Every Halloween Movie In Order

Michael Myers pokes his head through the coat closet in Halloween

(Image credit: Compass International Pictures)

It’s that time of year again when the leaves start to change color and drop from the trees, families gather to carve spooky faces pumpkins, and Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield for another killing spree. In other words, it is a great time to watch all of the Halloween movies in order.

Decades ago, the original instant horror movie classic (also one of the best John Carpenter movies) pioneered the modern slasher subgenre and introduced one of the absolute scariest horror movie villains in the silent but deadly Michael Myers. The critical and commercial hit would spawn 12 sequels that are collectively known today as one of the greatest horror movie franchises of all time. Relive all 13 Halloween movies (so far) with our following guide on how to watch them.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle in Halloween — (Image credit: Compass International Pictures)

Halloween (1978)

Director: John Carpenter

Starring: Donald Pleasance, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles

The movie that started it all, Halloween, introduced one of the most iconic horror movie scream queens, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode – a babysitter who is stalked by an escaped mental patient, returning to his hometown 15 years after murdering his sister. Committed to catching Michael Myers before he can harm anyone else is his psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance), who would become a staple of the franchise.

How to watch Halloween

Halloween II (1981)

Director: Rick Rosenthal

Starring: Donald Pleasance, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lance Guest

From a script by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, the writers of the original hit, Halloween II (considered one of the best ‘80s slasher movies for the kills’ increased quantity and brutality) picks up right where its predecessor left off. The traumatized Laurie Strode is taken to a hospital where she discovers that Michael Myers has followed her there and that she shares an unsettling connection with the cold killer.

How to watch Halloween II

A child holding his pumpkin mask in Halloween III: Season of the Witch — (Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982)

Director: Tommy Lee Wallace

Starring: Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin

After two installments centered around Michael Myers, the franchise went in an entirely different direction with Halloween III: Season of the Witch, starring Tom Atkins as a doctor who uncovers a frightening plot involving a popular mask manufacturer. While a critical and commercial failure at the time, the bizarre supernatural story – an ‘80s horror movie that could benefit from a remake – has since been reevaluated by many fans as one of the franchise’s most underrated installments.

How to watch Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Michael Myers white mask in mirror in Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers — (Image credit: Universal)

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)

Director: Dwight H. Little

Starring: Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris

Following the backlash from the third installment, the franchise brought back the killer character who started it all in the aptly titled, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. The first installment of what came to be known as the “Thorn Trilogy” takes place years after Laurie Strode’s offscreen death and sees Michael set his sights on a new target: his orphaned niece, Jamie Lloyd, if not for her cousin, Rachel (Ellie Cornell), and the still committed Dr. Loomis getting in his way.

How to watch Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Danielle Harris as Jamie Lloyd — (Image credit: Magnum Pictures)

Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers (1989)

Director: Dominique Othenin-Girard

Starring: Donald Pleasance, Danielle Harris

Following the shocking conclusion of Halloween 4, the following installment opted to essentially ignore that interesting twist in favor of another cat-and-mouse game between Jamie Lloyd and her uncle. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is the franchise’s first film to hint at the killer’s supernatural origin story with the first appearance of the Man in Black (Don Shanks, who also plays Michael this time) and the reveal of his psychic link with Jamie

How to watch Halloween 5: The Return of Michael Myers

Paul Rudd in Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers — (Image credit: Universal)

Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers (1995)

Director: Joe Chappelle

Starring: Donald Pleasance, Paul Rudd

The “Thorn Trilogy” would conclude with a sequel that is now noted for being the feature film debut of Paul Rudd as an older Tommy Doyle – one of the children Laurie babysat in the original film. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (which has two different cuts) also marks’ Donald Pleasance’s final appearance as Dr. Loomis, who teams up with Tommy to stop Michael’s latest kill streak and the sect that made him a vessel of pure evil in the first place, the Cult of Thorn.

How to watch Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later — (Image credit: Dimension)

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

Director: Steve Miner

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett

To celebrate two decades since the original release of Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis reprised her star-making role in the franchise’s first sequel to shift the timeline, which was also partially written by the creator of the Scream movies, Kevin Williamson. In Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (also Josh Hartnett’s first movie), Laurie Strode has been living under a new identity, has started a family, and is the dean of a private school in California when her old brother, Michael, suddenly comes back for her.

