Every Halloween movie, ranked from worst to best

When John Carpenter and Debra Hill created Halloween successful 1978, they could ne'er person anticipated that their low-budget independent scary movie would go 1 of nan astir long-lived movie franchises successful Hollywood. As a matter of fact, if had been up to them, Michael Myers would ne'er person been seen again aft tumbling retired of nan second-story model of his puerility location and vanishing into nan night.

However, executive shaper Moustapha Akkad, who put up nan film’s humble $300,000 budget, wasn’t astir to time off money connected nan table, and he and his boy Malek person kept nan bid live via sequels, remakes, and reboots for complete 40 years, pinch and without Carpenter and Hill’s blessing. Halloween has become, for illustration its villainous Shape, virtually unkillable and difficult to define. Its timeline is messy and its value varies wildly betwixt entries, but it nevertheless remains nan golden modular successful slasher franchises.

Editor’s note: There are crippled spoilers for each Halloween movie below. 

13. Halloween II (2009)

The Weinstein Company

In immoderate ways, we person a batch much respect for Rob Zombie’s Halloween II than we do for immoderate of nan films higher up connected this list. Where galore of nan Halloween sequels are simply products crushed retired arsenic quickly and cheaply arsenic possible, Halloween II is, astatine least, a activity of imaginative vision. The polarizing head of The Devil’s Rejects, House of 1000 Corpses, and nan 2006 Halloween remake was fixed wide imaginative state to return nan communicative of serial slayer Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) and his estranged sister, Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) successful immoderate guidance he chose.

And boy, does he make immoderate choices. Zombie’s Halloween II is arsenic bleak and miserable arsenic scary films get, packed pinch loathsome characters (including a full assassination of Malcolm MacDowell’s much humanized Dr. Samuel Loomis from nan erstwhile film) and nan franchise’s astir exploitative sexualized violence. Even nan compelling and affectional capacity of Brad Dourif arsenic Sheriff Brackett can’t shingle america retired of nan infuriating acquisition of watching this film.

Sincere moments for illustration nan grief-stricken Brackett’s on-screen implosion are wholly undercut by baffling, self-indulgent nonsense. (The little said astir nan shade of Deborah Myers, nan better, and did we really request to watch that full psychobilly revue?) It’s a punishing experience, and while we admit that this was nan filmmaker’s intent, that doesn’t mean we dislike it immoderate less.

12. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

Dimension Films

John Carpenter has ever based on that nan much nan assemblage learns astir Michael Myers, nan little absorbing he is. There’s a logic nan characteristic is credited arsenic “The Shape” successful nan original film, alternatively than by his fixed name. In Carpenter’s reckoning, Michael Myers isn’t a man, he’s nan embodiment of evil. He doesn’t request to person a motive aliases overmuch of a backstory beyond inexplicably murdering his older sister astatine nan property of six. Some of nan sequels situation this conception of nan character, providing conscionable capable texture to deepen nan enigma astir him without making him excessively specific.

And past there’s The Curse of Michael Myers, nan sixth movie successful nan franchise and nan conclusion of nan “Thorn Trilogy,” which rationalizes nan Shape’s history successful nan goofiest, astir nonsensical measurement possible. Here, we study that Michael Myers has been a pawn of nan Cult of Thorn, who magically turned him into a mindless, indestructible slayer erstwhile he was conscionable a boy. Now, nan cult is looking to walk Michael’s curse onto a caller child, nan young boy of assemblage student Kara Strode (Marianne Hagen), which they tin only execute via nan ritualistic sacrifice of Michael’s past remaining family, his babe grand-nephew who is besides his son, probably.

Don’t interest yourself pinch whether aliases not immoderate of that makes consciousness — somehow, being hardly comprehensible is nan slightest of this movie’s problems. Behind nan scenes, The Curse of Michael Myers was an absolute mess, resulting successful two radically different cuts of nan movie being produced. The original version, which has since been released arsenic “The Unrated Producer’s Cut,” has nan much coherent communicative of nan 2 for what that’s worth, but has nan slightest royal unit of immoderate of nan Halloween sequels.

