The ‘Halloween’ Movies, Ranked From Best To Worst
For 45 years, John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise has been one of the benchmarks of the horror genre.
The 1978 classic original film still stands up as one of the best horror entries in cinema history. The 12 subsequent films in the franchise have been mixed in quality along with fan and critic reception. Ranking the films has led to debates for decades, with discussions revived recently, with the newest trilogy concluding in 2022.
While it’s always fun to debate which films are the best and worst of the bunch, this Halloween, we could put a bit more definitive statement on it. Going beyond the usual critics’ rankings, I compiled each Halloween’s box office performance, critic reception, and audience scores to rank the franchise from best to worst.
Halloween From Best to Worst
Halloween (1978)
- Box Office Score: $78,525,000
- Audience Score: 89%
- Critic Score: 96%
It’s hard to top the original in any film franchise. John Carpenter set the bar about as high as possible when he created The Shape from a mechanic jumpsuit and a converted William Shatner mask. Jamie Lee Curtis rightfully earned her position as the eternal Scream Queen and Final Girl.
But the use of background made the original so iconic. Nobody like John Carpenter knows how to make a fan search every inch of the screen to ensure the killer isn’t lurking nearby. See Halloween, and then watch it a million times more if you haven’t already.
Halloween (2018)
- Box Office Score: $159,342,015
- Audience Score: 72%
- Critic Score: 79%
David Gordon Green’s 2018 revision of the Halloween series took bold steps while returning the franchise to many storyline basics. Retconning the plot to follow up the 1978 original, Halloween did away with the sibling relationship between Laurie and Michael.
Gordon Green and Danny McBride’s story was well received by fans and critics alike, with many saying it brought the franchise back to its roots after several decades of varying plot lines.
Halloween Kills (2021)
- Box Office Score: $92,002,155
- Audience Score: 66%
- Critic Score: 38%
This entry is one of many examples where fans and critics split significantly. Most of the fans approved of the second entry from David Gordon Green. But critics felt it lacked on story progression.
Fans remained mainly on board with this version of the story. However, it does receive a few knocks from fans and critics, especially for the mob fight scene and its aftermath. And, spoiler alert, the audacity of killing off Judy Greer like that! But, it has gotten praise for its return to many original characters from the first film while exploring the impact of Michael on the town.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
- Box Office Score: $75,650,000
- Audience Score: 49%
- Critic Score: 54%
H2O was the franchise’s attempt at rebooting the series of sorts. The movie skips almost every plotline in the last four films, picking back up after Halloween II while holding onto the sibling storyline. The film acknowledges that Laurie staged her death in the car accident first mentioned in Halloween 4, and chooses not to mention Jamie Lloyd. In H20, Laurie has absconded to California, where she lives under a new identity. Now the headmistress at an elite private school, where her son John and his friends are enrolled, Michael turns up on the 20th anniversary for more carnage.
The Steve Miner-directed sequel has its fair share of positives and negatives. It could be the fact that I grew up at the height of ’90s slasher films, but H2O holds a particular spot in my heart. For all the hokey and hacky plot devices and continuity errors, this is a fun blend of slasher and comedy.
Halloween Ends (2022)
- Box Office Score: $64,079,860
- Audience Score: 57%
- Critic Score: 40%
David Gordon Green’s trilogy capped off with the seeming power transfer from Michael to Corey Cunningham. The film also marks the last entry in the series to be produced by horror hit house Blumhouse Productions, who made the film along with Universal, Miramax, and Trancas International. It also marks the first film to receive a dual release in theaters and streaming on Peacock, adversely impacting box office performance.
The film received a split reaction among fans and critics. Some of the film’s most positive takeaways are its portrayal of evil and how it affects the citizens of Haddonfield. Detractors say the story can be confusing, with some feeling it’s too stab-intensive and light on the story. While far from a perfect entry, Halloween Ends provides a solid bit of closure to the storyline, whether it is truly the end or not for Michael (It probably won’t be).
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
- Box Office Score: $55,000,000
- Audience Score: 53%
- Critic Score: 35%
Halloween 4 is a hard left turn from the original premise of story creators John Carpenter and Debra Hill. The original plan saw Michael only as a factor in the first two films. But after the disastrous feedback of Halloween 3, the franchise decided to abandon the anthology premise and instead focus on what the fans wanted most: Michael.
Fans were split on the release, and critics were even less favorable than that. While the film lacks story and Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween 4 is still a worthwhile sequel, especially after rebounding from a disastrous third release. While the movie certainly has its knocks, one of the most standout aspects has to be the introduction of Jamie Lloyd–arguably the most tortured person in the Halloween franchise. Played by future Scream Queen Danielle Harris, the child actor delivered a performance that stands out as one of the best for someone her age, horror or otherwise.
Halloween II (1981)
- Box Office Score: $33,320,000
- Audience Score: 63%
- Critic Score: 33%
For 1981’s sequel, John Carpenter rejoined Debra Hill in a producer role but chose not to return as director. Under the helm of rookie director Rick Rosenthal, Halloween 2 picks up just after the event of the first movie. Laurie is bedridden in the hospital while Michael stalks her once again.
