Happy HALLOWEEN! Ranking All 13 Films In The Iconic Horror Franchise, From Carpenter’s Classic To ENDS
“I met this six-year-old child, with this empty, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes… the eyes of the devil.”
Today is All Hallows’ Eve, and to mark the occasion, we’re taking a look back at one of the most popular and iconic horror franchises of all time.
While we’re sure Michael Myers will return at some point (there’s been talk of a small screen reboot), that of 2022 End of Halloween was marketed as the conclusion to the long-running film series. So, to celebrate this spooky season, we’re ranking all 13 entries from worst to best.
However Halloween 2018 (wisely?) ignored everything except Carpenter’s classic, there were actually some bright spots among the various sequels, reboots, and reimaginings over the years – including one episode that didn’t even feature “The Boogeyman.”
Let’s start with the worst of the worst.
Halloween: Resurrection
Quite a few of the films on this list have at least some redeeming qualities, but it’s hard to think of any positives when it comes to the eighth installment in the series. Halloween franchise, Resurrection.
Even putting aside how poorly directed, written, and acted it is, the film kills off Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) within the first few minutes (at Curtis’ request), then hilariously attempts to bring Myers into the modern era by making his childhood home the setting for a live internet horror show.
The fact that Busta Rhymes kicked Michael Myers in the head is the most memorable thing about this nonsense says it all.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Considered a guilty pleasure by some fans, Halloween 6 is far too complicated and inconsistent to earn a higher spot on this list. A Producer’s Cut of the film was released in 2014, but it did little to make sense of the plot, which introduces an ancient Celtic curse as the driving force behind Myers’ incessant rampages.
Notable only for Donald Pleasence’s final turn as Dr. Loomis before his death during production and for the very young Paul Rudd as Tommy Doyle, The Curse of Michael Myers it’s not even bloody or violent enough to satisfy gorehounds.
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Honestly, there wasn’t much between that and Cursebut at least Halloween 5 made sense to bring back Danielle Harris as Jamie – even though they make her mute for most of the runtime.
The Revenge of Michael Myers is just a crazy movie…and not in a good way. From slapstick cops with comical music to a crazed Loomis and a mysterious Man in Black breaking Myers out of jail, it manages to undo everything good about the vastly underrated film. Halloween 4.
Oh yeah, and at one point Michael Myers, aka The Shape, aka evil on two legs, cries.
H2: Halloween II (2009)
For many, Rob Zombie’s second Halloween The film was a vast improvement over the first, but while there are some kernels of interesting ideas splashed through the bloodshed, it fails for several reasons.
The filmmaker ups the gore quota and at least attempts to delve deeper into the fractured psyches of Michael and his sister, Laurie, but the heavy-handed dialogue and rather silly images bog down the film to the point that it becomes little more than a brutally violent slog.
Zombie also cynically commits the character assassination of Samuel Loomis, who was portrayed as a much more altruistic and heroic figure in the previous film.
Halloween (2007)
Rob Zombie probably shouldn’t have come near Halloweenbut he did it, and the results were… nowhere near as bad as they could have been.
Granted, the monumental and ill-advised decision to give Michael Myers a full story with Zombie’s trademark depravity and woefully unsubtle scumbag characters plays out about as tediously as you’d imagine, but once little Mikey is grown up and Laurie Strode (a very impressive Taylor Scout Compton) is introduced, it becomes a fairly effective – if completely unnecessary – remake with several memorable slasher scares and brutal kills.
Halloween kills
Halloween kills has proven to be very controversial, and it’s easy to see why. Although the film features some downright twisted kills and strong performances from Curtis, Greer, and Matichak, it ends up having more in common with the now-defunct sequels on this list than the iconic original.
Kill has its moments and manages to showcase the brutality of Michael Myers before his inevitable final confrontation with Laurie Strode in Endsbut the subplot involving Tommy Doyle, Lindsey Wallace and their support group trying to track down their Boogeyman is laughably poorly handled (“evil dies tonight!”).
