Drinker's Face-Off: Halloween III Atkins Vs. Night of the Creeps Atkins

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

The majority ruled with the opinion of the winner of our last Face-Off which had a couple of robotic-themed horrors battling it out. In the end, the bots of Chopping Mall rolled over the BB buds in Deadly Friend. This does indeed compute.

We’ve got a fun theme workin with today’s Face-Off because it is centered around a god among genre fans, myself included. On the heels of St. Patrick’s Day, I hope many of your are still keeping the booze-infuse flowin! And if you’re a bit hungover, hopefully this read will be the cure! Okay, the gist of this joust goes a little something like this: drinking is the game! And the star of this Face-Off has played a hard drinker in a couple of our favorite flicks. Hence, we are taking two of those characters and throwing them in the ring! So pour yourself a bit of the hair-of-the-dog and throw back a toast to the man, the legend, Mr. Tom Atkins! And we will run through his two classic characters from Halloween III: Season of the Witch and Night of the Creeps!

Ladies’ Man

Let’s just say that Dr. Challis knows how to operate! He meets young hottie, Ellie, and literally charms the pants off of her after, like, a day! And there is a big time age difference here. But that is no match for the smoothness that Atkins exudes as the good doctor! I think even that robot version of Ellie tried to grab his package!

Sadly, Detective Cameron didn’t have much luck with the ladies. Some guys’ sweethearts break up with them, and some get hacked up by a nutcase with an axe. Both happened to poor Det. Cameron and it seriously f-ed up his life. At least he killed the nutcase, but even that comes back to haunt him! No wonder the dude drinks!

Tough Guy

At first, Challis seems to be a doctor and not a fighter (unless it’s with his ex-wife). He’s out to initially investigate a murder and not start any shit. However, when Ellie gets taken by the evil Conal Cochran and his robotic minions, Challis steps up his game and kicks some robot ass! It ain’t easy taking down the kind of establishment Cochran put together.

Thrill me! Okay, there’s no one tougher than Detective Cameron. Even as a young cop, he took the freakin law into his own hands and offed that psycho with the axe. He handles everything, whether interacting with fellow officers or taking down hordes of zombified creeps, with a thick slice of macho, confident swagger. How do ya like that, Spanky?!

Wingman

Dr. Challis is definitely the selfless type. He seems eager to help out a person in trouble. That is what doctors do anyways, but he takes it to a new level while helping Ellie find out why her father was killed. Hence, you’d want a guy like that in your corner. He’s also able to think clearly under pressure and get the job done. And if something stupid shows up on the TV in a bar, he has no trouble requesting to “Turn it off!”

Even though he is a bit sarcastic, Det. Cameron still would make an outstanding wingman. He’s cool under pressure and doesn’t mind pouring a glass for a friend. He also is willing to help out a kid in need no matter how outlandish or dire the circumstances. Hell, he is even willing to lay down his life to ensure that Spanky gets the girl.

Funny Man

Humor isn’t exactly a strong suit for Dr. Challis. Everything happening around him is so nuts, he has to act the part of the straight man to keep the balance. I will say that when he delivers Conal Cochran his final comeuppance, it does come with a pretty hilarious dose of irony.

Okay, Det. Cameron is the funniest thing about Night of the Creeps. He makes you laugh during nearly every scene he’s in. His sarcastic sense of humor pops with every wonderful one-liner he delivers. No matter how dark things get, he is always able to smile and stop to smell the roses.

Tolerance

I’m sure Dr. Challis can put away a fair share of non-medicinal spirits. He has no trouble frequenting bars, especially ones that show commercials for the original Halloween returning to theaters. And if he gets called in to work at the hospital, no big deal. He’ll just find a dark, empty room with a bed and score himself a power nap.

I actually think that alcohol may be Det. Cameron’s special fuel for functioning at a higher level. He’s super focused, tough, and witty while on the sauce. He can illegally obtain flame throwers through intimidation, take down a zombified axe murderer, blow up a whole horde of creepy crawly alien brain slugs. And, as I said before, he still takes time to stop and smell the roses. (If anyone reading this still gets chills every time the camera lingers on that single rose at the end of Creeps right after the house blows up, comment below).

Det. Cameron (Night of the Creeps)

It’s Miller Time! Yes indeed, Detective Cameron earned his Miller in this one! He is the better hard-drinking Tom Atkins character and I have a feeling that many are going to agree. Cameron has become an icon in the genre of horror and rightfully so. Everything about him just kicks ass (just like Night of the Creeps). I don’t mean to take anything away from Dr. Challis, and Halloween III has risen up a bit in the hearts of horror fans as of late, but I bet even Mr. Atkins himself would crown Cameron king! Who would you pick? I’ve gotta know your thoughts, so grab your 12-gauge and blast them bullets below! And feel free to send any future Face-Off ideas to me at [email protected]