Halloween Movies Ranked: All 13 Films, Best to Worst
In my Halloween movies ranked list of all 13 films, Halloween (1978), directed by John Carpenter, is the best, with Halloween (2018) second and Halloween: Resurrection last. The list covers 10 main films and 3 spin-offs, and every placement is my opinion, with the reasons given.
Key Takeaways
- Halloween (1978) is the best film in the series and the one to start with, because it builds fear from a Michael Myers who is mostly seen at a distance.
- Halloween (2018) is the best sequel, since it lets Laurie Strode carry 40 years of consequences and ignores every earlier sequel.
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the most misjudged film in the series, and I rank it fourth even though Michael Myers never appears in it.
- The bottom of the list is Halloween: Resurrection, Halloween II (2009) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, and each one fails for a different reason.
Hot Takes
- Callan Brooks, opinion: Halloween III: Season of the Witch belongs above Halloween II (1981), because a horror film with no monster and a real plan beats a competent slasher with no new ideas.
- Callan Brooks, opinion: Halloween H20 is the best of the original run after 1978, and its 86 minutes are a large part of the reason.
- Callan Brooks, opinion: Halloween Ends is the most interesting failure in the series, and I would still watch it again before sitting through Halloween: Resurrection.
Opinion, by Callan Brooks.
- 1
Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter's 1978 film makes a silent figure watching Laurie Strode feel more dangerous than any chase in the sequels. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence give it two human anchors, and the score does half the work on a $325,000 budget. In my opinion it is still the one film every viewer should see first.
- 2
Halloween (2018)
David Gordon Green ignores every sequel and asks what 40 years would do to Laurie Strode, who now lives in a fortified house and has lost her daughter's trust. The podcasters who provoke Michael Myers at Smith's Grove make a sharp opening, and John Carpenter returned to score it. It earned more than $259 million worldwide on a $10 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, and in my view it is the best sequel.
- 3
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Steve Miner's 86 minute film is the leanest of the original run, and Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie Strode as Keri Tate, a headmistress at Hillcrest Academy who has been hiding for two decades. The emptied campus after the school trip is a good location for Michael Myers to come back to. It is dated in its late 1990s teen casting, but I think it is the strongest of the original run after 1978.
- 4
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Tommy Lee Wallace's film has no Michael Myers, and audiences rejected it, taking about $14 million in the US on a $4.6 million budget. Its plot follows Dr. Daniel Challis, played by Tom Atkins, and Ellie Grimbridge to the Silver Shamrock factory in Santa Mira, where Dan O'Herlihy's Conal Cochran is waiting. In my opinion it is the most original idea in the series, and it has aged better than most of its sequels.
- 5
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Dwight H. Little's film brings back Michael Myers after the break and gives the story a new young lead in Danielle Harris as Jamie Lloyd. The ambulance opening and Donald Pleasence's urgent Dr. Loomis give it a good first half. It took about $17.8 million in the US on a $5 million budget, and it loses force once the town hunt takes over.
- 6
Halloween II (1981)
Rick Rosenthal's sequel picks up on the same night and moves the story into Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, which gives Michael Myers long corridors to stalk. Curtis and Pleasence return, and the use of Mr. Sandman is memorable. In my view it is competent and atmospheric but follows the first film's pattern with fewer ideas.
- 7
Halloween Kills
David Gordon Green's middle chapter gathers survivors of 1978, including Tommy Doyle played by Anthony Michael Hall, into a mob determined to end Michael Myers. The idea of a town turning on itself is interesting, but it leaves Laurie Strode in a hospital bed for much of the film. It grossed about $133 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and I think it is the busiest and least focused of the trilogy.
- 8
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Dominique Othenin-Girard's film starts with Michael Myers surviving the mine shaft and ties him to a mute Jamie Lloyd through a mental link. The mix of slapstick and menace is awkward, and the film made about $11.6 million in the US on a $5 million budget. Danielle Harris is still the reason to watch, and in my opinion she is better than the script.
- 9
Halloween (2007)
Rob Zombie spends the first half of his 110 minute film on young Michael Myers and his home life, then runs a version of the 1978 plot. Malcolm McDowell gives Dr. Loomis a showman's energy, and the film grossed about $80 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. In my view the origin story explains the Shape too much, and that costs it the menace of the original.
- 10
Halloween Ends
David Gordon Green builds the final chapter around Corey Cunningham, played by Rohan Campbell, and the town that treats him as an outcast. It is the most ambitious of the trilogy, and a Halloween film that spends so long away from Michael Myers is a gamble. The budget was $30 million, according to Box Office Mojo, and it grossed about $104 million worldwide, and in my opinion the gamble does not pay off.
- 11
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Joe Chappelle's film ties Michael Myers to a cult and puts Paul Rudd's Tommy Doyle at the center of the story. It was Donald Pleasence's last film as Dr. Loomis, and it earned about $15.8 million worldwide on a $5 million budget, according to The Numbers. In my view the cult explanation is the series at its most over-explained, and the film struggles to make it frightening.
- 12
Halloween II (2009)
Rob Zombie's second film follows Laurie Strode through trauma and hallucinations, and Scout Taylor-Compton gives the role a raw edge. It is a bleak 105 minutes that grossed about $39 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, against about $80 million for the 2007 film. I admire the commitment, but in my opinion it is the hardest film in the series to enjoy.
- 13
Halloween: Resurrection
Rick Rosenthal's 2002 film puts college students into Michael Myers' childhood home for an internet reality show, with Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks in the cast. It earned about $37.7 million worldwide on a $13 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, well below H20's $75 million. In my view the camera gimmick and the stunt casting turn the Shape into a prop, and that is why it sits last.
