Curtis's film debut occurred in the 1978 horror film "Halloween", in which she played the role of Laurie Strode. The film was a major success and was considered the highest-grossing independent film of its time, earning accolades as a classic horror film. Curtis was subsequently cast in several horror films, garnering her the title "scream queen". She would return to the "Halloween" franchise five times, playing Strode again in the sequels "Halloween II" (1981), ' (1998), ' (2002), and "Halloween" (2018), and having an uncredited voice role in "" (1982).