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Halloween movies in order (and where to watch)

By Meagan Bojarski

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 11: Michael Myers attends Universal Pictures World Premiere Of "Halloween Ends" on October 11, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/WireImage)
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 11: Michael Myers attends Universal Pictures World Premiere Of "Halloween Ends" on October 11, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/WireImage) /
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What better movie to watch during spooky season than the iconic, and appropriately-titled, Halloween movies? There are many different slasher franchises out there, but no horror fan can claim to love slashers if they don’t know where it all started, with John Carpenter in 1978.

The 1978 film begins with a six-year-old Michael Myers killing his older sister on Halloween night. 15 years later, Michael escapes and goes on a killing spree, targeting the teenagers of Haddonfield, particularly those connected with babysitter Laurie Strode. Between Laurie and Michael’s psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis, Michael is stopped—but not forever.

While the movie series is undoubtedly iconic, it can be difficult to know how to watch it. There have been 13 installments over the years, and they have radically different continuities between them. Websites like Bloody Disgusting have even come up with flow charts that break down how each film fits into the series.

Below, we list seven different ways you can enjoy the franchise. Depending on how much time you have and what part of the movie series interests you more.

Watching all Halloween movies takes 21 hours and 6 minutes

There is a lot to love from many different ways of watching the franchise, and the best way to understand the series as a whole is to watch it all. While several entries exist in different timelines or continuities from each other, the series does chronologically follow its release schedule, with all entries except the Rob Zombie remakes taking place relatively sequentially.

Of course, this order is bound to be confusing at points, as there are so many different timelines to follow. However, it gives the viewer a good idea of how the horror genre has developed over the last 50 years.

Halloween movies in order

Though no sequel has had the success of the original, this is the proper order for Michael Myers fanatics (who have more than 20 hours to kill) to follow.

  1. Halloween (1978)
  2. Halloween II (1981)
  3. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
  4. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
  5. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
  6. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
  7. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
  8. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
  9. Halloween (2007)
  10. Halloween II (2009)
  11. Halloween (2018)
  12. Halloween Kills (2021)
  13. Halloween Ends (2022)

This collection has an average score of 5.55 on IMDb.

John Carpenter’s Halloween movies in order

Watching John Carpenter’s collection takes four hours and 42 minutes. When it comes to horror movies, there’s no denying that Carpenter is one of the most iconic names in the business. He took the horror genre by storm, particularly on the films where he had the most creative control. For instance, the original movie saw Carpenter serving as co-writer, director, and composer.

Those who want to experience the franchise as Carpenter envisioned it should watch the first three films as the anthology they were intended to be. The second movie was written as a direct sequel to the first, while the third, Season of the Witch, was set in a world where Michael Myers was fictional.

  1. Halloween (1978)
  2. Halloween II (1981)
  3. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

This collection has an average score of 6.4 on IMDb.

Halloween movies in order: The Loomis timeline

Watching the movies that focus on the Loomis family, takes seven hours and 34 minutes. The first major path of continuity in the franchise includes the first two movies as well as the sequels frequently known as the “Thorn trilogy.” This order puts a particular focus on the dynamic between Michael and Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), exploring the nature of the shape’s evil.

This order is ideal for those who want to see Michael as a force of pure evil. These films depict Michael on a quest to massacre his entire family, with major supernatural elements influencing him.

  1. Halloween (1978)
  2. Halloween II (1981)
  3. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
  4. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
  5. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

This collection has an average score of 5.9 on IMDb.

The Judith Myers timeline: 5 hours and 59 minutes

One of the most important contested facts in the franchise is how Laurie is related to Michael. Per Halloween II, Laurie was actually Michael’s younger sister, Judith Myers, which explains the profound connection between the two.

While the Thorn trilogy killed off Laurie to focus on a new final girl, H20 brought the franchise back to focusing on Laurie and Michael’s relationship. This film and its sequel ignore the events of Halloween III through The Curse of Michael Myers, picking up on the 20th anniversary of the original massacres.

This order is best for those who love seeing the dynamic between the two surviving Myers siblings. H20 is often held up as one of Jaime Lee Curtis’s best performances, though Resurrection ruins much of what made its predecessor so successful.

  1. Halloween (1978)
  2. Halloween II (1981)
  3. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
  4. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

This collection has an average score of 5.98 on IMDb.

The rebooted Halloween franchise: 3 hours and 35 minutes

The early 2000s was full of horror remakes, as directors attempted to recreate the magic of horror classics with better technology. In the case of Halloween, this task was taken on by Rob Zombie. In most ways, the first remake follows the plot of the original, though there is a considerable focus on Michael’s mental illness.

This order is best for Rob Zombie fans and those who prefer horror that they can understand. While Michael originally was a killer without a cause, Zombie gave the villain an identifiable purpose, which changes the nature of the horror.

  1. Halloween (2007)
  2. Halloween II (2009)

This collection has an average score of 5.4 on IMDb.

The Blumhouse Halloween movies: 6 hours and 52 minutes

Blumhouse Productions got the chance to put their own spin on the franchise in 2016, and they decided to deviate from all prior sequels by ignoring Halloween II and its bombshell information about Laurie and Michael’s relationship. Instead, the new trilogy featured a version of Laurie who had spent decades preparing for the day that Michael would return.

This order is best for those who want a more straightforward version of the series. Rather than delving into convoluted relationships and the supernatural, Blumhouse’s sequels focus on the inherent survival story and what living in survival mode for too long can do to a person.

  1. Halloween (1978)
  2. Halloween (2018)
  3. Halloween Kills (2021)
  4. Halloween Ends (2022)

This collection has an average score of 6.2 on IMDb.

The Jamie Lee Curtis Halloween experience: 11 hours and 21 minutes

Although this is not a strict continuity, there are many horror fans who just love Jamie Lee Curtis and what she brought to the Halloween franchise with her performances. Of the 13 installments in the franchise, seven have Curtis as a major figure.

This order is best for those who have seen the series before and want to enjoy the ultimate scream queen at work. While Jamie Lee Curtis has very minimal screen time in Halloween: Resurrection, it does contribute to her overall body of work within the franchise.

  1. Halloween (1978)
  2. Halloween II (1981)
  3. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
  4. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
  5. Halloween (2018)
  6. Halloween Kills (2021)
  7. Halloween Ends (2022)

This collection has an average score of 5.8 on IMDb.

Where to watch all the Halloween movies

According to Forbes‘s Scott Mendelson, the Halloween franchise is horror’s ultimate “choose your own adventure,” which gives fans a lot of options when it comes to watching the classic slasher franchise. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to binge-watch the franchise with just one streaming service.

Because there have been multiple different companies associated with the series, some films are more easily accessible than others. See where each film is streaming, sorted by service, below.

On AMC+ and Shudder:

  • Halloween (1978)
  • Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
  • Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

On Peacock Premium:

  • Halloween II (1981)
  • Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
  • Halloween (2018)

On Paramount+ and Showtime:

  • Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
  • Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
  • Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Available on The Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Freevee with ads:

  • Halloween (2007)
  • Halloween II (2009)

Available on Max:

  • Halloween Kills (2021)

Available on Prime Video:

  • Halloween Ends (2022)

While the Halloween movies are difficult to watch because of its convoluted continuities and its distribution across so many different streaming services, there can be no doubt that it’s worth it. Even the worst films in the series have elements for fans to enjoy, inspiring serious and parody slashers for decades to come.

Next. Did Michael Myers die in Halloween Ends? (Spoilers). dark

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