: Besides Loomis, Rachel is the only non-police officer character that can actually fight back against Michael in 4.
• Battle Couple: Although they are broken up by the time they encounter Michael, Brady and Rachel still try to assault him over the course of the film and are among the few romantic pairings to mutually fight back against Michael in the series.
• Being Good Sucks: There's the time she watched her boyfriend die trying to buy her and her stepsister time to get away from Michael, then she got knocked unconscious trying to get Jamie out of the Meeker house, then after it all seems over, she ends the night with the revelation that her own mother has been stabbed.
• Berserk Button: Threatening Jamie or trying to criticize her attempts to woo Brady. Michael gets attacked by her for the former act, and Kelly gets coffee to the shirt for the latter.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Rachel is a nice girl who is friendly toward others and generally respectful of those around her, but she can be driven to acts of violence if Jamie is threatened.
• Big Damn Heroes: After Michael dispatches with Loomis and just as he grabs Jamie's leg, Rachel blinds him with a fire extinguisher and removes Jamie from his grasp.
• Big Eater: Implied to have been one in the past, given that she's on a diet by the time 4 takes place.
• Big Good: She is this for Jamie. While Loomis and Meeker are more effective at suppressing Michael than she is, Rachel is the only one who Jamie shows relief to see and who she panics for when not in their presence. Rachel is also the most attentive to Jamie, as she often holds her when the two are being driven somewhere.
• Big "NO!": Rachel lets one out when she gets fatally stabbed by Michael.
• Big Sister Instinct: Rachel is devoted to protecting Jamie.
• Birds of a Feather:
  • With Tina. Both are unrelated to Jamie but care deeply about her and like to hang out with their friends when they can.
  • With Dr. Loomis. Both are among the few to know that Jamie was not in control of herself when she attacked Mrs. Carruthers and are worried that Michael will return.
• Blue Is Heroic: She wears a blue-gray sweater during the fourth film and is a Final Girl.
• Break the Cutie: Rachel was a normal teenage girl, living happily with her parents and foster sister Jamie until Michael came into her life. Within a year, she sits at the side of her traumatized foster sister, has worries that Michael will come back to hurt her, Jamie, and everyone else she cares about, and feels guilty even though it was out of her control.
• Bridal Carry: Rachel carries Jamie this way after she saves her from Michael at the schoolhouse in 4.
• Broken Pedestal:
  • Rachel begins the film believing so highly in Brady as a romantic partner that she feels bad about not being able to go on date with him thanks to her responsibilities to Jamie and doubts her ability to appeal to him. After she discovers his affair with Kelly, her opinion of him is significantly diminished, to the point of rebuffing her previous view that he was different from other guys.
  • This is subverted with Jamie in 5. Though Rachel could have taken to believing that Jamie was evil and didn't deserve her devotion after the possessed-girl stabbed her mother, she instead holds to the belief that she wasn't responsible for what she did that night and it doesn't change the way she feels about her.
• Brutal Honesty: Outright accuses Kelly of lying about not knowing of her relationship with Brady and alludes to her past efforts at stealing boys.
• Bookends: Rachel is introduced in the Carruthers house in 4, and dies in the Carruthers house in 5.
• Butt-Monkey: This is her overall role in the series. She loses her boyfriend the same night that her stepsister stabs her mother and is killed a year later.
• Changed My Mind, Kid: Originally she was very annoyed by having to babysit Jamie, but upon realizing she unintentionally hurt her feelings, Rachel tries to make amends with her by showing some happiness at the prospect of them spending time together that night.
• Characterization Marches On: In 4, Rachel is shown to proceed cautiously when alone, as demonstrated when she and Jamie are separated from each other after the latter goes off trick-or-treating. Come the next film and when pressed by Loomis to check on Max after Jamie has a convulsion about Michael messing with him, Rachel asks why and is annoyed by being yelled at, seemingly completely unconvinced Michael could be in her home.
• Cheated Death, Died Anyway: She survived a pretty large fall from the Meeker house, which seemingly left both Jamie and Michael believing that she was dead, just to get killed a year later via a surprise stabbing from Michael.
• Chickification: Although it's a little hard to tell due to her limited screentime, Rachel is struck with this in 5. She is seen being motherly toward Jamie, which includes off-screen crying, and wears makeup and dresses in a more feminine way, as she never wears pants throughout the sequel nor does she fight back against Michael like in the previous installment.