How to watch Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

Michael Myers shows up on a character's personal camera footage in Halloween: Resurrection — (Image credit: Dimension/Miramax)

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Director: Rick Rosenthal

Starring: Busta Rhymes, Tyra Banks

Jamie Lee Curtis returned for what was assumed to be her last appearance as Laurie Strode in the opening scene of one of the lowest-ranked Halloween movies, Halloween: Resurrection. The main story follows an internet reality competition show forcing a group of young participants (including the American Pie movies’ Thomas Ian Nicholas and a young Katee Sackhoff) to spend a night in Michael Myers’ childhood home.

How to watch Halloween: Resurrection

Tyler Mane in Halloween — (Image credit: Dimension)

Halloween (2007)

Director: Rob Zombie

Starring: Tyler Mane, Malcolm McDowell

With the ninth installment, the Halloween franchise would not only reset the timeline once again but reimagine the story of Michael Myers from the beginning and from the mind of one twisted filmmaker. The Rob Zombie movie begins as a prequel, explaining Michael’s origin as a victim of childhood abuse and bullying before he grows into a cold, silent psychopath who escapes from a mental institution to brutally mow through innocents in search of his long-lost baby sister, Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton).

How to watch Halloween (2007)

Halloween II (2009)

Director: Rob Zombie

Starring: Tyler Mane, Scout Taylor-Compton

Despite Rob Zombie’s claims that he had a miserable time working on Halloween, he returned to helm one more tale of Haddonfield lore but with even more extremely subversive takes on the characters of Micahel Myers, Samuel Loomis, and Laurie Strode. Zombie’s Halloween II is set two years after the last installment, during which Loomis is preparing to publish a book based on his studies of the notorious killer, who strives to reunite with Laurie as she struggles with her memories of that tragic All Hallows’ Eve.

How to watch Halloween II (2009)

Halloween (2018)

Director: David Gordon Green

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer

Nearly a decade after the Rob Zombie films, the franchise was revived with a “requel” that ignores every installment after the original Halloween, which was released exactly 40 years prior. The old-fashioned slasher (one of the best horror movies on Netflix) features three generations of Strodes – including Jamie Lee Curtis returning as a traumatized, badass Laurie, Judy Greer as her more optimistic daughter, Karen, and Andi Matichak as her granddaughter, Allyson – who must take on Michael Myers when he escapes and returns to Haddonfield once again.

How to watch Halloween (2018)

Michael Myers stands in front of a housefire in Halloween Kills. — (Image credit: Universal Pictures/Blumhouse Productions)

Halloween Kills (2021)

Director: David Gordon Green

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer

The second installment of David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy picks up immediately after the last film and, like Halloween II, sees Laurie Strode spend most of her time in a hospital. Meanwhile, other legacy characters (including Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace, Charles Cyphers as Leigh Brackett, and Anthony Michael Hall taking over the role of Tommy Doyle) band together to make sure “evil dies tonight,” while many suffer some of Michael Myers’ most brutal killings in the Halloween Kills, which proves to be an apt title.

How to watch Halloween Kills

Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Myers in Halloween Ends. — (Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Halloween Ends (2022)

Director: David Gordon Green

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak

The 13th and final installment of the Halloween franchise (or the finale to David Gordon Green’s trilogy, at least) is the also aptly titled Halloween Ends, in which Laurie and Alyson have learned to let go of their fear of “the Boogeyman” but the same cannot be said about the rest of Haddonfield. The community-wide paranoia only worsens when Alyson begins a relationship with a disgraced young man named Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) and, through him, we witness a new side of Michael Myers and his bloody legacy.

How to watch Halloween Ends

Will Halloween Ends truly be the last we see of Michael Myers after all? Well, John Carpenter believes there is a chance of more as long as the franchise draws money but the next installment might actually be an upcoming horror TV show from Miramax, which could involve Michael or be an anthology horror TV show instead. Until we know for sure what the future of the Halloween franchise holds, enjoy all the movies so far!

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Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.