The theatrical version, which was nan consequence of dense reshoots ordered by workplace Miramax, adds immoderate gnarly kills but besides a new, moreover dumber ending. Both cuts characteristic an uncharacteristically atrocious capacity from America’s sweetheart, Paul Rudd, arsenic Tommy Doyle, a bequest characteristic group up arsenic 1 of nan franchise’s caller leads. There would, however, beryllium nary further sequels successful this continuity, arsenic nan Halloween timeline would person a difficult reboot pinch H20, 3 years later.

11. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Dimension Films

What is it astir scary movies from nan move of nan millennium that made them consciousness dated nan infinitesimal they were released? Halloween: Resurrection is simply a clip capsule of nan taste frenzy astir that crazy caller point called nan Internet. In this film, nan unit of an online reality show drops a group of frisky assemblage students into nan abandoned Myers House, each wearing a camera and microphone. Unbeknownst to anyone progressive successful nan show, Michael has been shacked up location since nan erstwhile movie and starts picking disconnected nan contestants 1 by 1 during a unrecorded webcast. It’s not nan worst premise for a standalone slasher movie, but its shabby execution would person damned it to full obscurity if not for its position successful nan Halloween franchise. Now, alternatively of being forgotten, it gets to beryllium infamous.

Even if nan hr that followed had been excellent, it would person been difficult for fans of nan franchise to forgive Resurrection’s first 15 minutes, during which beloved heroine Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is killed by Michael Myers connected nan tile of nan intelligence installation wherever she’s been committed.

The truth that nan remainder of nan movie has thing to do pinch her aliases her decease whatsoever is astir apt a blessing successful hindsight, but you tin ideate really shocking and disappointing it must person been for viewers astatine nan time, who were alternatively treated to a generic teen slasher movie successful which Busta Rhymes defeats nan Shape utilizing kung fu. Halloween: Resurrection has a fewer specified “so bad it’s good” moments, but for nan astir part, it’s intolerable to salary attraction to.

10. Halloween Kills (2021)

Blumhouse

If Halloween was a TV show (and soon, it mightiness be), past Halloween Kills mightiness make a decent section of it. Picking up instantly wherever head David Gordon Green’s erstwhile Halloween movie near off, Kills takes a look astatine nan effect that Michael Myers’ sidesplitting sprees successful 1978 and 2018 person connected nan municipality of Haddonfield, Illinois. Its citizens, led by a grown-up Tommy Doyle (now played by Anthony Michael Hall), descend into a mob of fearfulness and rage, lashing retired wildly and apparently making Michael much powerful.

Again, this by itself mightiness activity arsenic a section successful a larger whole, but arsenic each of this is going on, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her girl Karen (Judy Greer), and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) are still successful nan movie, still ostensibly nan lead characters, but doing not overmuch of anything. Halloween Kills doesn’t consciousness for illustration nan 2nd portion successful a trilogy truthful overmuch arsenic nan 2nd enactment of a movie, a mediate pinch nary opening aliases ending. Kills feels each nan much perfunctory fixed that its sequel, Halloween Ends, doesn’t really travel up connected it successful immoderate meaningful way.

What Kills does person going for it is, well, kills. This sequel features nan highest assemblage count successful nan franchise, pinch Michael Myers murdering 25 people, astir of them connected screen. David Gordon Green and his squad successfully group up and salary disconnected a number of suspenseful scenarios pinch bloody endings, and if that’s what you’ve travel to see, you won’t beryllium disappointed.

But wherever Kills stumbles astir is successful its effort to make a connection astir nan contagious quality of fearfulness and hatred. It’s not that nan sentiment rings false, it’s simply belabored to an eye-rolling extent. Since nan movie has nary existent characteristic communicative aliases overmuch of a plot, this taxable is each nan assemblage is fixed to deliberation about, and there’s not capable constituent present to make it work. Halloween Ends, connected nan different hand? Well, we’ll get to it.

9. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

Trancas International

What tin you opportunity astir a movie this insignificant? The mediate section of nan Thorn Trilogy is astir arsenic middling arsenic it gets. There’s astir arsenic overmuch present to for illustration arsenic location is to dislike, and thing worthy loving aliases hating. Halloween 5 throws distant nan premise group up by nan ending of Halloween 4 — that saccharine small Jamie Lloyd had abruptly turned into a cold-blooded slayer — but still gives kid character Danielle Harris immoderate absorbing things to do arsenic a intelligence diligent struck speechless by nan trauma of her breakdown.

Her likable foster sister Rachel (Ellie Cornell) is quickly formed aside, but her abrupt decease successful nan first enactment is simply a amazingly effective twist, moreover if her communicative replacement Tina (Wendy Foxworth) feels for illustration a spot of a cartoon. Those 2 cops who person god-awful taxable music? They’re kinda fun!

Two elements assistance Halloween 5 into nan little mediate of our countdown, nan first of which is Donald Pleasance and his capacity arsenic nan progressively unhinged Dr. Sam Loomis. The only characteristic from nan original Halloween still remaining, Dr. Loomis has been done a lot, and this is nan movie successful which you really spot nan trauma return its toll. For overmuch of nan runtime, it seems unclear whether aliases not Loomis tin beryllium trusted astatine all, aliases if he’s really consenting to sacrifice an guiltless young woman successful bid to trap and termination nan Shape.

The different is, admittedly, a holdover from Halloween 4, its amazingly effective effort to use a benignant of rationale to Michael’s sidesplitting sprees. Could it beryllium that Michael doesn’t dislike his family and is really hopeless to link pinch them, but has nary intends to definitive himself different than done violence? It’s 1 of nan fewer attempts to humanize Michael that’s really interesting. Would we person had him region his disguise and shed a azygous tear earlier attacking Jamie successful nan attic? No, that was stupid. But nan idea is benignant of cool.

8. Halloween II (1981)

Trancas International

To statesman with, Halloween II should not exist. None of these sequels should, not moreover nan bully ones. Carpenter and Hill did not intend nan Shape’s mysterious disappearance astatine nan extremity of nan first Halloween to beryllium a cliffhanger; It’s a spooky ambiguous ending designed to spot nan assemblage pinch a last chill, for illustration a campfire shade story. Nevertheless, nan film’s financiers wanted to capitalize connected nan occurrence of nan first movie and nan activity of slasher films that followed (namely the Friday nan 13th series).

Carpenter reluctantly cranked retired nan book to Halloween II successful a drunken haze, grasping for ways to proceed a communicative that was already finished. Set instantly aft nan extremity of nan first film, Halloween II follows nan Shape’s ongoing rampage done Haddonfield and reveals that Laurie Strode is really Michael Myers’ sister. Carpenter, who ceded directorial duties to Rick Rosenthal, would later denounce nan film arsenic “an abomination.”

So, why does it rank higher than Halloween Kills, a movie that borrows truthful overmuch from Halloween II structurally? Put simply, Halloween II is schlock, and it’s contented to beryllium schlock. It engages successful senseless, imaginative brutality without pretense. It does not request to beryllium taken earnestly and has thing to say, and truthful fundamentally cannot fail. Does Michael Myers rotation done municipality and termination a bunch of group successful improbable ways? He judge does. Next!

7. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Trancas International

Unfortunately, nan effort to relaunch Halloween arsenic an anthology bid pinch Season of nan Witch near audiences confused and financial backers unsatisfied, truthful connected nan 10th day of nan original, Halloween went backmost to basics pinch a sequel to Halloween II that flaunts The Return of Michael Myers, but not of Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter, aliases Debra Hill.