• Combat Pragmatist: Rachel is well-aware she cannot defeat Michael in a straight-up fight and will either use other weapons or methods to attack him like running him over.
• Conflicting Loyalty: Has this in the sense that while she is committed to keeping Jamie safe from Michael, she doesn't want to leave Brady behind to face him. Brady demands that she leave but she pleads for him to come with them and only goes after he dies.
• Cool Big Sister: To Jamie.
• Deadpan Snarker: Rachel has several instances of making witty comebacks to comments from others, including her own mother.

  Rachel: Mom, I'm on a diet. You want an oinker for a daughter?

• Death Glare: Gives one to Kelly during their conversation about Brady in the Meeker house.
• Decoy Protagonist: Halloween 5 begins with Rachel by Jamie's side, openly worried about her, and seemingly going to play a major role in preventing Michael from reaching her once again. She is killed in the first act.
• Demoted to Extra: In the fifth film.
• Determinator: Throughout Halloween 4, she does anything and everything to keep Jamie safe from Michael, including suffering a heavy fall that renders her unconscious.
• Devoted to You: Rachel has multiple chances to run away from Michael and save herself, but will never do it if he is going after Jamie. She will stay by her side no matter what.
• Didn't See That Coming: Jamie stabbing her mother was something Rachel had no way of predicting.
• Dies Wide Open: Her corpse is seen with its eyes open when Jamie stumbles upon it. Some fans actually argue that this could mean she is still alive, since she seems to close her eyes after Michael stabs her and Jamie doesn’t linger to check her vital signs.
• Dirty Coward: Subverted. At first she runs from Michael, even begging him to leave her and Jamie alone. After Rachel falls and is rendered unconscious, she is no longer a target of Michael as he pursues Jamie to the schoolhouse. Instead of looking for police to keep herself safe or finding somewhere to hide, she directly confronts Michael in order to save her foster sister.
• The Dreaded: Considering that Michael likely remembered how close she was to Jamie, and the tough time that she gave him, its possible he felt this way toward Rachel and this was the reason for his killing of her being one of the first things he did when he came back to Haddonfield.
• Driven by Envy: What causes Rachel to throw coffee on Kelly's shirt. She despises her for seducing Brady, and especially for trying to assert it was her fault that Brady strayed from her.
• Drives Like Crazy: The one time we see Rachel behind the wheel she's speeding and moving the car haphazardly, but then, she does have Michael on the roof and only takes the wheel after the original driver is murdered by him.
• Dropped a Bridge on Her: With a healthy dose of realism; in the fifth film, Michael manages to catch her off guard and kills her without a fight.
• Eager Rookie: While its doubtful Rachel has faced a threat like Michael before in her life, knowing that he wants to hurt Jamie is all it takes for her to keep trying to stop him.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Subverted. Although she is able to save Jamie from Michael by the end of 4, the night hardly ends on an uplifting note as Rachel finds Jamie after she stabs her mother.
• Easily Forgiven: Although Jamie was clearly hurt by Rachel's frustration over having to babysit her, she hardly mentions it afterward as they spend time together.
• Emotion Suppression: In 5, Rachel tries to hide her growing worries about Michael returning and her not being around to protect Jamie in the event that he resumes his Halloween killing spree. She is not entirely effective, as Jamie notices a sign of her sadness while she visits her at the clinic and Loomis rightfully observes that she is afraid.
• Establishing Character Moment: Rachel's first scene in 4 is her sitting next to Jamie as she stares out a window in a conversation where she notes that she used to be babysat by Jamie's mother and the pair are not real sisters but that it doesn't change the fact that she loves her. This sets up Rachel's small-town origins and strong affections for her foster younger sibling.
• Even the Loving Hero Has Hated Ones: Throughout both of her appearances, Rachel is only hostile toward Kelly and Michael. She despises Kelly for role in ruining her relationship with Brady, and hates Michael for trying to kill Jamie.
• The Everyman: Rachel stands out in 4 for being an ordinary teenage girl with enough dynamics, such as a little sister she cares about and a budding romance which she is insecure of, to be relatable for many viewers.
• Everyone Has Standards: No matter how annoyed she was with having to babysit Jamie, Rachel wasn't going to let her get murdered by her uncle.
• Excellent Judge of Character: She knows that Kelly has stolen boyfriends before and assumes her to be making the same move toward Brady, which is vindicated when she sees him inside her home.