It is not the disaster that some describe, but Kill must be considered a disappointing episode after the promise of David Gordon Green’s first film.
End of Halloween
Some of you will no doubt be shocked to see End of Halloween ranked so high, but despite the many missteps that David Gordon Green and his fellow writers make with this final chapter of the revival trilogy, the fact that they at least attempted to subvert expectations and try something a little different goes a long way – even if the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
The decision to sideline Myers and focus on a new killer, Corey Cunningham, led many people to write off the film before giving it a real chance, but the idea works to an extent – although mileage varies on the suggestion that Myers supernaturally influences Corey to commit murder.
Overall, a more interesting film than many give it credit for. If you’ve only seen it once, try it again this Halloween – you might be surprised how much you don’t hate it after a second viewing.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
How the Halloween a film without Michael Myers so highly ranked? Well, because it’s still a very good little horror film.
Season of the Witch was initially envisioned as a reimagining of the franchise in anthology form, but fan outcry forced the studio to bring Myers back for the fourth installment. Because of this, SOTW is often overlooked, but there’s a lot to love about this very strange and often disturbing story of killer masks, ancient Celtic festivals and… robots? Yes, robots.
If you’ve never seen it, give it a try.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
The Shape returned for the fourth Halloween movie, which is probably a little better than you remember.
Although it never comes close to Carpenter’s original – or its sequel, for that matter – DRUM still has some real tense moments, thanks in large part to a terrific debut performance from young Danielle Harris as Michael’s niece Jamie.
Additionally, the ending still remains among the most shocking in the entire franchise.
Halloween II (1981)
The continuation of the first Halloween wasn’t directed by John Carpenter (and it shows), but the horror maestro produced and co-wrote the screenplay, so it at least bears his fingerprints to some extent.
Picking up directly where the original left off, we follow Myers on a killing spree through the hospital where Laurie is being treated, with Loomis hot on his trail.
It’s a solid slasher with a lot more gore than its relatively restrained predecessor, but first-time director Rick Rosenthal doesn’t quite capture the atmosphere or fear that comes so easily to Carpenter, and you’ll likely feel a sense of déjà vu before the credits roll.
Halloween: H2O
The highly underrated seventh entry in the series brought back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and was meant to serve as the final nail in Michael Myers’ coffin until his miserable Resurrection.
David Gordon Green and Danny McBride may never admit it, but they were clearly inspired by the postulate of H2O for their rebirth, even if the execution of the story plays out (a little) differently.
The film is far from perfect (there’s the usual irritating cannon fodder and Myers’ mask is ridiculously gruesome), but overall it’s a terrific entry in the franchise, and worth watching for Laurie’s final stand against her murderous brother alone.
Halloween (2018)
Since follow-ups are generally considered poor, it can be easy to forget how good Green’s first post is. Halloween the film really is.
There are problems (Dr. Sartain’s twist is silly and much of the humor falls flat), but overall, Halloween 2018 comes closest to replicating the atmosphere of the original while also serving as a satisfying continuation (that really should have been a conclusion) to Laurie Strode and Michael Myers’ twisted tale.
Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent, and she’s backed by a strong supporting cast that includes the always watchable Judy Greer and newcomer Andi Matichak as Laurie’s granddaughter.
Tense, bloody, funny, even moving at times, it’s hard to imagine fans of the franchise being disappointed.
Halloween (1978)
As awesome as Halloween 2018 that is to say, he was never going to touch the original!
What can we say about John Carpenter’s pending masterclass that hasn’t already been said? The 1978 film may have dated a bit in some respects, but it still retains its power to unsettle, disturb and even sometimes terrify.
There is an atmosphere of terror that permeates Halloween this has arguably yet to be matched by any modern horror film, with Carpenter’s iconic score doing the heavy lifting.
Treat yourself: dim the lights, stick the Halloween pumpkin on the mantelpiece and revisit a true classic this weekend.
