Ranking My Favorite “Halloween” Franchise Films
Halloween is here.
As a franchise that’s only grown from the once-indie-film-brainchild of director John Carpenter, the Halloween movie legacy has continued to capture the imaginations of moviegoers for decades. Since the first film’s inception, there has been a deliberate interplay within these films that straddles the line between the titular holiday of Halloween and its primary antagonist, the masked-serial killer known as the Shape, or aka Michael Myers. There’s a lot to be written here about the primordial beginnings of the slasher archetype and sub-genre within horror, although the main purpose of this list will be to simply list what I in this current season of spooky, provide a more or less ranking of sorts regarding my favorites within the Halloween franchise.
Like many folks who grow up at the turn of the center in America, I grew up with the sense that Michael Myers was concretely solidified as culturally ubiquitous and synonymous with the fall holiday for which the movie franchise borrows its name. Out of all the stereotypically big slasher villains starting from the 1980’s on, Michael Myers seemed to me to have the most interesting aesthetic, background and believability (at-least, speaking of the very first film by itself) in-regards to comparing him to the likes of let’s say, Jason Vorhees, Freddy Kruger, Leatherface, Pinhead, Ghostface, Chucky, etc. I can appreciate the initial tone for which the Myers lore developed, of which being that the boogeyman is both specter and flesh, human yet phantasm, force of nature although underneath it all, just a man in a mask. To put it bluntly, I think of all the major slasher villains that I’ve witnessed on-screen, Michael’s first appearance is still the only echo of what I would consider “scary,” if that makes any sense.
Of-course, no good slasher would be worth its salt without the gravitas of its final girl (aka, our protagonist). Throughout the franchise’s, let’s say tumultuous history in terms of handling the IP and who could do what with with, there have been a number of different leading ladies to take the helm, with some being more likable than others (though to the latter point, I always attribute to the writing and directing foremost, then the acting and/or casting). I can’t say if I have a favorite final girl per se, because at the end of the day these movies aren’t intricate character studies or in-depth lenses as to what comprises human nature, so for me the focus is the mood, the capturing of some strange, ineffable childlike horror of the slight possibility that the boogeyman in your closet could actually be real (again, the age old adage of our collective willful suspension of disbelief).
In-terms of directors, I think I enjoyed John Carpenter the most, followed by Rob Zombies rather interesting direction (no pun intended) he took the franchise with his soft 2007 reboot of the series. As far as the rest of the directors are concerned, nothing beyond the first film truly moved me in any profound sense—another point that lends to my notion that I enjoy these films purely on a popcorn-and-fall-leaves type level, aka entertainment more so than looking for a deep artistic takeaway. That being said, I do believe there are stronger films within the franchise that can indeed lend themselves to be rewatchable, though I would argue that that list is shorter than perhaps the most ardent fans would think. It’s particularly difficult to define something as nebulous as “watchable” as well, to which I believe that everyone’s lists will be different and follow a different set of criteria (for example: there’s a strong online presence if-cult-like advocates of the franchise’s sophomore film, Halloween II as being close to the second-coming—a film for which I personally find lacking merit in-addition to feeling more or less joyless, empty of atmosphere and with a slog of a plot that begs itself to be put out of its own mistery…ahh, the joys of having opinions and subjectivity).
This won’t be a full-fledged writeup about every specific film, but overall just a general blurb and thought about each individual entry. In any case, let’s get to it.