• Experienced Protagonist: Downplayed. In 5, while she is rightfully worried about Michael coming back and shows more concern for Jamie's well-being than most others, she also shows frustration when Loomis tries to get her to check for Michael being in her house.
• Facepalm: Rachel has one after she realizes she hurt Jamie's feelings when complaining to her parents about having to babysit.
• Failure Hero: Downplayed as she successfully prevents Michael from killing Jamie in 4, but still suffers major losses including her mother's near-fatal stabbing by a possessed-Jamie, and the end of her own life a year later.
• Final Girl: In the fourth film, along with Jamie.
• First Girl Wins: Rachel was with Brady before he cheated with Kelly, and she is the one that Brady gives his life for in trying to give her time to escape.
• Foil:
  • Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers:
    • Rachel and Jamie both are girls who have a connection to Laurie Strode, know of Michael's past, and are put under extreme distress during the film that brings them to the point of crying. While Jamie is a child, Rachel is a teenager. Jamie is an orphan while Rachel has both of her parents. Jamie can't defend herself against Michael while Rachel can defend herself, and Jamie, from him. Rachel is seen with friends like Lindsay and gets along well with fellow teenagers while Jamie appears to have no friends and gets bulled at school.
    • To Michael Myers. Both are Haddonfield natives with a connection to Jamie and have or previously had blonde hair. Rachel is not related to Jamie by blood while Michael is. Rachel has known Jamie well before the events of the film while Michael was unaware of her existence until the movie starts. Michael wants to kill Jamie while Rachel wants to keep her safe. Jamie runs away from Michael while she often runs to Rachel. They also have different fates, as the film's intention is to convey Michael is dead while Rachel is alive to see Jamie inherit his evil and demonstrate it by stabbing Rachel's mother.
    • To Kelly Meeker. Both are blonde-haired teenage girls with loving fathers, a romantic interest in Brady, and are attacked by Michael during the film. However, whereas Rachel is officially in a relationship with Brady, Kelly pursues a secretive hookup with him. Kelly has no siblings and thus no responsibilities to impede her desire for Brady while Rachel has a younger foster sister who she has to watch, which indirectly leads to her being unable to spend more time with Brady. Rachel is not seen doing things behind her parents back while Kelly uses her empty home as the meeting place for her affair. Rachel believes a romantic relationship should be respected while Kelly only believes this should be the case if it is a marriage. They also have different fates, as Rachel survives the film while Kelly dies. Although if one counts Rachel's death in the following film, then they are given a further connection by being killed by Michael in their own home.
  • Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers: Rachel and Tina are both teenage girls who share an affection for Jamie and have an interest in being there for her. Both also die during the film. However, Rachel is related to Jamie through adoption while Tina is just a close friend. Rachel has met Michael and worries of him coming back to hurt Jamie while Tina has never encountered him and thus does not take the threat of his return seriously. Rachel fought back against Michael and only ran away when she had to while Tina only runs away. Rachel stayed by Jamie's side throughout the duration of 4 to protect her while Tina's habit of leaving her side puts them both in danger. Rachel doubted her romantic relationship with Brady while Tina has no worries of her boyfriend Mike's commitment to her.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Responsible Sibling to Jamie's Foolish Sibling. Rachel is trusted by her parents and considered mature enough to watch Jamie while the latter's well-being is of great concern to Rachel's parents due to her young age and having her life drastically changed due to her parents' death. Despite their different personalities, they care greatly for each other.
• Forgotten Fallen Friend: After her death, Rachel is only mentioned once by Tina and goes completely undiscussed until Jamie finds her body and shouts her name.
• Freak Out: When Rachel and Brady discover the corpses in the Meeker house, and Jamie is nowhere to be seen, Rachel begins panicking over her, until Jamie appears at the top of the staircase.
• Friend to All Living Things: She is shown to be friendly toward the Carruthers family's pet dog Max in 5, and is clearly troubled when he goes missing.
• The Friends Who Never Hang: Seems to be the case with Samantha. The latter speaks of Rachel in a pleasant way, seems to have been to her house before, and is a mutual friend with Tina, but is never seen interacting with Rachel.
• Gaining the Will to Kill: When Rachel first encounters Michael in the Meeker house, she begs for him to leave her and Jamie alone. As the night goes on and as she seemingly realizes that talking to him is futile, she tries attacking him and calls for him to die toward the film's end.