The film is primarily a ho-hum rehash of the original, with critics mainly disapproving of the film and much of the fan base sticking with the sequel. A sharp drop-off in fan approval also occurred, but nothing like the critic disapproval.
No matter your opinion of the film, Halloween 2 is regarded for two standout plot developments. The film originally marked the conclusion of the Michael Myers and Laurie story. It also revealed that Michael and Laurie were siblings, helping create foundations for most of the sequels until 2018.
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
- Box Office Score: $25,566,000
- Audience Score: 36%
- Critic Score: 11%
Halloween 5 marks one of Michael’s most incredible escapes from imminent death, which sets off the movie’s wild premise, which ultimately ramps up the cult storyline that is concluded in 1995’s The Curse Of Michael Myers. Had the film’s original cut made it to screens, we’d have gotten more insight into how Michael recovered from the end of Halloween 4 while providing more insight into the highly controversial Curse of Thorn.
Riding off a largely positive wave from Halloween 4, Revenge fell short in critic and fan opinions. Aside from Harris again turning in an impressive leading performance, much of the film boiled down to standard late ’80s, early 90s slasher tropes–with the farm slashings feeling particularly like Michael meandered into Jason Voorhees territory a bit too much.
Halloween (2007)
- Box Office Score: $58,272,029
- Audience Score: 59%
- Critic Score: 28%
2007 marked Rob Zombie’s first of two entries into the Halloween universe. And the scores put the two releases next to each other in the rankings. Zombie’s take on the Michael Myers franchise continued with the sibling connection while deviating significantly with a deeper dive into Michael’s origin story.
The look into Michael’s childhood, connection to his mom and early years at Smith’s Grove provided a fresh interpretation of a franchise that arguably needed a reenergized take. Critics weren’t too favorable of the slasher flick, with some arguing that the new approach didn’t do much to liven up the story and relied on Zombie’s classic over-the-top gore to drive the story. Some critics and most fans disagreed, with some coming away with sympathy for young Michael–even though his adult form was now more monstrous than ever before.
Halloween II (2009)
- Box Office Score: $33,414,725
- Audience Score: 44%
- Critic Score: 23%
The second Halloween directed by Zombie trended downward in all three categories. One year after the previous movie, Halloween 2 finds Lauire and the Bracketts at the center of Drifter Michael’s revenge when he returns to Haddonfield. The typical Zombie film violence returns, with the gore at an all-time high. We also look deeper into the Myers family origin story while dabbling in hallucinations and paranormal manifestations.
Fan and critic opinions primarily disapproved of the Zombie sequel. Some felt that the film had over-the-top violence. At the same time, many didn’t approve of the white horse-focused plot line and exploration into the Myers family lore. Still, Zombie gets credit for taking a stab at something new with the franchise. It could be argued that these two films establish a tone that sets the trend for the last three films’ balance of true-to-roots Michael while intensifying the violence.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
- Box Office Score: $14,400,000
- Audience Score: 28%
- Critic Score: 50%
Season of the Witch is the black sheep of the franchise. But, had it been received differently, we may have only had Michael Myers briefly. Originally, Carpenter and Hill saw the series as an anthology, where major storylines would be concluded and replaced with new plots. If successful, Halloween may have been a franchise closer to The Twilight Zone or American Horror Story than a vehicle for Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Broadly, the Michael Myers-less third film centers on microchipped masks, a bit of stolen history and a TV broadcast. Critics were more receptive to the plot change, with roughly half of reviewers enjoying the film. Still, Carpenter and Hill heard the message clearly: Halloween is about Michael Myers.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
- Box Office Score: $33,679,000
- Audience Score: 25%
- Critic Score: 10%
Billed as a resurrection of Michael Myers, 2002’s iteration almost killed the franchise. Fans and critics alike agreed that reality TV plot and corny dialogue were too much to stomach. But what left more fans upset was the decision to kill Laurie in the opening minutes of the film. This marked the first time she had died on screen in the film franchise, with 1988’s Return of Michael Myers mentioning Laurie’s death in a car accident, which was later debunked in Halloween H20. Keeping up with the trend of killing off significant plots, Resurrection revealed that Laurie did not kill Michael at the end of H2O. Instead, she decapitated an innocent EMT that Michael set up, leading to Laurie ending up in an asylum for the mentally unwell.
Despite notable celebrities and actors of the time, the cast did little if not harm the film’s overall quality. Had the film done worse at the box office, it would undoubtedly be near or at the bottom of this list.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
- Box Office Score: $15,116,634
- Audience Score: 37%
- Critic Score: 8%
This version of Halloween is grim in multiple unintentional and intentional ways. The intentional sadness is best summarized by the conclusion of Jamie Lloyd’s tragic story. While Laurie is the centerpiece of Michael’s violence throughout the franchise, Jamie’s three-movie run is arguably the most brutal. What’s also horrifyingly brutal about The Curse is Michael’s stiff and rigid performance coupled with the loose and saggy revisioned mask. It’s almost as sad and clunky as the Curse of Thorn storyline, which has never been mentioned since.
On the unintentional side, the film marked Donald Pleasence’s last appearance. It also featured a young Paul Rudd in a not-so-Paul-Rudd-caliber performance you’d expect today. It might be hard to sit through this one, even if you’re a Michael Myers or Paul Rudd fan.
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