Halloween (1978)
What can I say that hasn’t been said already about this iconic slasher? The only film to this day that can still give me the heebie-jeebies if watched under the right circumstances. Happy Halloween
Halloween II (2009)
I’ve previously written something about this film, something for which (though knowing I am in a very small minority about) I think is both underrated and misunderstood. There’s a little more something to this movie that I believe goes deeper than the surface, despite the quite abrasive nature for which its storytelling unfolds. Not for the faint of heart, definitely not everyone’s cup of tea—if you have any such curiosity, my recommendation is to watch the director’s cut and be prepared to watch something go off the rails very quickly.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
This one is more or less a cult-classic and goes heavy on the “hidden city,” lost-echo-of-some-old-dusty-vhs-made-for-TV-movie vibes. Danielle Harris is phenomenal, especially at such an early age, while the late-Donald Pleasance is always a sight to behold. Sure, the mask can either be horrifying or stunningly goofy (depending on who you ask), yes some of the kills and sequences are involuntarily eye-rolling material, however there’s something special about this one that I can’t put my finger on, but sort of feels like the “little film that could” syndrome. Most would toss this into the never watch again category, but I think I can safely say I’m biased about this one. Watch with skepticism and expect a B-movie in terms of caliber and production.
Halloween (2018)
Having just rewatched this on the eve of Halloween with a group of folks, David Gordon Green’s 2018 reboot of the series is decidingly solid in terms of critics and fans (though perhaps not amazing per se, just overall decent if we’re strictly going off of reviews here). Some of the writing is understated enough, especially with the imagery and themes that I think lends itself to further rewatches. The pacing is just enough to keep you interested without too much of a slog (though I would argue the silent moments of Laurie versus the Shape go on for just a tad too long, in my opinion), there’s some genuinely funny moments in an otherwise somber film, and the new John Carpenter score is also a nice bonus. I think fans like this one more than I do, but overall I think it would be disingenuous not to put this pick in the top 5 at-least. Some of the messaging about intergenerational trauma, misogyny and sexism are pretty spot on, for which they ride on the coattails of the plot inevitably and relevantly—something I liked.
Halloween: H20 (1998)
I think after this series’ first 1998 reboot, it’s only downhill from here. Out of all the depositions of our series protagonist Laurie Strode, I think this is my favorite iteration of her through and through; I like how Laurie’s succession in life feels wholly believable and sensible enough to us as an audience—she’s moved way the heck away, changed her name, became a more or less successful alcoholic and has some kind of dysfunctional relationship with her son (in-addition to her past, of-course). Veteran Friday the 13th series director Steve Miner does just enough right to keep the film moving, although there seems to be a few things lacking with this specific entry, mainly Michael’s mask being completely un-scary, the score being forgettable, the atmosphere just a little too campy at-moments, and the setting of California being in stark contrast to the midwestern fall vibes of every film before it. Still, overall I enjoy this one and would rank it as relatively rewatchable according to my own metrics.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Now, while I do like this film in its entirety for just what it is (and what it isn’t), I think Halloween III: Season of the Witch ultimately fails—not for not being a Michael Myers movie (a topic that has been talked about online since forever), but because there simply isn’t much to keep my attention. There’s a Celtic cult plot about masks and control, some supernatural things and the-like, however I just generally find myself being uninterested in both what the film has to say and just where it tries to take us. There’s nothing else I can really fault about this movie, because the direction, production, acting, score, even the Halloween mood is very palpable and thorough here, but beyond that, I just kind of give this one a “meh” overall…good, but not something I would ever want to watch again.
Halloween (2007)
The only reason why I didn’t rank this higher than Season of the Witch is because the former feels more universal in the sense that more people could enjoy it who aren’t fans of Michael Myers, while I think this Rob Zombie psuedo-biopic of sorts feels niche, especially in respect to the hyper-violence and crude vulgarity for which its characters are presented. I do like this film and contrary to what hardcore fans of the franchise have to say, I can appreciate Zombie’s vision about trying to humanize the Shape and explore just what failings his environment lended to him becoming the Shape we all know today. Malcolm McDowell is easily the star of this film and gives such a nuanced depth to the Dr. Loomis character that I feel this movie should be watched just to contrast his take verses Donald Pleasance’s. This feels like an A-grade, very well made fan film and again, I like this movie, but don’t find myself wanting to watch in-comparison to the others.