Halloween Movies Ranked: How I Ordered All 13 Films
Halloween movies ranked best to worst comes down to one question: does the film make Michael Myers frightening, and does it care about the people he is chasing? I judged each of the 13 films on how it builds fear, how it treats Laurie Strode, Dr. Loomis and the town of Haddonfield, and what it does with the money it was given. This is a ranking of opinion, so where I say a film is better, I mean that in my view, and the reasons sit next to each placement in the list.
Which Halloween Michael Myers Movie Is the Best?
The best Halloween Michael Myers movie is Halloween 1978, directed by John Carpenter, with Halloween 2018 a clear second. Carpenter shot his film in 20 days, according to Fox News, on a $325,000 budget, according to Box Office Mojo, and it earned about $70 million worldwide, according to The Numbers. Nothing since has matched how little it needs: a silent figure seen across a street, a babysitting night and a score that does half the work. If you are new to the series, start there, and then use our Halloween movies in order guide to decide where to go next.
How Do You Rank Films That Do Not Share a Timeline?
You rank them by what each one achieves on its own terms, because the series does not share one story. There are several timelines: the original run from 1978, the standalone Halloween 3 Season of the Witch, Halloween H20 and Resurrection, Rob Zombie's remakes, and the 2018 to 2022 trilogy that follows the 1978 film directly. Our Halloween timelines explained page lays out the connections. Here, a sequel does not get extra credit for continuity, and a remake does not lose marks for being different.
Halloween Movies Ranked by Scariness
On scariness alone my order is close to the overall list, with the 1978 film first and the 2018 film second. The 1978 film frightens because Michael Myers is a presence at the edge of the frame while Laurie Strode goes through an ordinary day, and the 2018 film borrows that patience and adds a woman who has spent decades preparing for him. Halloween H20 is the shortest and leanest of the rest. In my opinion, the weakest scares come from films that explain the Shape, because every explanation removes a little menace.
Halloween Movies Ranked by Kill Count
I do not rank by kill count, because a tally measures how busy a film is and says very little about whether it works. Several of the busiest entries, such as Halloween Kills, sit in the middle of my list because bodies are not the same as tension. Violence in these films ranges from implied to graphic, and I describe it plainly and no more than the placement needs. If you want a count, you will have to keep your own, and I suspect the totals would not match the order below.
What Separates the Top Four From the Rest?
The top four are the films with a clear idea about what they are for. The 1978 original is about stalking, the 2018 film is about trauma, H20 is about a woman deciding to stop hiding, and Season of the Witch is about a corporate plot built around a mask. The middle of the list, which runs from Halloween 4 to Halloween Ends, holds films with one or two strong sequences and a shaky whole. The bottom three are films where the idea itself, whether a cult, a reality show or relentless misery, works against the series.
Why Do the Remakes Land Where They Do?
Rob Zombie's two films land low because they change what makes Michael Myers work. Halloween 2007 Rob Zombie gives the Shape a long childhood story and then runs a version of the original plot, and Halloween 2 2009 moves into a bleak, hallucinatory register. The 2007 film was the more successful of the two, grossing about $80 million worldwide against about $39 million for the sequel, according to Box Office Mojo. I give Zombie credit for committing to a vision, but in my view it is a vision that suits a different monster.
Does Box Office Decide the Order?
Box office informed my thinking but did not set the order. Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends both out-earned the 2007 film worldwide, yet I place the 2007 film above Ends. For every grossing figure, see the Halloween box office page, and for the full film list see how many Halloween movies there are.
Where Does the Next Film Fit?
There is no dated next film to rank yet. TheWrap reported in 2023 that Miramax won the Halloween TV rights and plans a series with Trancas, and no studio has announced a title or date for a new film. Our new Halloween movie page tracks what is confirmed, and this ranking will be revisited when a film is released.
If you disagree with my order, the Halloween cast and Halloween characters movie pages are a good place to work out which performances and roles decide it for you.
FAQs
Which Halloween Michael Myers movie is the best?
In my opinion the best is Halloween (1978), directed by John Carpenter. It built the Michael Myers menace on a budget of $325,000, according to Box Office Mojo, and a 20 day shoot, according to Fox News, and no sequel has been scarier. Halloween (2018) is my pick for the best sequel.
Which Halloween Michael Myers movie is the worst?
I rank Halloween: Resurrection (2002), directed by Rick Rosenthal, last. Its internet reality show setup puts a group of students in Michael's childhood home, and in my view the idea never gives the series a story or a scare to match it. Halloween II (2009) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers sit just above it.
Which Halloween Michael Myers movie is the scariest?
For me it is Halloween (1978), because Michael Myers watches Laurie Strode from a distance and the film trusts the audience to be afraid of what it cannot yet see. Halloween (2018) is second, and Halloween H20 is third. Scariness is subjective, and other fans will put a different film first.
Do I need to watch the Halloween movies in order?
No, because the series splits into several timelines. You can watch Halloween (1978) and then Halloween (2018), the first film of the Blumhouse trilogy, as a direct sequel pair, or follow the original run. Our Halloween movies in order guide explains each route.
Is Halloween III: Season of the Witch worth watching?
Yes, in my opinion it is. It has no Michael Myers, and instead follows Dr. Daniel Challis, played by Tom Atkins, as he investigates the Silver Shamrock mask factory in Santa Mira. It grossed about $14 million in the US on a $4.6 million budget, according to The Numbers and Box Office Mojo, and I rank it fourth overall.
Are the Halloween movies ranked by kill count?
No. I rank on fear, characters and ideas, because a high body count does not make a film frightening. Halloween Kills is a busy film and still lands in the middle of my list.