• Generation Xerox: To Laurie Strode. Both are blonde-haired teenage girls who protect a young child they are babysitting from Michael, both know the sheriff and his daughter who ends up getting killed by Michael, and both discover the corpses of his victims in the house of a family they are acquainted with.
• Glass Cannon: Rachel can shoot Michael with a fire extinguisher and run him over, but a stab to the shoulder is enough to kill her.
• Good Is Not Soft: Rachel is a nice girl who will have no problem attacking or killing you if you try to hurt Jamie.
• Guilt Complex: Seems to have developed this before the events of 5. She feels guilty about leaving Jamie to get away from Haddonfield, despite knowing that she can't assist her with her trauma (an effect of being possessed by Michael and stabbing her stepmother) like Loomis can since she isn't a medical professional. Rachel is also troubled by the idea of leaving Jamie alone given that she knows Michael is alive, even though she's aware her best efforts are likely not to stop Michael permanently and the Haddonfield police will be more effective protectors for her.

H-Y

• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Rachel has blonde hair and is very protective of Jamie. Any violence she demonstrates toward Michael is to keep him away from her and at one point she even pleads for him to leave them alone.
• He's Just Hiding: In-Universe example. When Brady tries to get Rachel to flee the Meeker house with him and asserts that Michael has probably already killed Jamie, Rachel refuses to believe she's dead. Turns out she was right.
• Heroic Second Wind: After getting knocked out by her fall from the Meeker house, Rachel recovers and finds Jamie and Michael in the schoolhouse and saves her just as he grabs her leg.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Has this dynamic with Jamie. The two are hardly seen without each other before Rachel's death in 5.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Rachel constructs a means for her and Jamie to flee the Meeker house...and is knocked unconscious by her very own creation, disabling her to flee from Michael.
• Hope Bringer: She is this to Jamie when she is being chased or attacked by Michael, as the latter knows her big foster sister will protect her.
• Icy Blue Eyes: Most prominently in her conversation with Kelly, where she gives the latter a piercing, cold stare even when Kelly has her back turned.
• Improvised Weapon: When Michael grabs Jamie's leg after she hurts herself from a fall, Rachel uses a fire extinguisher to obstruct Michael's view and get Jamie away from him.
• Insecure Love Interest: She is shown doubting herself in her efforts to woo Brady.
• Irony: Rachel spends all night trying to prevent Michael from killing one family member (Jamie), just for that family member to turn around and try to murder her own mother.
• It's Personal: With Michael, for trying to kill Jamie. She even calls for him to die when running him over.
• Jumped at the Call: Shows no hesitation endangering herself to protect Jamie from Michael.
• Kill the Cutie: Rachel is a genuinely loveable and kind hearted soul who would do anything to protect Jamie, her death 20 minutes into the film shows that no one is safe, also like Tina's death it has a severe impact on poor Jamie who loses both her sister and best friend in the same night.
• Knight Templar Big Sister: To Jamie, what with her uncle trying to kill her and all.
• Lack of Empathy:
  • Subverted with Jamie. While Rachel is annoyed at having to babysit her, she is nevertheless understanding to the girl's struggles over losing her parents and her poor treatment at school. This causes her to quickly get over her own change in circumstance and try to appeal to Jamie so the pair may have fun together.
  • Played straight with Brady. When the latter tries justifying why he was cheating on her with Kelly, Rachel isn't having it.
• Light Is Good: With her blonde hair and light blue jeans, she counts as this.
• Living Emotional Crutch: Rachel is this for Jamie. By the time of 4, Jamie has been orphaned for almost a year and gets bullied at school for both her mother's death and Michael being her uncle. Outside of Rachel, Jamie is not seen to be open about expressing her feelings toward anyone, and Rachel will typically sit with her and offer some words of comfort. Even if Rachel doesn't want to spend time with Jamie because it cuts into her plans, she will still try to make her feel welcome and look on the bright side to them being together. Rachel's death in the following film, which Jamie discovers during the climax, solicits arguably the biggest scream from Jamie in the series.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Subverted. Rachel not only knows about the events of the first two films, but even has to tell Brady who Michael is and Jamie's connection to him. Of any of the fourth film's new characters, she's the only non-adult who seems acutely aware of what happened ten years ago.
• Loving a Shadow: Invokes this when she finds out Brady is having an affair with Kelly, betraying her previous belief that he was different from other guys and asserting a new view that his true self is that of a disloyal, heartbreaking, selfish cheater.
