This Recommended ‘Halloween’ Movies Watchlist Is So Weird! What Do You Think?

We’ve come up with the best way to watch the Halloween movies this October.

A new Halloween cinematic universe is officially underway. While it has only been two years since David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy concluded with Halloween Ends (2022), Miramax and Trancas are wasting no time in ushering in a new era for the iconic Haddonfield bogeyman, Michael Myers, which, this time, will begin with a television series.

This is hardly surprising, as the last three Halloween movies alone (2018’s Halloween, Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends) grossed a combined $498.7 million worldwide.

Not much is known about the reboot, however, earlier this year, Head of Worldwide Television at Miramax Marc Helwig told Deadline that it will likely focus on “a group of characters that we haven’t really focused on that much in recent film versions or even in a number of them.”

The series will mark the beginning of yet another Halloween timeline — something the franchise, like many other iconic slashers, is certainly no stranger to.

Now, with October 31 just around the corner like the bogeyman himself, there’s no better time to look at the best way to watch all the Halloween movies.

While you might naturally be inclined to watch them all in order of release, just remember that this long-running franchise has multiple timelines, so coherent viewing is a lot trickier than you might think. So, we’ve devised the best way to watch all 12 of Michael Myers’ trick-or-treat outings.

But we’ll be the first to say that it’s a bit weird.

How Does the Halloween Movie Timeline Work?

It’s no mystery that the Halloween film series is comprised of sequels, spinoffs, and reboots, but we’ve broken the viewing order down into the four main timelines (although there are actually nine when you include producer cuts, director cuts, a certain spinoff, and when you omit the more “optional” sequels many fans like to pretend never existed in the first place).

This might not sound that weird, but it involves watching the original film three times!

But is this really the best way to watch the Halloween movies or should you just go through them all one by one like Michael Myers does with Haddonfield’s teens? Or maybe there are some entries best left out altogether seeing as this series has its fair share of rotten pumpkins? Either way, before you decide on the correct order, take a look at ours.

FYI: The below doesn’t include the spinoff Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), which exists in its own separate timeline completely unrelated to the other films.

What Is the Correct Order To Watch the Halloween Movies?

Halloween Timeline #1

John Carpenter’s original 1978 film, Halloween, could easily exist as a one-and-done, just as it was intended from the start. The ending in which Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) fires six shots into Michael Myers (Nick Castle), sending him toppling over a balcony and onto the lawn below, is so iconic that it should have been preserved forever and unspoiled by sequels.

Watching through Michael’s point-of-view as he disappears into the night while we hear his deep breathing is the stuff of nightmares. But, three years later, the first sequel, Halloween II (1981), continued with the events of that same night — almost seamlessly if not for actor Dick Warlock’s head not fitting into the William Shatner mask as well as Castle’s did.

Despite being a bit janky in parts, Rick Rosenthal’s Halloween II is a mostly worthy successor of Carpenter’s classic. And, like its predecessor, your journey through the Halloween universe can easily end here. Should you choose to continue, though, you’ll need to suffer the many ups-and-downs (mostly downs) of the truly bizarre Thorn trilogy.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) are widely considered optional sequels — in other words, you can pretend that the story ends with Halloween II. Or, you can leapfrog over these three films altogether and go straight to the next set.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is the most solid entry in the Thorn trilogy, but that’s not saying much next to Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers — which is arguably worse than a certain 2002 sequel starring Busta Rhymes — and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers, a film so bonkers it might turn your brain into a jack-o-lantern.

So, to summarize, here’s the order you need to watch the original Halloween timeline in:

• Halloween (1978)
• Halloween II (1981)
• Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers

Related: All 3 ‘Halloween’ Trilogies Ranked From Worst to Best

Halloween Timeline #2

Don’t go leaving John Carpenter’s original 1978 film in the rearview just yet, because when you’re watching it through the “H20” lens, you’ll likely have a different perspective as a result of the 1981 sequel revealing that Michael Myers is Laurie Strode’s brother.

While this is also the case with the Thorn trilogy, Jamie Lee Curtis doesn’t appear in those films — having been killed off screen between Halloween II and Halloween 4 — so you don’t get to see what life was like for her after she learned life-changing revelation.

Directed by Steve Miner, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) answers that question: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is an anxiety-ridden survivor who, every October 31, is convinced her long-lost brother will return to finish what he started.

Still, after faking her death in a bid to fall off his radar, she’s made a decent life for herself as the head of a prestigious private school far beyond the Haddonfield city limits.

