No question about it: Michael Myers is my favorite Halloween movie villain. The minute that ominous theme song starts to play, my heartbeat picks up speed and I have a sudden urge to shut the blinds and bolt the doors lest Michael himself should be waiting outside my house with a butcher’s knife in hand. There’s just something about that theme song that sets me on edge, but my favorite thing about the 11-part horror series is that it makes absolutely no sense.
Don’t get me wrong: I love the Halloween series. I’m still wary whenever I see a clothesline hung with multiple white bed sheets or catch myself strolling down a suspiciously quiet suburban sidewalk on a crisp fall afternoon. But each Halloween movie is rife with continuity errors (Is Laurie Michael’s sister or not? Is he a zombie or is he just indestructible?), making the watch order a little confusing – there are five different timelines! Still, it’s the fact that I never truly know everything about Michael’s past or future that gives me the chills. Yep, just like Friday the 13th (1980) and Scream (1996), Halloween (1978) and most of its sequels are the perfect horror films for watching with a group of friends as you shout at the TV warning the goofy sidekick not to open the closet or go down into the basement alone.
I’ve made it a point to squeeze in at least a few classic Halloween thrillers every October, especially if they’ve never made it onto my watch list in the past. But it can be difficult to sift through the truly chilling drop-your-popcorn-on-the-floor movies and the ones that just aren’t worth the spooky spirit. So, as a huge fan of the Halloween series, I’ve gone through and ranked each film from worst to best. I won’t sit here and tell you that these are good movies – in fact, most of them are downright cheesy – but they definitely satisfy that need for spooky October entertainment, and they make every day leading up to the holiday feel a little more like Halloween.
In total, the series takes 17 hours and eight minutes to complete. So if you happen to have some spare time before Halloween night, check out where to watch all of the Michael Myers Halloween movies (and which ones are most worth seeing if you’re short on time), ahead.
Related: 20 Perfectly Spooky New Halloween Movies and TV Shows Streaming This Year
Everett Collection / Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Why to Watch: The first time I saw this film, I thought I’d misread the title because it doesn’t feel like other movies in the Halloween series. At the start of the film, Michael returns – ignoring the fact that Laurie chops his head off in H20 – and Laurie is stabbed and thrown off the roof of a psychiatric hospital, so it’s not exactly a fan favorite. Still, the movie has a pretty cool cast – including Tyra Banks, Busta Rhymes, and Thomas Ian Nicholas – and tells the story of college students who have agreed to spend a night in Michael’s childhood home as part of a reality show that promises to bring them fame. It’s not the most suspense-filled movie in the series, but just like The Revenge of Michael Myers, it’s worth a good laugh, at least.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Vudu
Everett Collection / Dimension Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Why to Watch: I love a good Paul Rudd movie, and this one is no different. The Curse of Michael Myers was Rudd’s feature-film debut, where he starred as Tommy Doyle – yep, the kid Laurie was babysitting in the first film – all grown up. The film takes place after Laurie is impregnated by an evil cult and gives birth to a baby boy. Michael kills Laurie soon after, and Tommy takes care of her son while also trying to solve “the Curse of the Thorn” – only relevant in this film – which is the source of Michael’s power and rage. Needless to say, the plot line is super confusing, especially compared to the previous films.
Where to Watch: Vudu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play
Everett Collection / Galaxy International/courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Why to Watch: Yes, there’s more. Halloween 5 follows Michael as he goes after Laurie’s daughter Jamie, who does not speak but has premonitions of Michael coming for her that send her into fits of terror. But the movie throws us off Michael’s character when he removes his mask to reveal his face to his niece before he attempts to murder her. Not only does Michael remove his mask, but he also shows emotion for the first time by crying in front of Jamie, which feels deeply out of character. Despite the dark storyline, the film is actually pretty funny as far as horror movies go, and definitely leaves a lot of room for making jokes with friends about Michael’s logic – or lack thereof.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Vudu, iTunes
Everett Collection / Dimension Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween (2007)
Why to Watch: After five years with no Halloween-related sequels, Rob Zombie decided to reboot the first film, adding his own gory touch to the original storyline. Zombie’s film gives some more background on Michael and has scenes that shed light on his murderous nature. While it does take away from the mystery of Michael that makes him such an ominous character to begin with, this is still a good movie to keep on your horror-movie watch list if you have the time.