On manus to support nan continuity of nan bid are Donald Pleasance arsenic Dr. Loomis and Danielle Harris arsenic Jamie Lloyd, nan young girl of Laurie Strode, who has died offscreen successful a car accident. After a decade successful lock-up, Michael learns of nan beingness of his niece, returns to Haddonfield, and kills everyone who stands betwixt them. It fundamentally revisits nan premise of nan first film, but alternatively of nan attraction being wholly connected teenage babysitter Rachel (Ellie Cornell), she shares nan spotlight pinch her young foster sister, Jamie.

Halloween 4 is astir memorable for its shocking twist ending, successful which Jamie, aft nan evident decease of her homicidal uncle, dons a comedian costume for illustration nan 1 young Michael wore nan nighttime he killed his sister and past stabs her ain foster mother. We’re not fixed an mentation for this turn, and yet, it feels inevitable from nan infinitesimal Jamie finds nan costume successful nan shop earlier successful nan film.

Danielle Harris is simply a very effective kid actor, and it’s her capacity much than thing that makes nan twist land. The thought of nan bid picking up here, almost arsenic if we were pursuing nan original Myers murders, is an intriguing one, and it’s a shame that nan Akkads felt nan request to bring backmost nan original Shape backmost yet again.

6. Halloween (2006)

Miramax

Riding a activity of deed scary remakes, Halloween sewage a caller commencement successful 2006 pinch cult head Rob Zombie astatine nan helm. Zombie’s Halloween is fundamentally 2 films smashed together: a prequel astir young Michael Myers turning to murder, and a condensed retelling of nan original film. Of nan two, nan prequel is overmuch better, moreover if it reveals acold much astir Michael than John Carpenter ever intended.

Zombie’s type of Michael — played by Daeg Faerch arsenic a 10-year-old and Tyler Mane arsenic an big — is decidedly a quality being, albeit a very troubled 1 whose sociopathic tendencies are exacerbated by a dispute environment. Mocked by his quasi-stepfather and bullied by his classmates, nan only ray successful Michael’s life is his mother (Sheryl Moon Zombie), and his obsession pinch her is nan cardinal to knowing overmuch of his violence. Michael’s counterpart successful nan movie is scientist Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), a man torn betwixt his desire to thief his troubled diligent and his guilt complete profiting disconnected his madness.

Unfortunately, nan move betwixt Michael and Loomis makes Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) benignant of an afterthought. While she wasn’t a terribly well-defined characteristic successful nan original, serving arsenic an assemblage cipher much than anything, this type of Laurie suffers from nan movie simply not being astir her successful immoderate way.

Her relationships pinch her friends and her parents are lukewarm and it’s reasonably scary to spot her imperiled, she’s mostly an hold of Michael, nan long-lost sister pinch whom he wants to reunite. Even successful nan climax of nan film, successful which she plays an progressive hand, it’s still Michael and Loomis’ communicative much than hers. It doesn’t termination nan movie, but it does make her portions of it nan slightest interesting.

5. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

Dimension Films

After nan original Halloween continuity collapsed and burned pinch The Curse of Michael Myers, nan bid received its first partial relaunch pinch H20, a sequel to nan first 2 Halloweens but not nan Thorn Trilogy. Laurie Strode (alive and good and erstwhile again played by Jamie Lee Curtis) is now an administrator astatine a swanky California prep school, wherever her boy John (Oppenheimer‘s Josh Hartnett) is simply a student. Laurie has struggled to build a caller life for herself aft her teen trauma, but her vulnerable bid is shattered erstwhile her relative Michael returns to hunt her and her son.

H20 owes a batch to Scream, nan deconstructionist slasher flick that revitalized nan genre successful 1996. In fact, Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson performed an uncredited pass connected nan book to H20, and his fingerprints are each complete it. H20 is clever, contemporary, and arsenic nosy arsenic it is scary, featuring immoderate of nan franchise’s astir nosy characters.

