The Halloween franchise is one of the longest-running horror series of all time. It all kicked off with John Carpenter’s iconic 1978 film which helped popularize the slasher genre and created the unforgettable terrifying figure of Michael Myers. With the announced sequels, Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends, the series might finally be coming to an end.

Fans of the series will know that it has one of the most confusing timelines around. With various retcons and do-overs, it can be difficult to keep it all straight to determine the proper order in which to watch the Halloween franchise.

Halloween (1978)

  • Available to stream on fubo TV, AMC+, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Redbox, DIRECTV, Shudder, IndieFlix, and Spectrum On Demand

This first film remains an absolute legend in the horror genre. The franchise got underway with the small slasher film which followed Michael Myers, an escaped patient from a psychiatric hospital, who returns to his hometown of Haddonfield and goes on a killing spree on Halloween night.

To date, this remains the only film in the franchise that John Carpenter directed, and he showed why he is a master of suspense and terror. This is also the film that introduced Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, the other star of the series.

Halloween II (1981)

  • Available to stream on fubo TV, AMC+, DIRECTV, and Spectrum On Demand

This is the very direct sequel to the original though not the last. Coming out three years after Carpenter’s film, Halloween II picks up only seconds after the previous film ended and follows Michael Myers throughout the rest of Halloween night as he tracks down Laurie Strode.

The majority of the film takes place in the Haddonfield hospital where Laurie is taken following Michael’s attack. This is only the first time the idea of Laurie and Michael being brother and sister is introduced.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

The third film in the franchise is one of the most bizarre and confusing for many fans. Though it is a sequel to the previous two films, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the only entry in the series to not feature Michael Myers. Instead, this is an unrelated story about an evil toy manufacturer who develops deadly Halloween masks.

The original idea for the Halloween series was for it to be an anthology series with different Halloween-centered stories for each sequel. However, Michael Myers proved to be so popular that his character was given a sequel. After this ambitious sequel bombed, the series shifted focus back to Michael. Still, Season of the Witch has earned a cult following and features one of the wildest climaxes in the Halloween franchise.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

  • Available to stream on fubo TV, AMC+, Shudder, DIRECTV, and Spectrum On Demand

Halloween 4 saw the triumphant return of Michael Myers and was set ten years after the events of Halloween II. Though not much explanation is given to how Michael survived what seemed like certain death, he is ready to resume his killing spree.

Donald Pleasence returns to play Dr. Loomis for the third time, but this is the first Michael Myers-centric film to not include Laurie Strode. It is revealed that Laurie was killed in a car accident years ago and Michael is now hunting her daughter Jamie.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

  • Available to stream on fubo TV, AMC+, Shudder, and DIRECTV

For many fans, Halloween 5 marked the start of a downward trend for the series. After the intriguing end to Halloween 4 which suggested the birth of a new killer, the sequel decided to largely ignore that development and stick to a confusing and dull Michael Myers story.

Primarily set one year after the events of the fourth film, this sequel introduces an unnecessary origin story for Michael which involves supernatural elements. The rushed production meant it was filmed with an incomplete script and it really shows.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

  • Available to stream on fubo TV, Showtime, DIRECTV, Pluto TV, and Spectrum On Demand

The sixth film in the franchise is one that nearly killed the entire series. Making the mistake of continuing the ludicrous cult storyline from the previous film, The Curse of Michael Myers finds the titular killer hunting down the son of his niece Jamie.

This film marks the final appearance of Dr. Loomis in the series as well as actor Donald Pleasence’s final role before his death. It is also one of the early roles for Paul Rudd, who plays the young adult version of one of the kids Laurie babysat in the first film. However, neither of these actors can save this mess of a film.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Producers Cut (2014)

While the original cut of the film was actually released in 2014 as the Producer’s Cut after years of fan demands and unofficial re-cuts to try and salvage the original storyline, it should be included after the original release of The Curse of Michael Myers to maintain viewing order for those fans who want to check out the altered take.