Where to Watch: Google Play, YouTube, Amazon Prime
Everett Collection / Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween II (2009)
Why to Watch: The sequel to Rob Zombie’s reboot of the horror series, Halloween II imagines what the original Halloween II would have been like if Laurie had been dreaming about running away from Michael in the hospital all along. The movie takes place years after the first Halloween film and takes a deep look into Laurie’s (Scout Taylor-Compton) descent into madness and how that parallels her brother Michael’s own madness.
Where to Watch: Vudu, Amazon Prime, Sling
Everett Collection / Galaxy International/courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Why to Watch: After disappointing dedicated Halloween fans with no glimpse of Michael in the third film, Halloween 4 brings back The Shape, aka Michael, for another killing spree. This is the first in a series of sequels – including Halloween II, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers – that delves into Michael’s mysterious past and starts to dig into why he turned into the terrifying serial killer we all know him as. It’s a good sequel and definitely includes some ridiculously cheesy horror moments that are almost laughable.
Where to Watch: Vudu, Amazon Prime, iTunes
Everett Collection / Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Why to Watch: Personally, I was thrown off the first time I saw Season of the Witch because it has nothing to do with Michael. The stand-alone film is the only movie in this divergence from the Halloween series – it tells the story of a warlock who attempts to use the powers of Stonehenge to kill children with his collection of novelty toy masks. While the film doesn’t fit in at all with the Michael storyline, it is reminiscent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and is actually a pretty decent sci-fi thriller all on its own.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu
Everett Collection / Dimension Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Why to Watch: H20: 20 Years Later is the seventh film in the Halloween series and follows the sequence of events laid out after Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981). The film stars Michelle Williams, LL Cool J, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and tells the story of what happens after Michael starts killing off Laurie’s son Jamie’s friends one by one. This movie is famous in the series as “the one where Laurie chops Michael’s head off.” But considering that there are 11 films total, we all know that doesn’t really stop the 6’2″ serial killer from coming back.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube
Everett Collection / Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
Halloween II (1981)
Why to Watch: The storyline in Halloween II is slower than that of the original film, but the murder scenes definitely include more blood and gore. Directed by Rick Rosenthal, it’s the most faithful sequel to the John Carpenter original and adds a fun twist to the series: Laurie Strode is actually Michael’s sister!
Where to Watch: YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu
Everett Collection / Photo Credit: Ryan Green/Univers
Halloween (2018)
Why to Watch: Released exactly 40 years after the original film, Halloween diverges into its own timeline, erasing the idea that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is Michael’s sister and pitting the two back against each other decades after their initial encounter. What Michael doesn’t know is that Laurie has spent the last 40 years preparing herself for the very moment he returns – this includes a secret underground bunker and hidden weapons throughout her house. The film is packed with callbacks to the original, and updated graphics that make it feel like a refresh on an old favorite.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play
Compass International Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection
Halloween (1978)
Why to Watch: When it comes to any series, it’s difficult to beat the original, and the Halloween films are no exception. Halloween helped kick-start the horror genre as we know it today, even before classics like Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street were released. The movie is simple and lays out Michael’s backstory without giving too much away, leaving a certain air of mystery about him that keeps us coming back for more. He shows no emotion, yet we constantly fear his arrival thanks to thoughtful editing and an eerie score. As he’s portrayed in Halloween, Michael isn’t just a serial killer but an unexplainable presence that can’t be defeated.
Where to Watch: Amazon, Vudu, iTunes
At the end of the day, all of the movies in the Halloween series are worth a watch at least once. Some are scary, others are gory, and some are just plain funny – but there’s a little bit of something for everyone in this series, and it’s definitely worth a watch for me every Halloween.
