How to Watch All of the 'Halloween' Movies in Order
John Carpenter’s original score for his 1978 smash hit movie, the first Halloween, will always be a classic.
From one little gory slasher film to a major franchise with 13 installments, Halloween certainly has achieved what few other scary movies could even dream of. Halloween is like the Marvel of the horror genre.
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The events of Halloween through the most recent film will (apparently) end in October 2022 when Halloween Ends is released. And audiences will hopefully finally get to know who will win in the epic, decade-spanning battle between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis).
Watching the Halloween movies in chronological order is fairly simple. Even though many of the films include big flashback scenes (except for the 2007 and 2009 remakes), the release order pretty much follows the chronological order of events.
Many of the subsequent movies adapt or ignore certain other installments, however. In fact, the recent trilogy ignored all the other movies and worked directly as a sequel to the original film.
Keep scrolling for our guide to watching the Halloween franchise:
‘Halloween’ (1978)
After all these years, the original Halloween movie is still a classic. It takes place in Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween night, as a deranged serial killer named Michael Myers escapes from prison and stalks babysitters. His psychiatric doctor in prison, Dr. Sam Loomis, played by Donald Pleasence, spends the movie trying to find him, believing he will kill again.
Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Laurie Strode, an innocent but tough teenager whose night of babysitting is violently upended by Michael Myers, or ‘The Shape’ as he’s officially credited in the movie.
Director John Carpenter said that Curtis’ audition was memorable. In an interview with Nerdist, the director said, “She was perfect and brilliant. She was that character.”
‘Halloween II’ (1981)
After the success of the first film, Compass International Pictures quickly greenlit Halloween II, also written and directed by Carpenter.
The story line picks up where the first movie left off: Michael is on the loose after narrowly escaping Dr. Loomis. Laurie is taken to a nearby hospital and doesn’t have to wait long before Michael comes looking for her again.
What everyone always remembers from Halloween II is the big plot twist — spoiler alert! — that Michael and Laurie are actually brother and sister.
‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’ (1982)
Lots of lists leave out Halloween III: Season of the Witch because it doesn’t include Michael Myers.
Producers hoped that they could treat the Halloween title like an anthology, with separate and distinct stories linked only by the holiday. Season of the Witch was meant to be the first of many of these isolated movies, though it ended up being the only one.
Starring Tom Atkins and Stacey Nelkin, Halloween III is a little less slasher-y and a little more witchy, with science-fiction elements as well. While it wasn’t necessarily received well at the time of its release, Halloween fans have embraced the movie over the years, and it’s now considered a cult classic.
‘Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers’ (1988)
The next movie saw the return of everyone’s favorite villain.
Halloween 4 was released in 1988 and focused on Laurie’s daughter, Jamie Lloyd, played by Danielle Harris. After the Freaky Friday actress opted out of returning, producers explained her absence by saying Laurie died.
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Halloween 4 includes some great moments, including Donald Pleasence diving away from an exploding truck.
‘Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers’ (1989)
The next movie in the franchise was released just one year later. In it, Jamie is so traumatized by her encounter with Michael in the previous film that she’s institutionalized after attacking her foster mother.
Sadly, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers holds the unfortunate title of being the worst-performing Halloween movie at the box office. It was also met with largely negative reviews, with critics and moviegoers alike describing the movie as unoriginal and boring.
‘Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers’ (1995)
In the next film, producers attempted to right the course of the franchise, taking their time between movie installments.
The film stars a young Paul Rudd as Tommy Doyle, the kid that Laurie Strode was babysitting all those years ago when we first met Michael. The movie is all over the place, with some of Michael’s evil genius explained with an ancient Druid curse.
The movie wasn’t exactly received well, and it effectively ended this installment of the Halloween films.
‘Halloween H20: 20 Years Later’ (1998)
Fast forward to 1998, when Curtis decided she wanted to revive her iconic character.
To make that work, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later basically ignores the three movies that came before it. In this version of reality, Laurie Strode faked her own death and moved to California, where Michael is on a violent rampage following her.
The movie also stars Josh Hartnett and Michelle Williams, fresh off her Dawson’s Creek debut.
‘Halloween: Resurrection’ (2002)
Critics and movie audiences alike agreed that this movie was a low point for the franchise. Featuring Busta Rhymes dressing up as Michael Myers to scare competitors in an online reality tv show, the movie represented a tonal shift for the franchise.
‘Halloween’ (2007)
With a story this iconic, a remake is bound to happen eventually.
The 2007 Halloween remake is also somewhat of an origin story for Michael as viewers get way more details on how he became the killer fans all know and love.
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The movie stars Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis and Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie and was directed by Rob Zombie. This version also includes the classic brother/sister plot twist.
‘Halloween II’ (2009)
Unlike the original sequel, the 2009 remake moves forward in time — two years to be exact.
A traumatized Laurie is trying to put the pieces of her life back together while Michael yet again hunts her down and kills a few people on the way.
In general, the Zombie remakes were met with mixed reviews, though both performed well at the box office.
‘Halloween’ (2018)
The 2018 Halloween is not a reboot. It’s actually a direct sequel from the original film, ignoring all other pieces of canon, including the original Halloween II.
Director David Gordon Green cast Andi Matichak as Allyson Nelson, Laurie’s granddaughter, and Judy Greer as Karen Nelson, Laurie’s daughter. Curtis returned as a hardened, revenge-seeking version of Laurie, and movie audiences totally flipped for it.
‘Halloween Kills’ (2021)
Halloween Kills, the sequel, mirrors some of Halloween II‘s tricks.
The movie takes place immediately after the previous film and includes Laurie in a hospital and Michael wreaking havoc on Haddonfield. You know, as he does best.
As far as reception goes, the fast-moving plot worked for some critics, while others said it was just another slasher movie.
‘Halloween Ends’ (2022)
The next installment in the Halloween franchise was released in October 2022.
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In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Virus actress reflected on finally parting ways with Laurie Strode. She described her last day on set as “emotional,” saying, “I said a farewell to a group of people that I’ve made three movies with. I’ve said farewell to a woman who I’ve inhabited for 44 years.”
