There’s no telling what the slasher genre would be like today without Michael Myers and theHalloweenfranchise. Undeniably one of the most famous andrewatchable horror series in modern cinema history, this iconic collection of films has been scaring audiences since its debut withJohn Carpenter’s 1978 original. The story of unhinged serial killer Michael Myers as he stalks and slashes on the streets of his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, continues to thrill audiences and is today immortalized in the annals of horror pop culture. Since his first film, twelve installments have kept his spirit and massive kill count alive—none more so as of recently than theHalloweenreboot trilogy by directorDavid Gordon Green.
In many ways, the reboot trilogy is a love letter to the 1978 classic.It directly continues that film, capturing much of its style and tone. Co-creator John Carpenter even returned as an executive producer, creative consultant, and composer to help make this trilogy fit within the same universe as his original. Being only faithful to the first one, they leave out many of the storylines established in the previous sequels, most significantly the arc of Michael and his nemesis Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) being long-lost siblings.Gordon Green’s films bring Michael Myers to modern viewers, keeping him relevant in the public eye and continuing his story.While it has become integral to the Halloween legacy, it is a flawed trilogy,starting off strong but quickly starting to dip in qualitywith each new installment. They all have their highlights and some weak points, but overall, it’s a remarkable trilogy worthy of a few rewatches and discussions. So, from worst to best, here is every entry in David Gordon Green’sHalloweenreboot franchise, ranked.
3’Halloween Ends' (2022)
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Rohan Campbell, and James Jude Courtney
In third place isHalloween Ends, released in 2022 as the closing chapter in the reboot trilogy.Though it tried to go out on a high note, this is often viewed as the weakest of the franchise, a major letdown that many fans would agree failed to give a satisfying pay-off to what was supposed to be an epic final battle.For some surprising reason, Michael (James Jude Courtney) and Laurie are taken out of much of the action, and the film instead decides to focus on a newly introduced character, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), a troubled kid, ostracized and seen as a murderer by the community after a horrible accident. Eventually,he gets corrupted and taken under Michael’s wing, and the two go on a killing spree. But as his bloodlust grows, Corey becomes obsessed with becoming the new Boogeyman of Haddonfield.
Endsbiggest mistake was downplaying Laurie’s and Michael’s significance.They’re turned into secondary characters while Corey runs much of the show until the final act when he’s just brushed off so the real stars can have their final fight. It’s a major head-scratcher to introduce a new character this late in the franchise and focus on him when viewers only want to see the epic showdown. But even Michael’s and Laurie’s last fight isn’t all that impressive. The ending ofHalloween Killsestablished that their last confrontation would be emotional, vicious, and far more personal, but here, it’s short, has no build-up, and didn’t even happen till the last twenty minutes. Plus, it didn’t seem likely that the film would boldly kill off Laurie, so it seemed pretty obvious that the ending would be in her favor, and eventually, it did. Overall,Halloween Endswasn’t the conclusion fans had hoped for, but to give credit to the film, it’s notable in its attempt to try something new and explore different avenues.It’snot the worst of the Halloween franchise, but compared to the other two in Green’s trilogy, it unfortunately takes the last spot.
Halloween Ends
The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a spine-chilling climax in the final installment of this trilogy.
2’Halloween Kills' (2021)
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, and James Jude Courtney
Halloween Killsis the midpoint of the trilogy and is often considered the most divisive entry among audiences.Though it’s a straightforward continuation of the previous installment, story-wise, it’s much less focused and lacks much of a plot. But to compensate for its shortcomings, it does feature some pretty impressive gore and has some of the best kills of the entire franchise. The story follows Laurie’s daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). At the same time, Laurie becomes bedridden in a hospital after sustaining injuries during her battle with Michael at her compound. Along with several scared Haddonfield residents, they set out to kill the shape once they realize he’s still on the loose. But stopping Michael proves to be far trickier than they expected, as he seemingly becomes more indestructible with each new kill he makes.
Anyone going intoHalloween Killswith high expectations might feel a little disappointed. Though it has its scary moments, it lacks much of the tension and suspense that its predecessor created.Some might even consider the film to have taken things too far, overcompensating for its violence and gore to make up for its weak script and lackluster storytelling. But to give credit, while the story and characters aren’t remarkable, they aren’t insultingly bad, and it doesn’t tarnish or detract from anything positive about the 2018 movie.Whether audiences can get behind the film’s excessive gore or not, they must admit it gets pretty intense and spectacular to watch at times.Though it’s a very flawed film and never rivals the previous films, it’s still an entertaining watch every now and again.There is action and excitement to be enjoyed as long as viewers can overlook some of its frustrating parts.
Halloween Kills
1’Halloween' (2018)
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Haluk Bilginer, and James Jude Courtney
At number one is theHalloween rebootmovie from 2018.Undeniably, this represents the best of David Gordon Green’s trilogy, perhaps one of the most remarkable entries in the entire franchise.Set 40 years after the events of the first movie, Laurie Strode has devoted her life to the eventual night when Michael Myers will once again escape custody to finish what he started. Once her fears become reality and Michael is unleashed, she’s ready to turn the tables on her past foe, this time with the help of her family.
With the right tone, some decent suspense, and a few clever callbacks, the 2018Halloweentruly feels like a direct continuation of the original.After a more than decade-long hiatus after theRob Zombieremake films came this much-needed shot in the arm that the series and fans desperately hoped for.It was fresh and went back to basics,trying to capture everything that made Carpenter’s classic one of the greats.While the firstHalloweenwill always reign supreme as the best of the series andone of the most iconic slashers of all time, Green’s impressive revival remains a worthy follow-up deserving of its praise.
Laurie Strode confronts her long-time foe, Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
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