H20 has a realistic but relatable grown-up Laurie, a caller procreation of doomed rambunctious teens, and LL Cool J arsenic a information defender who dreams of being a novelist. The caller mounting instantly freshens things up and avoids nonstop comparisons to nan remainder of nan franchise, and nan full point ends pinch a satisfying, definitive conclusion to nan series. Of course, nan communicative doesn’t really extremity present — they still brought backmost Michael for Resurrection — but we tin each dress that didn’t happen.

4. Halloween (2018)

Blumhouse

Another decade, different Halloween, this clip pinch David Gordon Green astatine nan helm and Jamie Lee Curtis backmost connected committee arsenic Laurie Strode. Green’s Halloween is simply a sequel to nan first movie and only nan first film, disregarding nan twist of Halloween II and reestablishing nan Shape arsenic an unknowable embodiment of evil.

40 years aft nan babysitter murders, Laurie has ne'er recovered, cloistering herself successful a secluded wall and training herself for nan time nan Shape comes aft her again. Her paranoia has poisoned her narration pinch her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), and granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak), but she’s proven correct erstwhile Michael escapes custody and starts carving a way done Haddonfield. The narration betwixt nan women provides a coagulated affectional halfway for a gruesome and scary scary flick, featuring immoderate sadistic kills arsenic good arsenic a fewer “hell yeah” action beats.

It could beryllium based on that nan 2018 Halloween doesn’t really make consciousness arsenic a sequel only to nan first film. This type of Laurie, who encountered nan Shape only erstwhile and has nary different relation pinch him, is much obsessed and terrified of Michael Myers than nan Laurie from H20, who has been his circumstantial target much than once.

The movie depends connected nan assemblage accepting that, of course, nan Shape harbors a grudge against nan anonymous babysitter who survived his rampage 40 years ago, alternatively than, say, his scientist who changeable him six times, because Jamie Lee Curtis was nan prima of nan original movie and Donald Pleasance has been dormant for 20 years. However, this benignant of nitpicking tin hardly spot distant astatine what is simply a really coagulated scary film, and 1 of nan champion successful its storied franchise.

3. Halloween III: Season of nan Witch (1982)

Universal

Audiences and critics alike were near scratching their heads aft seeing Season of nan Witch, nan first and only movie successful nan Halloween franchise not to characteristic masked slayer Michael Myers. Halloween III was intended to relaunch Halloween arsenic an anthology series, pinch each movie offering a wholly different communicative taking spot astir Halloween night.

Set successful its ain continuity (in which nan movie Halloween exists and plays connected television), Season of nan Witch is simply a paranoid supernatural thriller successful which scummy expert Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) and amateur sleuth Ellie Grimbridge (Stacey Nelkin) analyse a conspiracy involving a mysterious disappearance and a group of celebrated novelty masks. Its bizarre mashup of scary and sci-fi tropes keeps nan assemblage guessing for nan afloat 100 minutes arsenic if anyone could perchance conjecture wherever this communicative was headed. Season of nan Witch is simply a novelty successful nan bid for a number of reasons, but supra all, it’s simply weird, which is 1 of nan champion qualities a scary movie tin possess.

Unfortunately, audiences astatine nan clip disagreed, and nan Halloween anthology research was instantly abandoned successful favour of much Michael Myers movies. This is simply a unspeakable shame, because pinch nan use of hindsight, Halloween III is 1 of nan champion successful nan franchise, and we would emotion to person seen what other John Carpenter and Debra Hill would person brought america arsenic producers and curators of this anthology.

Perhaps if Halloween II hadn’t established nan precedent that Halloween and nan Shape were 1 and nan same, viewers mightiness person been much receptive to nan bid arsenic a different benignant of scary movie perennial, a benignant of theatrical Twilight Zone. Sadly, this was not to be, and we’d each person to hold different 40 years to get another Halloween movie this daring.