The original version of the film still introduced the Cult of Thorn and tried to connect Michael Myers’ reign of terror to an ancient Druidic curse, the Producer’s Cut saw this version of the storyline develop further and even had a darker future in mind for Dr. Loomis when he became the new leader of the Cult, though his death led to his changed fate in the franchise.

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

Coming out 20 years after the original film, Halloween H20 is a back-to-basics take on the series which saw the triumphant return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. This is also the first retcon in the series as this film is a direct sequel to Halloween II, ignoring all the craziness that came after.

In the film, Laurie is living a new life under a new name when Michael Myers returns for his revenge. The film also spends plenty of time with the new cast of young teen characters including Michelle Williams and Josh Hartnett. The result is a decent return to form which kept the series alive a bit longer.

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

  • Available to stream on fubo TV, AMC+, DIRECTV, Pluto TV, and Spectrum On Demand

While Halloween H20 helped to revitalize the series, Halloween: Resurrection threw the whole thing right back in the garbage. Though Jamie Lee Curtis returns for the sequel, she is quickly killed off in the film’s opening scene.

The film instead focuses on a ridiculous reality show which features contestants competing to see who can spend the night in Michael Myers’ childhood home. With dated webcam culture, dull characters and Busta Rhymes doing martial arts, this is another low point in the series.

Halloween (2007)

  • Available to stream on AMC+, FXNow

Horror director and musician Rob Zombie brought his own unique style to the franchise with his 2007 reboot Halloween, which created a new timeline that explored the history and development of young Michael Myers before unleashing him on Haddonfield.

The film is best known for brilliantly casting Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis, though his version was quite a bit different than Donald Pleasance’s iconic character. Zombie’s Halloween followed the same plot points as the original film and felt like a more violent rehash of a classic, which didn’t work for some fans.

Halloween II (2009)

  • Available to stream on fubo TV, AMC+, and DIRECTV

Rob Zombie returned for 2009’s Halloween II, which was a sequel set in the same timeline as his reboot film, and while it originally seemed to follow the same story as the first sequel from 1981, it shocked viewers with a twist before moving into uncharted territory. It also featured an even more intimidating Michael Myers and more brutal kills.

H2 introduced supernatural elements into Michael Myers that dealt with the relationship with his mother that further played on the familial connection between Myers and Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) while also completely breaking down the character due to the trauma she experienced. The original reboot timeline ended here as the 2018 reboot returned to the beginning.

Halloween (2018)

  • Available to stream on fubo TV, DIRECTV, and Spectrum On Demand

Following the disappointment of Halloween: Resurrection and the divisive remake series from Rob Zombie, the series went back to its roots for what many call its best sequel to date. This film also starts yet another new timeline for the series as it is a direct sequel to the original movie, ignoring everything that came after and even undoing the concept of Laurie and Michael being related.

Set 40 years later, it finds Laurie living a life devoted solely to preparing for Michael’s eventual return. As it turns out, she was right to prepare. The bloody and brutal sequel was a worthy follow-up that gave new life to the franchise.

Halloween Kills (2021)

• Available to stream on Peacock

Following the triumphant return of the series with David Gordon Green’s Halloween, the team returns for this very direct sequel. Picking up minutes after the first movie ended, Halloween Kills sees Michael Myers continue his reign of terror as the citizens of Haddonfield band together to finish him off for good.

The movie takes some interesting steps in the mythology of this series while also bringing back some key characters from past movies. It is a bloodier and more brutal movie that sets up the third movie.

Halloween Ends (2022)

Given the ending of Halloween Kills, it seems like the third movie in this modern trilogy will continue the story on the same night. The stage is now set for Michael and Laurie Strode to have their ultimate showdown.

Though Michael Myers and this franchise have come back from the dead many times, it seems as though this next chapter is being set up to finally conclude the hugely influential horror series in epic fashion.