Definitive Ranking Of 'Halloween' Franchise Movies

TV & Film

Jul 3

John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise is one of the longest-running and most confusing horror franchises ever. The only other horror franchise more complicated than this one is Friday the 13th. For this ranking, I will be focusing only on the 11 films in the actual franchise, which means I will not include Rob Zombie’s films.

Warning: This list contains spoilers!

11. Halloween Ends (2022)

Halloween Ends picture — Image Source: *Variety*

Halloween Ends broke my heart. I was so excited to see the “final showdown” between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, but we never got that film. What we were given instead was a film that humiliated the timeless boogie man and turned Laurie Strode into a weak grandma. The film also destroyed the amazing character of Allyson that we watched develop during Halloween Kills. I highly recommend that any fan of the franchise avoid this film.

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

The Curse Of Michael Myers photo — Image Source: Bloody Disgusting

This film is a mess and one that I wish I could wipe from my brain. The film follows Michael and his cult as they try to track down his niece and her unborn child. There is so much going on in this film that makes no sense that even a young Paul Rudd couldn’t save it.

9. Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch (1982)

Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch photo — Image Source: *Collider*

This film is one of the most interesting on this list. Originally, John Carpenter said that he would only create one Halloween film, but after the 1978 film’s massive success, the studio begged for a sequel and then a third film. Carpenter made the sequel and then agreed to make another film, but only if he could turn the Halloween franchise into an anthology where each year, he would release a new horror movie focused on the holiday. Halloween 3 was his attempt to start the anthology, but fans were not impressed, so he walked away from the franchise altogether. I have tried twice to watch this movie, and I have yet to finish it. I have heard a lot of people on HorrorTok raving about this movie, but I just can’t get into it.

8. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

This movie is an absolute blast, but I’m pretty sure almost everyone that has seen it has hated it. I watch this movie every year because I really enjoy how campy it is, but it is not a serious entry into the franchise. The film follows a group of young adults who have agreed to be featured on a reality show where they have to spend one night in the old Myers house. I highly recommend that everyone watch this movie at least once!

7. Halloween II (1981)

As I mentioned in number nine on this list, John Carpenter did not want to make this movie, and it shows. I still think that this is a solid entry into the franchise, but it does not hold up to the rest of the films in the franchise. This is also one of the films that throws people off because both Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis are killed off at the end of the film, which is part of the reason why this franchise is so difficult for newer fans to figure out how to watch.

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

Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers photo — Image Source: IMDB

This is probably one of the most polarizing films on this list. Most fans seem to hate this movie because although it is set only one year after the events of Halloween 4, so much has changed. It is another example of how inconsistent the canon of this franchise is. I love Jamie Lloyd’s storyline within the franchise, so this movie will always be high on my list.

5. Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later (1998)

I love this movie, especially the cameo made by Jamie Lee Curtis’ mom Janet Leigh who is one of the OG scream queens! This creates another branch off within the canon of the franchise as it sees Laurie Strode alive and well working as the dean of a private high school in California. She has a son who knows very little about his mother’s past, so when Michael tracks her down, all of her secrets come out. This film has some great chase scenes, and the ending will have your jaw on the floor!

4. Halloween (2018)

This is the best horror reboot of all time. Blumhouse’s film brought so much to the original canon of the franchise and gave us such an amazing and unique version of a final girl. In every other horror franchise, the final girl is carrying on with her life, and at most, she is having a few nightmares. This film brought all of the trauma and fear that Laurie endured to the forefront of the story and showed audiences the ugly side of our obsession with true crime.

3. Halloween Kills (2021)

This movie got so much hate when it first came out, but it is easily one of my favorite entries into the franchise. The film brought back characters from the 1978 film and gave us a look at how they are coping with moving forward. I also liked that Laurie was in the hospital for the majority of the film, which paid homage to the 1981 sequel. This is the scariest film in the franchise because it brings in the horrors of society rather than relying fully on the villain to bring the scare. This movie had my favorite ending of any horror movie to date, and I won’t ruin it because I fully believe that this is an ending that needs to be seen in the context of the film.

2. Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)

This film brought us our first branch in the timeline of the franchise, and it introduced us to Danielle Harris’ Jamie Lloyd. Jamie is the daughter of Laurie Strode, and we learn early on that Laurie and her husband have died, and Jamie is living with a foster family. Donald Pleasence also returns as Dr. Loomis, which connects this film to the first two. The ending of this film is so good, and like the ending of Halloween, Kills needs to be seen in the context of the film. I wish that Halloween 5 would have followed through with this movie’s ending because it would have made this storyline so much better!

1. Halloween (1978)

Nothing will ever beat the original Halloween. This film was originally meant to work as a demo of John Carpenter’s skills that he could send out to help him secure more jobs. He worked as a writer, director, producer, and composer on the film because he wanted to show the industry what he was capable of. I think we can safely say that his plan was a success!

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