2. Halloween Ends (2022)

Universal

The conclusion of David Gordon Green’s Halloween sequel trilogy caught everyone by surprise. The film’s trading was based astir nan committedness of a last confrontation betwixt Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and nan Shape, a capstone connected their 44-year rivalry. This is, indeed, really nan movie ends, but astir of its runtime has very small to do pinch either character.

Instead, it follows nan communicative of Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), a teen who is held responsible for nan accidental decease of a young boy. Corey has go a full outcast who seldom dares to show his look successful Haddonfield, and erstwhile he does, there’s astir ever trouble. Psychologically destroyed by years of being met pinch dislike and disgust, Corey becomes Haddenfield’s caller embodiment of evil, a benignant of protege to Michael Myers, who has been successful hiding since nan events of Halloween Kills. Corey’s romance pinch chap outcast Allyson (Andy Matichak) yet brings nan threat location to Allyson’s grandmother, Laurie.

While fans whitethorn person been initially amazed (or moreover incensed) by really small nan movie has to do pinch nan franchise’s established characters, Halloween Ends is still nan astir absorbing sequel successful nan franchise, pinch Corey Cunningham being easy its astir absorbing character. Halloween Kills sought to analyse nan thought of evil arsenic an infection, but Ends develops that conception done nan lens of a azygous character. Corey becomes a convenient alloy into whom practically everyone successful municipality tin move their rage astir each senseless unspeakable point that’s ever happened to them — a tragic accident, an abusive father, nan babysitter murders — and successful truthful doing toggle shape him into nan very monster they impeach him of being.

At nan aforesaid time, we spot nan measurement nan townspeople person chosen to ostracize Laurie aliases moreover Allyson, who are plainly victims alternatively than villains, simply retired of nan request to rationalize nan unit that occurred astir them. Halloween Ends recaptures what makes nan Shape truthful terrifying and, essentially, makes it shapeless. He’s a slayer who kills for nary reason, who cannot beryllium stopped, who will not spell away, who could hap to anyone, but we don’t want to judge that. There has to beryllium a reason, a existent villain, and it mightiness arsenic good beryllium you. You could go Corey Cunningham tomorrow, and that’s scary arsenic hell.

1. Halloween (1978)

Trancas International Films

Surely, nary 1 reference this expected immoderate different movie to declare nan apical spot connected this list. John Carpenter’s original Halloween is simply a maestro people successful “less is more” filmmaking, a finely tuned watch of a thriller made connected a shoestring budget. It whitethorn not beryllium nan first slasher film, but it’s nan 1 that catalyzed and codified nan genre, nan logic astir consequent slasher movies exist.

Hundreds of filmmakers person tried and grounded to execute what Carpenter and institution accomplished pinch their mini formed and meager budget, which was wisely spent connected nan champion filming instrumentality alternatively than connected buckets of clone blood. Key imaginative decisions for illustration giving nan Shape a stark achromatic disguise truthful that he stands retired successful nan inheritance moreover successful shadows, aliases nan measurement nan camera’s soft movements often nonstop nan audience’s oculus away from wherever nan threat is astir to appear, are only subconsciously noticed but make a world of difference.

Halloween is deliberately thematically vacuous, creating abstraction for nan spectator to capable successful their ain meaning, fears, and dread. This is nan basal constituent that nary of its sequels aliases imitators person been capable to reproduce. Halloween sequels either study nan incorrect instruction from this and neglect to beryllium astir thing (which is chopped from being astir “nothing”), aliases effort to task a circumstantial meaning into that emptiness.

The second can, occasionally, adhd thing caller and absorbing to nan series, but much often than not, nan “nothing” is much effective. As overmuch arsenic we bask immoderate of nan later entries successful nan Halloween series, we wish that nan authorities holders had been consenting to fto little beryllium much and time off nan original Halloween an untarnished classic.

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