In 1978,John CarpenterreleasedHalloween, a relatively simple yet influential horror movie that transpires as a deranged sadist, who was detained as a six-year-old when he murdered his own sister, breaks free from his incarceration and embarks on a horrific killing spree in the Illinois town of Haddonfield. Not only did this taut and tense masterpiece inspire an extensive film series, it also pioneered (or, at least popularized) the concept of slasher movie entertainment.
To stay focused on theHalloweensaga itself, though, the series spans across 13 entries, which include everything from follow-up films, misguided reboots, supernatural spin-offs, and even legacy sequels that saw theHalloweentitle soar back to prominence in recent years.It’s a wild ride that veers dramatically in qualityfrom one of the greatest movies of all time to historically bad stinkers not even worth your time as a Halloween trick. But at its bestandits worst, there’s still no denying the power this franchise — and its murderous leading man inhis $2William Shatnermask— has held over the horror genre for decades.
13’Halloween: Resurrection' (2002)
Directed by Rick Rosenthal
Should humanity ever stumble upon the secrets of time travel, our first order of business—before altering any global conflicts or heinous tragedies—is returning to the $300,000-budgeted set of the originalHalloweento tell John Carpenter that the butterfly effect of his mounting masterpiece will beBusta Rhymeschallenging Michael Myers to a kung-fu fight. There isn’t much more to be said aboutHalloween: Resurrection, which ends up beinga poor rip-off of the 1978 originalfollowing Myers as he returns to Haddonfield to brutally murder six teenagers camping out in his childhood home for a thrill-seeking reality TV program.
It is not even a film for horror enthusiasts who enjoy the macabre fun of cheering on the slasher.It’s sparkling premise should offer frenzied fun aplenty, but instead it all falls rather flat(a bit like Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) at the start of the film when Michael throws her from a roof). There is a peculiar irony in a movie calledResurrectionbeing such a lifeless endeavor, but then it would be a morbid world indeed if we could not forgive horror franchises their unwatchable entries.
Halloween: Resurrection
12’Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myers' (1989)
Directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard
One glance at the quality of the mask Michael Myers wears inHalloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myersought to be enough for horror fans and novices alike to realize that the fifth entry of the saga will not be among its best. While many would argue that the ensuringHalloween: The Curse of Michael Myerswas a lesser film, it did at least have the gonzo gimmick to make it interesting in its flaws.The Revenge of Michael Myers, however, sees the heavy-legged Michael stuck in his slow and sinister stroll as he tries tohunt down and kill his niece(again).
In the sense of the larger franchise,it is the story’s somber spiral into areas of uninspired monotony, where stock-standard slasher fare is all there is to be seen. What few intriguing elements the film does conjure–the mysterious Man In Black, the growing psychic link between Jamie and Michael—only serve to confuse the audience. At the end of the day,The Revenge of Michael Myersdoes at least offer proof that you can’t end on a good cliffhanger after you’ve already driven off the cliff.
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
11’Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers' (1995)
Directed by Joe Chappelle
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myersis the film that introduced the world toPaul Rudd. If the purpose of this list was to sing the praises of everyHalloweenmovie, then this entry would end there (though the mask may get an honorable mention). The sixth movie in the saga, it carries itself as the filmic equivalent of not knowing what to do with your hands when speaking in public. It’s awkward, aimless, a little cringe-worthy, and overly energetic given how lost it is.
It reeks of a misunderstanding of the franchise’s root greatness, presenting a backstory that details howMichael Myers is the pawn of a Druid cultcursed with immortality and a supernatural need to kill on Halloween night. The worst element of the film is that itdoesn’t even manage to explore its absurdity with any sense of allure, instead ranging from the painfully boring to the deeply unpleasant. It is also deeply un-Pleasance, as, tragically, this would be the actor’s final film performance, and as committed as he is, not even he can elevate the film beyond its damning pitfalls.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
10’Halloween II' (2009)
Directed by Rob Zombie
The key to recognizing thestomach-churning appeal ofRob Zombie’sHalloween IIis to rid yourself of the idea you’re watching aHalloweenmovie (call it a multiverse situation, if you have to). Freed from the constraints of “remaking”Halloween, Zombie poured triple the dose of his own vision into this sequel, a film that doesn’t pretend for a second it wants to portray Michael Myers as an enigmatic figure. It wants to crack the character wide open—literally shredding pieces of his mask, exposing much of the man underneath—focusing specifically on the disturbing relationship between him and his long-lost sister, Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton).
Zombie is also freed from any sense of keeping his kills hidden from view, with thisthe most savage and animalistic portrayal of Michael Myers ever put to screen. If nothing else, it sees Zombie completely committed to his visual horror tastes, lingering a tad too long on the characters' vile conversations which are barely connected to the plot, as well as the graphic gore on display. It makesHalloween IIoddly magnetic, almost entrancing and disarmingly beautiful on occasion. Fans of Zombie will be reaching a state of euphoria, others will be reaching for something to vomit into. But at least there’s a daring decisiveness and conviction that defines this peculiar sequel/reboot/spin-off.
Rob Zombie’s Halloween II
9’Halloween' (2007)
HiringRob Zombie to remake a John Carpenter classicseems a no-brainer in theory, but in practice its biggest triumph is proving just how sprawling a term like “horror filmmaker” is. It’s like askingWes Andersonto remakeAnimal Housebecause he’s excelled in comedy. Still, 2007’sHalloweenis fascinating even if not fabulous, feeling like a film being violently pulled in two different directions as it finds itself caught between an homage to Carpenter’s subtle and taut original and the impulsive excess of grindhouse magician Rob Zombie.
