Ranking The Halloween Movies

With the release of a new Halloween movie, I decided to go back and watch the entire series (ugh) so I could create an ultimate ranking of the series from best to worst.  I like a lot of the films in this series, but there are some extremely low lows.  One of them is even in my Bottom 10 Movies of all time.  I think it will be more interesting to go from best to worst, so without further ado, here is my ranking of the 12 Halloween films.



#1. Halloween (1978)

Really, could it be anything else?  Though I do think this movie is a tad overrated, I still love it.  It's a classic for a reason.  It has some great characters, solid acting, and a phenomenal score.  The finale is iconic and deservedly so.  Besides Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the teenage characters suck and there are a few shots that drag on for too long, but this is still the best film in the series.


#2. Halloween (2018)

The latest film in the series goes all the way up into second place.  This is a better movie than we could have hoped for.  Jamie Lee Curtis gives her best performance of the series, the 3rd act is an utter masterpiece in every way, shape, and form, the references and fan service aren't overdone and actually serve the story, it has some awesome kills, some fun supporting characters, and a fantastic score from John Carpenter itself.  A few of the supporting characters are underdeveloped and there is one scene where the writing is really weak, but I loved this film and it is by far the best sequel.


#3. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

H20 is another really solid sequel that was heavily influenced by Scream, for the better, in my opinion.  This movie has some really great actors in the lead roles.  Everyone does a good job, which is refreshing after the previous couple of films.  We have a few fun supporting characters, funny dialogue, a few solid kills, and one of the greatest endings in the slasher genre.  It's so satisfying and what every horror fan has wanted a Final Girl to do in every slasher film ever.  The 3rd act does feel a bit rushed and parts of the Michael-Laurie showdown feel a bit silly, but this is another really solid film and a breath of life for the series.


#4. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

The black sheep of the franchise because it is the only one without Michael Myers.  I can see why people would be upset at the time, but now people should only be singing the praises of Season of the Witch.  We have some absolutely brutal kills, which includes the death of at least one kid, Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy) is a great villain with a lot of charisma and personality, Dr. Challis (Tom Adkins) is a really likable protagonist, even if he is a crappy guy, and the ending is simply bleak, which I love.  There are a few scenes that are lacking in energy and tons of plot holes.  Cochran's scheme really doesn't make much sense, but I love this film and how crazy it is.  I'm glad that its reputation is starting to improve.

#5. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Halloween 4 is fun movie because of how proactive the characters are.  Instead of unaware characters being picked off one by one, this movie follows a group of characters actively trying to defend against The Shape, which is a really nice change of pace.  This movie also introduces Danielle Harris in her first of four appearances in the series.  She does a fantastic job and is one of the best parts of the series.  This one also has another wonderful cliffhanger and it's a shame the 5th film did nothing with it.  There are a few boring parts, especially in the second act, and I don't love the nightmare sequences, but this is a fun movie and a solid return for Michael Myers.

#6. Halloween Kills (2021)

Halloween Kills is a very stupid, but fun movie.  The characters make terrible decisions and there isn't much logic to the movie.  That said, it's a fun time.  I appreciate the premise of having the film be Haddonfield vs. Michael Myers.  This is first time we've had a truly ensemble film in the series and those elements work.  We also get a lot fo returning characters and actors, as well as some absolutely gnarly kills.  It does spend too much time setting up for the next movie rather than telling it's own story though.

#7. Halloween II (1981)

Halloween II made the excellent decision of giving Donald Pleasence more screen time.  He's one of the best parts of this series and of his five performances, this one is my favorite.  This movies also ups the gore factor giving us a few solid kills, the chaos taking hold of Haddonfield is a lot of fun, and the hospital setting has a great atmosphere with an excellent final chase.  Laurie Strode is sidelined for most of the film, which is disappointing, the hospital characters aren't interesting at all, and the twist that Michael is Laurie's brother is poorly handled, but this is another good sequel.



#8. Halloween (2007)

This is the last movie in the series I would recommend people watch.  As far as horror remakes go, this is one of the better ones.  Tyler Mane is by far the scariest Michael Myers, Malcolm McDowell is perfect as Dr. Loomis, Danielle Harris is back, but playing a new character, and the scenes in the mental institution are really interesting.  The dialogue is too much, the characters are really unlikable, the second act is too faithful to the original film, and the 3rd act goes on for too long.  It has a lot of problems, but I think this one is worth watching, which is more than can be said about the last four films.


#9. Halloween II (2009)

I will give credit to Rob Zombie for trying something new with this film, but it doesn't work.  Danielle Harris and Brad Dourif both do a great job, the death scenes are the most brutal of the series, and the hospital sequence is really exciting.  Unfortunately, the rest of the characters are very unlikable and Zombie even took Malcolm McDowell and turned him into a raging jerk.  The weird vision sequences look cool, but they feel very out of place.  It's definitely different from the rest of the series, but that doesn't make it good.


#10. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

On a technical level, this is by far the worst made film in the series.  Paul Rudd does a fine job as the protagonist and we do get a few cool kills, but nothing about the plot makes any sense.  None of the supporting characters are likable or interesting, everything involving the character of Jamie feels wrong, and the strobe lights during the scene where Michael massacres a bunch of doctors is headache-inducing.  This movie is simply incompetent.


#11. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

This movie may be more competent than Curse, but it's more annoying to watch.  Donald Pleasence and Danielle Harris both do a good job with the material they are given and I like the sequence where Jamie is trapped in a laundry chute, but ignoring the cliffhanger from the 4th film was a terrible call, Michael being taken care of by a mountain man for a full year makes no sense, the supporting characters are abysmal, and the cliffhanger is baffling and borderline incomprehensible.  I hate this movie with a passion...and yet, there is still one more that is even worse.


#12. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Resurrection is one of my least favorite movies of all time and has a place on my Bottom 10 Movies list.  It has exactly one redeeming quality, which is the line, "Trick-o-treat, motherf****r!", which is said by Busta Rhymes.  This line is gold, but everything else about this film is trash.  It ruins the brilliant ending of H20, they kill off Laurie Strode in a very disrespectful manner, the supporting character sucks, Bianca Kajlich gives us the worst acting of the series (and she is our main protagonist), and the high-schooler subplot doesn't really add anything interesting.  This movie is horrendously bad and by far the worst of the series.


So, what do you think?  Did I get this right or am I dead wrong?  Let me know!