Halloween II (1981)
Many hardcore fans love this film, I find it uninspired, tepid, joyless and lacking a true artistic vision or “soul” if you will. Granted, compared to the rest of the list that follows, Halloween II is practically Stanley Kubrick if going pound-for-pound. I’ve tried genuinely, throughout my life, to dedicate a night to watching this movie and trying to understand just what people love about it…and every time I feel like I come up empty-handed. There’s some decent moments, but I can’t help but wonder every time that I watch Halloween II, just how much better of a film it could have been if series director John Carpenter gave at-least one smidge about it. And while I don’t hate Halloween II by any stretch of the imagination, maybe one day I will understand why so many Halloween fans love it…but so far I don’t.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Spoilers: This movie kills of Jamie in the very beginning. Paul Rudd does a great job at his first-ever performance. Some of the mood is decent. Donald Pleasance is also amazing, as usual, but beyond that, I feel overall indifferent about The Curse of Michael Myers. Is it garbage-bin, straight-to-streaming/vhs/dvd/etc. horror grade? I don’t know, but if I had to pick any of the films of the bottom rung, I guess this would be it.
Halloween Resurrection (2002)
As a horror-comedy and social satire/commentary, Halloween Resurrection truly works. This feels like Halloween’s version of Jason X in the sense that, comedy is embraced and all notions of believability are mostly thrown out the window. Beyond enjoying this in a Mystery Science Theatre type of way, I would avoid Halloween Resurrection unless there’s some sort of rare event where it would be warranted (which, there won’t be).
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Oh boy…I don’t know what to say about this one. Michael’s mask is just…ugh. The only good things I will say are the two leads, Danielle Harris and Donald Pleasance…beyond that, this film is bordering-on-C-film tier and I honestly don’t understand how it was released the way it was (if you think I’m over-exaggerating, just watch the ending).
Halloween Ends (2022)
This film committed the crime of introducing a major character at the third act of a trilogy and dedicating too much time to him. Nothing really makes sense the more you think about just what the premise of Halloween Ends asks of its viewers, and it feels like some slap in the face by the filmmakers. Yes, I can understand they were attempting to go a radical direction and subvert our expectations, but given both the subject matter and franchise’s history, Halloween Ends feels like it goes out with a half-baked, half-thought-out sore squander of a whimper. I can only remember the beginning of this film and a couple of small moments that have become memes (i.e., sewer Michael Myers)—the rest is forgettable, forgotten and will probably stay that way…it’s a shame, because the 2018 reboot seemed to have a clear vision, only for the house of cards to come falling down. I don’t fault it for trying something new, I fault it for doing so in the way it did and when it did; Halloween Ends would have worked better in bits and parts as subplots tacked throughout the trilogy, but instead the creators hamfisted everything last moment.
Halloween Kills (2021)
This movie represents everything I hate about slasher tropes—heck, this movie is a giant amalgamation of slasher tropes (maybe sans the lurid provocation of 1980’s female nudity). At one point watching Halloween Kills, I wondered if the filmmakers were set out to transgress just what a slasher is by over-exaggerating all of its tropes to the max, however I feel like that would be giving them too much credit. Nothing about this film speaks profoundly, there are no moments of reserve or thought-induction, there’s no real ties to the characters (heck, even the way they’re killed escapes me trying to think about it), there’s absolutely zero suspense (something that admittedly, at-least each film before on this list tried to have), everything feels over the top and anime in a not-so-good-way (to the point where I couldn’t help myself from laughing at the movie, not with it) and…the laundry list for me goes on. What I will say is though, paradoxically, is that Halloween Kill's flashback sequences are, bar-none, the best at recreating the mood/style/ambiance of John Carpenter’s original (including the best version of Michael’s mask as well). A part of me can’t help but wonder if the filmmakers decided to just go in on the heavily-stylized aesthetic of the original and make this movie a flashback “interquel” of sorts…just what it could be. Beyond the flashbacks, Halloween Kills does anything but.
