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Ranking Halloween Films

The Halloween franchise consists of eleven movies so far and it’s a very weirdly put together series which can be split into other series within it as most of the sequels do not mash well with other sequels. I personally at least found interesting or appreciated what they were trying to do with many of these films, but in all seriousness most of them are quite weak. Some, though, are so strong and even the weaker movies are so entertaining nonetheless. So here is my ranking of all Halloween movies released so far.

13. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

Easily the worst movie of the franchise is this ridiculous entry where the filmmakers for some reason thought that explaining Michael Myers and giving him a backstory was a great idea. It was a terrible idea of course as it stripped him of any mystery and thus I find this one to be the most unnecessary entry as well.

12. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

Not only are the characters in this movie so disposable, but Dr. Loomis himself is hilariously bad thanks to one truly atrocious performance from Donald Pleasence who was great before, but here he chewed scenery like crazy. The kills are also very uninspired leading to what is in my opinion the second worst entry in the franchise.

11. Halloween: Resurrection

Halloween: Resurrection had potential in its reality TV show premise, but ultimately that was reduced to mostly just a gimmick and nothing more than that. The kills are beyond uninspired and I have to say that this is one of the silliest, stupidest flicks in the franchise as some of its scenes are too jokey and campy.

10. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

This one admittedly is quite entertaining in a couple of fun and solid sequences. I also found the traditional, more old-fashioned approach working in its favor. At least at first though as the movie succumbed to just the rehash of the original territory near the end with nothing new to offer whatsoever to set it apart.

9. Halloween II (2009)

This one’s a mess. It’s the messiest, weirdest movie in the franchise and I found its white horse metaphor particularly intriguing while also being way too on-the-nose. The movie actually isn’t bad as it’s something entirely different and I respected that, but ultimately the end result is more middling than truly good.

8. Halloween II (1981)

It lacked any subtlety whatsoever, Michael Myers doesn’t look great here and the blood and gore abounds in this otherwise serviceable first sequel to the original which features a couple of genuinely well executed horror sequences and the smooth plot transition was admirable. Laurie was wasted here though.

7. Halloween Kills

Although I do realize why the critics don’t care for Halloween Kills as this 2021 sequel to the 2018 reboot is unimportant in the bigger scope of things and at times quite silly, the extremely high body count and creative kills made for a hugely entertaining slasher. The mob element was also a fresh new take on the franchise and the characters were above average for the genre.

6. Halloween (2007)

I really liked this Rob Zombie remake, I have to admit. Yes, the second half rehashes the original in a very subpar, uninventive manner, but the first half was so good with the origin story of Michael Myers as a kid being very grounded in reality and ultimately quite effective. The theme of animal cruelty I also really appreciated.

5. Halloween Ends

The movie that capped off the newest Halloween trilogy, Halloween Ends is one of the most underrated films in this franchise that is messy and slow in its first half, but wildly entertaining and unique in its second one. The new character’s arc was intriguing and the fantastical elements were fascinating in a film that is consistently fun and exciting too.

4. Halloween III: Season of the Witch

This one is a wild ride. Season of the Witch cannot really be considered a Halloween entry as it doesn’t revolve around Michael, Laurie or any other famous characters. It’s a batshit crazy movie that is an entirely new take on the franchise with its sci-fi angle being very interesting and a lot of fun.

3. Halloween (2018)

I really liked this newest Halloween film, even if I did not love it because of excessive gore and a lack of good build-up. But, there is no denying that they succeeded at directly following the original with Laurie herself being superbly utilized here. Some horror scenes here are instantly memorable whereas the final confrontation was smartly imagined.

2. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

The most underrated movie in the entire franchise is easily H20 which is probably my favorite entry when it comes to pure entertainment factor alone. It has its problems, but it’s ultimately very dramatic and sophisticated in its first half with a great build-up, and it’s terrific and so much fun in well executed chases in the second half. The ending is also superb.

1. Halloween (1978)

And of course the original remains the best one and the clichéd choice is the right choice this time around. Certainly the supporting characters are disposable and the sex angle is problematic, but the original is the only truly menacing and atmospheric entry in the series with Michael being very mysterious and unforgettable here. I loved the long build-up, Dr. Loomis is great and the ending features many iconic moments throughout.