13 ‘Halloween’ Movies Ranked, From the 1978 Jamie Lee Curtis Classic to the Worst of the Series
By Julianne MacNeill,
2 days ago
The Halloween franchise has had audiences in a chokehold for 40-plus years, releasing film after film about Michael Myers and his murderous spree, many of which star Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. While each film (with the notable exception of one) reboots his story in different and interesting ways, a few of them clearly hold up better than others.
Check out our definitive ranking of all 13 Halloween films, from worst to best, and see which one we consider the best of the franchise!
Beware the terrifying trailers that follow...
13. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Although this 8 th installment in the Halloween franchise ranks one notch higher on Rotten Tomatoes than its lowest, it is still considered to be the worst of all the films by literally everyone . Coming in at 10%, Halloween: Resurrection fails the franchise miserably. When a group of teenagers decide to camp out in Michael Myers’ childhood home for a webcam reality show, he discovers they’ve taken over his old stomping ground and heads back to Haddonfield for another night of murder.
Jamie Lee Curtis makes a brief reappearance, only to end up being killed early on (a condition from Curtis herself), though it wasn’t enough to get this movie off the ground.
Cozy mysteries are the perfect book choice when you’re looking to get in the Halloween spirit—without experiencing the terrifying scares provided by authors like Stephen King. The light-hearted genre, which typically involves a novice sleuth finding herself at the center of a murder investigation in a small town, is incredibly popular, and in recent years, […]
12. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Considering this sequel to Halloween 4 only scored a 12% on Rotten Tomatoes, you can understand why it ranks only at #12. This film under-delivers the cliffhanger presented in the previous film and offers audiences nothing truly thrilling or frightening. While Michael shows the tiniest shred of humanity in this film when he sheds a tear, it goes against everything you know about the emotionless killer.
11. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Although this film gifted us with Paul Rudd as Tommy Doyle, a young man tied to the Strode’s and Doyle’s from the original, this film isn’t much to watch. The storyline gets a bit confusing and doesn’t do much to add to the legend of Michael Myers. Coming in with the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of 8%, we rank it at #11.
10. Halloween II (2009)
This second entry in the series by Rob Zombie, despite a good story and plot, has even more murder and gore than the first. Michael is much more disturbed in this film, taking his killings to the very extreme. If you’re not so interested in gore and violence, you might want to skip this version of Halloween .
9. Halloween (2007)
This 2007 movie scores a slot just one notch higher than its sequel. Twenty years after he is committed to an institution, Michael Myers breaks out and is set on hunting down his younger sister, Laurie Strode (a fact that doesn’t remain true in all of the films). While not exactly a remake, this film recasts all the main roles, including Laurie, who is portrayed by Scout Taylor-Compton. This set of films from Rob Zombie is more murderous than most, but still follows the basic Halloween rules.
8. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
This third film in the series is the only one not to feature the main villain, Michael Myers. Released in 1982, Halloween III follows a small-town mask maker with a terrible plot to commit a Halloween mass murder through an ancient Celtic ritual, planning to create masks that will kill whoever wears it. Although the movie itself is pretty good, it doesn’t keep with the theme of other Halloween films and disregards the most important member of the cast.
7. Halloween Kills (2021)
This sequel to 2018’s Halloween might be one of the goriest yet. Michael Myers is back in action and holds nothing back. He uses every means of murder weapon available to him, living up to the title of Halloween Kills , as Michael goes on to destroy nearly every person in his path, including Laurie’s daughter, Karen. The townsfolk form a mob, trying to take out Michael once and for all, but they fail, leaving fans wondering what will happen next.
Halloween is almost here, and that means it’s time for ghosts, supernatural creatures and, of course, witches. Perhaps the most famous written work about witches is Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, The Crucible—a fictional account of the famed Salem Witch Trials—but there are plenty more witchy books out there. To help you choose one, we’ve rounded […]
6. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
As a “comatose” Michael is being transferred to yet another hospital, he springs back to life at the mention of his niece, Jamie (yes, the same name as the original movie’s star, Jamie Lee Curtis), who he then sets out to find. Meanwhile, Dr. Loomis keeps on his tail. The movie holds up well despite it having the worst Michael Myers mask of all, but they really need to learn to stop transferring Michael to different locations.
5. Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998)
Jamie Lee Curtis is back as Laurie Strode and fans couldn’t be more thrilled. Set 20 years after Michael’s first killing spree, Halloween H20 is an anniversary film, but disregards the plot of movies 4, 5 and 6. In this chapter, Laurie is living under another name as the headmistress of a private school. As Halloween approaches, she is plagued with the feeling that Michael will find her once again. If you love the first film, check out this 20th anniversary installment.
4. Halloween Ends (2022)
This conclusion to the Halloween film series certainly lived up to expectations: not only did we get to see Michael Myers back in action, but we also saw him induct another member into his twisted little circle. Set four years after the 2021 film Halloween Kills , Laurie tries to live a peaceful life and work on her memoir, while her granddaughter meets a boy that could potentially become the next Michael Myers.
Although Michael hasn’t been seen since the last attack four years earlier, it seems the evil never really dies. This film was the perfect ending to a decades-long tale, as we finally see the destruction of Michael Myers, although in a rather gruesome manner.
3. Halloween (2018)
Halloween fans and critics alike were thrilled when it was announced Jamie Lee Curtis would be returning to the franchise in 2018, along with director John Carpenter, who worked on the original two films. One of the most thrilling moments of the film is the eerily powerful opening scene, when two reporters approach the now 61-year-old Michael Myers in a psychiatric hospital. They hold up his mask, which triggers a response from every patient in the hospital —and if you look closely, you can almost feel Michael twitch a bit at the mask’s presence.
Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role in a very exaggerated light, but fiercely pulls off her stance as Michael’s longtime victim. We are also introduced to Laurie’s family, including her daughter (Judy Greer), son-in-law (Toby Huss) and granddaughter (Andi Matichak).
“He [director David Gordon Green] sent me a script and said Laurie spent 40 years hiding behind barbed wire, emotionally and physically,” Curtis explained of her decision to come back. “At the expense of her daughter and granddaughter, she knows Michael Myers is coming back. It was this incredible film about Laurie and her trauma.”
2. Halloween II (1981)
As a seamless continuation of the 1978 film, Halloween II proudly delivers on the tagline, “More of the Night He Came Home.” Michael Myers is back on his murdering spree, but this time in the local hospital and is sure to use every medical contraption possible to accomplish his goal. It is also revealed that Laurie is Michael’s younger sister, making this movie one of the best in the franchise.
1. Halloween (1978)
And, of course, the Halloween film that reserves the number one slot is the original 1978 film starring then-19-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. The horror classic begins with a 6-year-old Michael Myers on Halloween night in 1963, who brutally murders his older sister. After being locked away for 15 years, Michael finds a way to escape while being transferred for a court date, returning to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois in search of more victims.
P.J. Soles rose to fame in the late '70s, and established herself as a scream queen when horror movies were starting to explode in popularity. Her roles in the genre classics Carrie and Halloween earned her much attention (even if she ended up dying grisly deaths in both of them—such is the nature of being […]
The first film is so uniquely special compared to the rest of the franchise, mostly because of the mystery that surrounds the story of Michael Myers. Nobody watching knows any of his backstory, aside from the first murder that was shown. Plus, this film features Michael executing his plan while showing little to no gore and blood, making it even scarier. Plus, the suspenseful music from John Carpenter envelops audiences, plopping them right in the middle of Haddonfield, Illinois.
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