Updated October 19, 2023 21.2K votes 3.7K voters 69.4K views
As we wait for the new Halloween movie, we're ranking all the movies in the Halloween franchise. Except for Halloween III: Season of the Witch, the Halloween movies feature masked killer Michael Myers hunting down the other characters. What is the best Halloween movie in the series?
Directed by "The Master of Horror" John Carpenter, the first Halloween movie is considered to be one of the first slasher films in the modern horror genre. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, the 1978 horror slasher spawned nine sequels over three decades. Curtis is returning to reprise her role in the new Halloween movie, which is set to premiere in October 2018. Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, who is also directing, will be writing the direct sequel to Halloween II.
In the iconic horror film Halloween, directed by John Carpenter, the tranquil town of Haddonfield, Illinois is thrown into a state of terror. The menace arrives in the form of Michael Myers (Nick Castle), an escaped mental patient with a chilling past. The film's protagonist, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), finds herself in Myers's crosshairs on Halloween night. As she and her friends become targets, Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Myers's psychiatrist, races against time to stop his murderous rampage. Unpredictable yet relentless, Halloween weaves a tale of suspense that won't soon be forgotten.
In Halloween II, the nightmare is far from over. Directed by Rick Rosenthal, this 1981 horror sequel picks up exactly where John Carpenter's original left off. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), having just escaped the murderous clutches of Michael Myers (Dick Warlock), finds herself in Haddonfield Hospital. Unbeknownst to her, Myers has survived and continues his relentless pursuit, turning the hospital into a house of horrors. Meanwhile, Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) uncovers disturbing revelations about Myers's past, adding a chilling new dimension to his monstrous persona. The film ratchets up the tension and gore, reaffirming its place in the annals of horror cinema.
Halloween sees Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) confronting her traumatic past. Four decades after surviving Michael Myers' murderous rampage, Laurie prepares for his inevitable return to Haddonfield. As the masked killer resumes his lethal hunt, Laurie, now a grandmother, is determined to end their long-standing conflict, culminating in a chilling confrontation.
The apparently comatose Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur) is being transferred from one hospital to another, but he wakes up when the ambulance crew talk about his surviving niece, Jamie (Danielle Harris). After slaughtering his attendants, Myers sets out to find his one living relative who is, fortunately, being cared for by a kind and resourceful foster sister named Rachel (Ellie Cornell). Meanwhile, the ever-cautious Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) remains on the killer's path.
In Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is back, now a headmistress of a Northern California private school under an assumed name. She's been living in fear, haunted by memories of her murderous brother, Michael Myers. When Halloween rolls around, she becomes increasingly paranoid that Michael will come for her and her teenage son (Josh Hartnett). The suspense builds as the dreaded day approaches, culminating in a thrilling face-off between Laurie and Michael. This horror-thriller marks the twentieth anniversary of the original Halloween, bringing back Curtis in her iconic role and offering fans a nerve-wracking continuation of this infamous saga.
The nightmare isn't over as unstoppable killer Michael Myers escapes from Laurie Strode's trap to continue his ritual bloodbath. Injured and taken to the hospital, Laurie reunites with Tommy Doyle, the boy she was babysitting on the night Michael began his reign of terror. As Laurie continues to fight through the pain, Tommy leads an angry mob of vigilantes to rise up against Myers and destroy the evil once and for all.