Halloween H20 serves as a fitting conclusion to Laurie Strode’s journey, which makes the direct sequel Halloween: Resurrection (2002) an even tougher watch than it already is, hence why many fans consider it optional viewing more so than the Thorn trilogy.

While there’s some “dangertainment” value to the half-baked 2000s slasher (diehard fans will understand the reference), and while most things can be forgiven (Busta Rhymes doing karate on the freakin’ bogeyman, for starters), the absurd retconning of Michael Myers’ death at the end of H20 is simply not one of them.

Surprisingly, this film is directed by Rick Rosenthal, who helmed the beloved Halloween II.

Halloween H20 ignores the events of the Thorn trilogy, so here’s the correct viewing order:

• Halloween (1978)
• Halloween II (1981)
• Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
• Halloween: Resurrection

Related: Every Version of Michael Myers Ranked From Worst to Best

Halloween Timeline #3

To some extent, we are going through these recommended Halloween movie viewing lists in order of release, because in the case of the two Rob Zombie Halloween remakes, we can leave the original Halloween well and truly in the past until we get to the next set of films.

Halloween (2007) is a remake of John Carpenter’s 1978 film, however, while many fans refer to Zombie’s flick as a “shot-for-shot remake,” this couldn’t be further than the truth.

The third act is a polished version of the original, but the first two acts center on a young Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch); spending time with him before he murders his sister Judith Myers (Hanna Hall), and eventually on his incarceration at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium.

Then we have the direct sequel, Halloween II (2009). Though there are a handful of borrowed elements from the original Halloween II, they’re mostly relegated to the film’s opening hospital sequence (which all turns out to be a nightmare anyway).

Although the film lazily continues with the idea that Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) are siblings rather than coming up with its own unique twist.

Nevertheless, Rob Zombie’s 2009 sequel still offers a fresh story — albeit the boldest and bleakest in the franchise — that takes place two years after the events of the 2007 film, as opposed to picking up immediately like Rosenthal’s 1981 sequel.

The confirmed viewing order for Rob Zombie’s Halloween films are pretty straight-forward:

• Rob Zombie’s Halloween
• Halloween II (2009)

Related: All 7 Jamie Lee Curtis Performances In the ‘Halloween’ Movies Ranked

Halloween Timeline #4

Now, this is where things get really confusing for non-diehard Halloween fans. In 2018, director David Gordon Green and Blumhouse Productions gave us Halloween, which sounds like the first installment in a new series of films. It was, but it also acted as a direct follow-up to the original 1978 film of the same name by ignoring every single sequel.

Halloween brought Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode again, despite the fact she was killed off in Halloween: Resurrection. Of course, this is a completely different timeline with an all-new Laurie Strode — well, it’s still the original version but at the same time an alternate continuation to the Halloween H20: 20 Years Later‘s depiction of the character.

Halloween (2018) was followed by Halloween Kills (2021), which is more of a remake of the original Halloween II from 1981 than Rob Zombie’s 2009 sequel of the same name is, as it picks up directly where its 2018 predecessor ends.

The trilogy concluded with Halloween Ends (2022), which is the first film in the entire franchise to actually kill Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) on screen; a bold act that firmly closes this timeline.

You’ll need to watch Halloween (1978) one more time to fully understand and appreciate David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy, otherwise you might be deeply confused by the fact that Laurie Strode and Michael Myers are no longer siblings:

• Halloween (1978)
• Halloween (2018)
• Halloween Kills
• Halloween Ends

To conclude, the best way to enjoy all these different timelines is to start from scratch upon each viewing (with the exception of the Rob Zombie remakes) — otherwise things can get quite confusing.

Alternatively, you can work your way through each Halloween movie in the order they were released in theaters. It will certainly be a lot quicker than watching the original 1978 film three times and the 1981 sequel twice!

Or, if you want to save time this spooky season, check out our ranking of all 13 Halloween movies and pick only the best the series has to offer.

Are the Halloween Movies on Any Streaming Service?

Every Halloween movie from Halloween (1978) through Halloween Ends is currently available to watch on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Another way to get your Michael Myers fix this October is with the brand-new arcade-style video game “Halloween” from RetroRealms. Watch the new trailer below, per IGN:

Here’s the description for “RetroRealms: Halloween”, per the official website.

“RetroRealms: Halloween” will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Steam on October 18. A limited “Halloween Collector’s Edition” version of the game will also be available. Visit the official website for more information.

There are no release dates for any of the other upcoming Halloween projects, which includes the television series, a second game, and the new film.

What do you think is the best way to watch all the Halloween movies this Fall? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!