• Made of Iron: Rivals Laurie in this regard when she falls off a roof in the fourth film and survives.
• Mama Wolf: Rachel is as protective of Jamie as a mother would be of her own child. She openly risks her life to save her and usually positions herself between Jamie and Michael, such as when she has Jamie to leave the Meeker house first when the two are fleeing and when she is grabbed on the shoulder by Michael while Jamie is sitting on the car's floor.
• Maternally Challenged: Subverted. While Rachel would rather not be babysitting Jamie, thanks to their bonding, she is adept at knowing what to say to cheer her up and how to make her have fun. She is also very comforting of her when they find out Michael is pursuing her, holding her and for the most part, staying by her side.
• Modesty Towel: Due to a shower scene in the fifth movie.
• Never Found the Body: Michael moves Rachel's corpse from the Carruthers house to the Myers house. While Jamie stumbles upon it in the attic while she's fleeing from Michael, it's unknown if she ever communicated where it was to the officers that later came to her aid.
• Nice Girl: She's a very nice person who cares deeply for her foster sister.
• No One Gets Left Behind: Tries to invoke this when Brady orders her to leave while he holds off Michael, and she responds by pleading for him to come with her and Jamie, as she knows he'll be killed if he faces Michael alone.
• Nothing Personal: Subverted. Although Rachel has never been personally affected by Michael's actions before the events of 4, knowing what he wants to do to Jamie is all it takes for her to want his death.
• Number Two: Seems to be this to Loomis in 5. She's the only one that visits Jamie who he never tries to get to leave her or question the actions of outright.
• Odd Friendship: With Tina. Although they seem to get along well, Rachel is much more composed, respectful, and average than her, but never is shown being upset with any of Tina's eccentric behaviors.
• One True Love: Rachel believes Brady to be this to her.

  Rachel: I think tonight Brady was ready to make a commitment. But now, my future relationship, my engagement, my marriage, my children, and your grandchildren have all been wiped out because I have to babysit.

• Only Sane Woman: Rachel fits this in 5. Compared to the mute Jamie, the increasingly erratic Loomis, and the party girl Tina, she is the most normal of the informal group that helps the officers protect Jamie from Michael. No wonder things get worse for Jamie, Loomis, and Tina in her absence.
• Parental Substitute: Whenever the elder Carruthers are not around, Rachel begrudgingly is this for Jamie. The first instance seen is the babysitting on Halloween night in 4 and this happens again when the Carruthers leave before the start of 5.
• Perpetual Frowner: Between finding Jamie and the film's conclusion, Rachel is this in 4, with the only exceptions being when she reacts in terror to Michael killing someone or Jamie stabbing her mother.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Although Rachel is adamant that she and Jamie are not sisters, she makes sure to remind her that this does not lessen her love for her.
  • Rachel quickly realizes she hurt Jamie's feelings when she overheard her complaining about having to babysit her, and goes to make things right by showing a happier side of herself as she offers to take her trick-or-treating or to get some ice cream.
• Piggyback Cute: Rachel gives Jamie one when the two are on the roof of the Meeker house, though they lose their formation when Michael catches up to them and stands up.
• Pink Means Feminine: Wears a pink shirt in the fifth film.
• Present Absence: Although Rachel is mentioned only a few times after her death in 5, the plot plays out the way it does largely due to her absence. Without Rachel, there is no one to mediate the tension between Jamie and Loomis that prevents her from telling him where Michael is with her powers, no friend to convince Tina not to go to the Tower Farm at Jamie's request, and no one to defend Jamie by the film's end after Loomis has a heart attack and the officers are killed which enables her kidnapping.
• Promotion to Parent: Rachel becomes this for Jamie between 4 and 5 in the absence of her parents. She's the main visitor of Jamie at the clinic and the one Loomis seemingly is most comfortable leaving her alone with. Rachel is seen staying by Jamie's side including when she sleeps and giving Jamie instructions of when she will return to see her.
• Properly Paranoid: In 4, Rachel is greatly worried when she is separated from Jamie because she knows Michael is after her and that Jamie cannot defend herself from him. In 5, Rachel fears that Michael will come back and kill more people in his effort to get to Jamie. Turns out she was right.
• Remember the New Girl?: Despite not appearing in the first two films, Rachel has connections to characters who appeared in them, as she was babysat by Laurie Strode and is friends with Lindsey.