The film is at its strongest when it feels like a non-franchise project of Rob Zombie’s own making, with sequences like the extended opening finding a weight and poignancy that is foreign though refreshing for the franchise. The instant Zombie is forced to revert to formula, however, the film loses much of its intrigue, and simply runs as 1978’sHalloweenimbued with a brutality that doesn’t know exactly what it represents. Still, bolstered by committed performances and some exciting new notions, it is far from the worst of the franchise.
Rob Zombie’s Halloween
8’Halloween Ends' (2022)
Directed by David Gordon Green
Halloween Endswas an uneven ending to an uneven trilogy. Set four years after the first twoDavid Gordon Greenentries to the franchise, Laurie Strode is living a normal, quiet life. She has bought a house and lives with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), who works as a nurse. She has given up drinking, and she doesn’t stockpile guns or has booby traps set up in the house. Nope, now she bakes and knits and even celebrates Halloween! She’s still a bona fide badass though, but she only brings it out when necessary.
Its incorporation of parental dread that lingers over Laurie is a strong idea to really explore, but, given it is still a slasher film,it lacks the slashing kills to really make it thrive. There are some questionable decisions, such as the elongated focus on Allyson’s relationship with a troubled love-interest or some of Michael’s more mundane moments. However, it does have the prowess to come to an ending that finally grants a conclusion to the story with a rewarding closure, even if it stillfeels more like a missed opportunitymore than a last hoorah.
Halloween Ends
7’Halloween II' (1981)
Halloween IIruns less as a sequel and more as the longest post-credits sequence ever made. Picking up immediately after Michael Myers' three-person murder spree, it simply follows Laurie Strode to the hospital. She is relentlessly stalked by Myers, who is himself being pursued by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance).It is far from a bad movie, though it does struggle to find relevance, with its greatest contribution being the reveal that Michael and Laurie are, in fact, long-lost siblings, a twist that Carpenter himself has attributed to being drunk andannoyed at having to write a sequelto a film he felt was a standalone story.
Imbued with a more sensational sense of blood and gore, courtesy of the success ofFriday the 13th, no doubt,Halloween IIis still a perfectly fine bit of slasher fun. First-time directorRick Rosenthal—blissfully unaware he would helmHalloween: Resurrection21 years later—is basically just doing Carpenter to the best of his abilities and does manage to use the innate claustrophobia of hospital hallways to creepy effect. Less effective is the fact Jamie Lee Curtis is in a hospital bed for so much of this movie, a mistake that surely no other entry would repeat, especially not several decades later.
Halloween II
6’Halloween Kills' (2021)
There seem to be just as many things holdingHalloween Killsback from being a great modern horror as there are ideas hoping to elevate it into the annals of slasher history. As such, the sequel to the trilogy reboot sometimes feels as though it’s wildly stabbing at two different identities; on one side, a poignant and timely take on the dangers of mob mentality, and on the other, a nasty throwback slasher where the sheer number of quirky characters killed in increasingly creative ways is the only thing that matters.
It’s not to say that films can’t execute both ideas, but David Gordon Green and his co-writers never try to bridge the gap between the two ruling ideas in any meaningful way. This tonal disconnect sadly robs the film of some of its deeper points, making it feel aimless at times when inspiration and purpose so clearly bristles in abundance. However, there isa divine glory to it when it does focus on operating solely as a slasher horror, with Green doing away with CGI blood in favor ofsticky, nasty, and dribbling practical gorethat, while initially disgusting, has an old-school beauty to it that many other modern horror movies simply can’t replicate.
Halloween Kills
5’Halloween' (2018)
Despite existing as something of a remake/sequel/reboot/retcon, 2018’sHalloweenthrives as a back-to-basics approach to franchise roots that seesJamie Lee Curtis reprise the partof Laurie Strode. As a throwback, it’s good, bordering on very good, even within a knife’s edge of being great, but Green—along with co-writer Danny McBride—seems content to simply replayHalloween’s greatest highlights as it erases all the sequels and spin-offs to introduce a Michael Myers who has been locked up ever since he first escaped back in 1978.
Embodied by a genuinely moving performance from Jamie Lee Curtis, the film turns intoa commentary on what it means for trauma to stew, to fester and manifest over decades. The greatest asset of the film is it is made by a team with a firm grasp over what made the franchise so scary; they discard all ideas of supernatural mythology and cult following and instead focus on an evil brutality so mundane and monstrous that it is completely unbiased and incomprehensible. It’s more than a cheap cover band, it’s the greatest hits CD. And like all greatest hits CDs, within the nostalgia, triumph, and glee, there is a sad little reminder that the best days are well and truly in the past.
4’Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers' (1988)
Directed by Dwight H. Little
There have been betterHalloweensequels, deeperHalloweensequels, and more interestingHalloweensequels, butHalloween IVisfar and away the bestHalloweensequel solely focused on Michael Myers. It also defies the surprisingly accurate quality of the mast = quality of the movie quirk the franchise seems to run with. Cast into a franchise without Laurie Strode, and having to appease audiences who too harshly reacted to the Michael Myers-lessness of its predecessor,Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myersis fully committed to serving up a sensational spectacle, and, in slasher cinema, what more can fans really ask for?
It pivots to Laurie’s daughter, Jamie (Danielle Harris), whose semi-psychic connection to her homicidal uncle turns Michael into a literal boogeyman straight out of a kid’s nightmares. It’s all a little silly, a tone that isn’t exactly helped bya new mask for Michaelthat shoots for “emotionless” and lands on “desperately needs a bathroom.” But what matters is how absurdly big directorDwight H. Littleand the entire creative team went for this movie, producing some of the series’ most over-the-top kills, Pleasence absolutely hamming it up to a new level, and an endearing love for the characters Carpenter and Hill created, if not an ability to make them as scary.