• The Resenter: Though she loves Jamie, she is resentful of having to watch her because it interferes with her romance with Brady.
• The Rival: To Kelly Meeker for the affections of Brady. Rachel chooses to confront her over interjecting herself into their romance and Kelly not only lies about not knowing of their romance, but chides Rachel for not being able to keep him loyal.
• Sacrificial Lion: Moustapha Akkad stated that he wanted Michael to kill Rachel early in 5 to show that no one was safe this time.
• Sadistic Choice: When Brady refuses to go along with Rachel and Jamie, she is left with the option of either staying behind with him and endangering Jamie further, or leaving Brady behind so that he can be killed by Michael. She tries the first option and runs with Jamie after Brady's death.
• Screaming Woman: Rachel screams usually when Michael is around and hurting someone, such as her shout when she pleads for Brady to leave with her, and during her own death in the following film.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After rescuing Jamie from Michael at the schoolhouse, she discourages the mob from trying to attack Michael and tells them they should leave Haddonfield and let the state police deal with Michael instead.
• Self-Deprecation: When Lindsey asserts her as being desperate, Rachel noticeably doesn't deny this characterization of her attempts to woo Brady.
• Shower Scene: Rachel has a scene at the start of 5, to illustrate how vulnerable to, and unsuspecting of, Michael she is.
• Sibling Rivalry: Averted. Likely due to the large age gap, Rachel and Jamie never compete with each other and instead get along well for the most part. Rachel never displays a belief that her parents treat Jamie better and seems fine sharing them as parents with her foster sister.
• Sibling Team: Jamie and Rachel are this throughout 4 with Rachel being the one that comes up with ways of getting away from Michael and Jamie following her orders.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: With Jamie. Rachel is calm, assertive, and authoritative while Jamie is shy, fearful, and indecisive.
• Single-Target Sexuality: Rachel only shows romantic interest in Brady in the fourth film, and is never shown pining for a man after his death.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: The reason for her attraction to Brady, a belief that he will be committed to her.
• Slashers Prefer Blondes: Subverted in the fourth film, but played straight in 5 as she's Michael's first victim upon his return to Haddonfield.
• Sole Survivor:
  • Rachel and Jamie are the only two to survive being in the Meeker house when Michael starts killing people.
  • Rachel, Jamie, and Sheriff Meeker are the only named Haddonfield residents who survive 4.
• Sour Supporter: Although she is mostly supportive of Jamie, it can irritate Rachel quite a bit when her duties as a foster sister conflict with her romantic life.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Rachel looks very much like a younger version of her mother.
• Stunned Silence: Rachel stands wordless with her father, Loomis, and Meeker after Jamie stabs her mother.
• Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Final Girl of the fourth film, killed off with ease in the fifth.
• Supporting Leader: Although a main character of the fourth film, Rachel's role is secondary to Jamie, who is the main protagonist as she's the most plot important character due to Michael coming to Haddonfield to get to her.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Her death comes off as this. Given that Michael enters her home sometime before she starts showering that morning, Rachel is defenseless and seems convinced he's not there since Michael usually only appears at night. When he sneaks up on her, she is taken by surprise and it is after he was able to hide from the officers that she had to inspect her house.
• Sweet Tooth: When Jamie initially turns down going out for Halloween, Rachel suggests they go to Dairy Queen and smiles when Jamie asks if they can get double scoops.
• Take the Wheel: Rachel does this after her driver is murdered by Michael, and has to push his corpse out of the vehicle to effectively command the vehicle.
• Take Up My Sword: After her death in the fifth film, Tina Williams looks after Jamie in her place.
• Tears of Remorse: She begins to shed some after becoming separated from Jamie in the Meeker house, out of fear that Michael got to her and that she failed to protect her. Rachel promptly drops them when they reunite.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Has this with Brady. The pair have to work together in the Meeker house despite being on bad terms due to his cheating.
• Tempting Fate: By 5, Rachel knows that Michael is silent and likes to sneak up on people. Yet she goes into her home, a place where Michael knows she lives, alone with a dog that realistically cannot protect her from him and at one point seems annoyed by Loomis calling her to check on her status.
• Together in Death: This seems to have been the case with Max. Considering that her corpse and Max's were found by Jamie in the attic together, Michael presumably killed the dog shortly after murdering Rachel and moved their bodies together to his old home.
• Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Rachel is a very good natured and selfless person who would do anything to protect her adopted sister and is easily one of the kindest characters in the series. Michael ruthlessly murders her likely to stop her from protecting Jamie again. Halloween 5 director Dominque Othenin-Girard stated in an interview that he thought Rachel's death would be seen as unfair because of how nice of a person she was.
• Tough Love: Rachel is so startled by having become separated from Jamie that when they reunite she holds her tightly and sternly tells her to never do this again.
• Tranquil Fury: Displays this toward Kelly when she confronts her over having a relationship with Brady. She doesn't yell but calmly pushes back on her lie that she didn't know about their relationship and pours coffee on her shirt before meekly walking away.
• Trauma Conga Line: Halloween 4 is this for her. Almost a year after Jamie has been adopted into her family, Rachel finds out Jamie's uncle is out to kill her. Michael kills Brady in front of her, after the latter tried to get her to leave with him. Then, after it looks like Michael has been killed, she finds out that Jamie has stabbed her mother.
• True Blue Femininity: Rachel wears a blue nightgown at the start of 4, and blue pants throughout the rest of the film.
• True Companions: While she may have her issues babysitting Jamie, Rachel will always be there for her in her times of need.
• Undignified Death: Rachel dies from a stabbing to the shoulder by Michael that is preceded by her begging for him not to strike her. Even worse, the original intention was for Rachel to have scissors pushed down her throat, and this was only changed after Ellie Cornell objected to it.
• The Unfavorite: Although Rachel's parents don't seem to like her less than Jamie, because of the latter losing her parents, Rachel's parents do place a certain emphasis on comforting her and will make Rachel watch her at the expense of the latter's plans.
• Uniqueness Decay: In 4, Rachel is one of the few people to treat Jamie's well-being with great concern and is the only non-adult who is shown to constantly care for her. Come 5, however, and this role has been assumed by Tina and Billy as well.
• Unlikely Hero: A normal teenage girl who's family adopts her old babysitter's kid, after the latter's premature death, ends up risking her life repeatedly just to keep her away from her murderous uncle who had long since become a legend in their hometown.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: While she and Brady broke up by the time she realized he was cheating with Kelly, they were on better terms as the night wore on and thanks to Michael killing Brady, if they would have gotten back together will remain unknown.
• Upbringing Makes the Hero: It is clear her parents are the reason Rachel is as noble and caring of Jamie as she is. Between their rushing to Jamie's aid after they hear her screaming, and Rachel's father telling her that Jamie needs all the love they "can give her right now", her concern is inherited.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Seems to be this with Lindsay, who is able to call her out for being desperate without Rachel protesting.
• Was Too Hard on Him: Quickly realizes how mean what she said about babysitting Jamie was.
• Weak, but Skilled: Like Michael's other opponents, Rachel has no superhuman powers but is able to get the jump on him through her intellect and improvisation.
• Weirdness Magnet: By the end of 4, Rachel has protected her foster sister from her murderous and seemingly supernaturally-powered uncle, and partnered with his erratic psychiatrist, the sheriff and father of her romantic rival, and several beer-bellied townsfolk looking for revenge.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Rachel's father calls her out for speaking irritably about having to babysit Jamie after the latter confirms that she heard her.
• What You Are in the Dark: When Rachel is separated from Jamie, and alone with Brady, the latter tries to get her to leave the house with him on the assumption that Jamie has been killed by Michael. If the two left, Michael most certainly would have killed Jamie and no one would blame Rachel for fleeing for her own safety. However, Rachel refuses to leave without Jamie and is soon reunited with her.
• When She Smiles: Throughout 4, most of the time Rachel only smiles when she is trying to cheer Jamie up, and many times she carries a neutral expression in light of the film's events. Her face glows with relief when she finds Jamie unharmed after the two are separated in the Meeker house.
• White Shirt of Death: Wears a long-sleeved white shirt when she is killed.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: The opening of 5 can be seen as this for Rachel. Her mother has seemingly recovered full from the stabbing attempt a possessed Jamie made on her, Jamie is seemingly recovering from her trauma, and her friend Tina has also become close to Jamie. Too bad things will only get worse from here.
• You Are Not Alone: Rachel is a living reminder for Jamie that she is not alone despite losing her parents prematurely and having no friends at school.
• Your Makeup Is Running: Has this at the start of 5 and Jamie has to point to her eye for her to correct it.