How to watch Halloween movie series in order – the horror franchise timeline
It's the perfect time to get caught up with one of cinema's most famous monsters.
With spooky season upon us, now's the perfect time to watch, or rewatch, the Halloween movies.
In 1978, John Carpenter's low-budget slasher film Halloween premiered in cinemas and soon became an unexpected and phenomenal success, spawning sequels, reboots and remakes.
The franchise has continued to expand ever since, although things are currently on pause following the release of 2022's appropriately titled Halloween Ends.
That film followed Halloween and Halloween Kills in David Gordon Green's 'requel' trilogy and was overall the 13th entry in total in the series. And while we wouldn't bet against the franchise being relaunched yet another time in the future, 13 does seem an appropriate number for a horror series.
However, with multiple timelines in the movie series, watching them in the best order can be a tricky task.
What's more, while a couple of years ago nearly all of the films were available to stream on Netflix, it's now far more complicated to work out where to watch them all, given many of them are on an assortment of different platforms such as NOW, Netflix and even Plex.
So where should you start? We've got four Halloween timeline options for you. Here's your essential guide to the Halloween movies in order and where to watch them as the spookiest night of the year draws closer.
Alternatively, if you're looking for a list of the best classic Halloween movies, why not check out our guide.
Halloween movie order: The original timeline
The first path you have the option of going down charts the original Halloween timeline, starting off strong with John Carpenter's acclaimed original film, but eventually burning out as the storyline grew increasingly silly.
1. Halloween (1978)
This first instalment introduces Jamie Lee Curtis in her first major role, portraying teenage babysitter Laurie Strode, who becomes the target of a deranged serial killer named Michael Myers.
2. Halloween II (1981)
The story continues in this direct follow-up written by John Carpenter himself, which reveals hidden secrets about the true link between Myers and Strode, bringing their story to a (temporary) end.
3. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
After a brief absence for an unrelated third entry (more on that below), Michael Myers returned in this fourth instalment in the Halloween film series.
Donald Pleasance reprises his role as Dr Sam Loomis, who must face off against former patient Michael Myers when he returns to Haddonfield with murderous intentions.
Notably, Jamie Lee Curtis did not return for this instalment and is not again seen until 1998's Halloween H20, which picks up the story in a separate continuity.
4. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Pleasance returns for this fifth entry alongside Danielle Harris as Michael Myers' unfortunate niece, as another seasonal clash unfolds with predictably deadly consequences.
5. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
After two much-maligned entries, the Halloween franchise went off the deep end with this ill-judged sequel, which delved into Michael Myers past as the victim of a scheming cult.
Intermission | Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
The third instalment in the Halloween film series doesn't neatly fit into any of the franchise's timelines, as a standalone sci-fi tale exploring witchcraft.
The idea was to turn Halloween into an anthology series, the likes of which have since been popularised by American Horror Story, telling a different spooky story in each entry.
Unfortunately, audiences didn't take to the idea, demanding that Michael Myers be reinstated as franchise baddie, which he eventually was six years later.
Halloween movie order: The second timeline
The Halloween franchise enjoyed a brief resurgence in the 1990s, owing to a soft reboot that rendered everything except the first two films non-canon.
1. Halloween (1978)
This first instalment introduces Jamie Lee Curtis in her first major role, portraying teenage babysitter Laurie Strode, who becomes the target of a deranged serial killer named Michael Myers.
2. Halloween II (1981)
The story continues in this direct follow-up written by John Carpenter himself, which reveals hidden secrets about the true link between Myers and Strode, bringing their story to a (temporary) end.
3. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
To mark the 20th anniversary of the first film, Jamie Lee Curtis returned as Laurie Strode for this belated sequel, which only acknowledges the continuity of the first two films.
We're reintroduced to Strode living under a different name and trying to escape her traumatic past, but Myers eventually catches up to her once again.
The film stands out as one of the brighter spots in the Halloween film series, earning critical and commercial success, but with that came temptation to make yet another sequel.
4. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
And here's where it all went wrong (again). Halloween: Resurrection sees Michael Myers return to his hometown of Haddonfield, where he has one last confrontation with Laurie Strode, as well as a cast of new faces.
The film was critically panned and a financial disappointment, resulting in yet another reboot from genre director Rob Zombie (see bottom of this page).
Halloween movie order: The current timeline
The most recent iteration of Halloween is also selective with what it regards canon; in this instance, only the first film actually happened, but Laurie Strode has not been able to move on in the 40 years that followed.
1. Halloween (1978)
This first instalment introduces Jamie Lee Curtis in her first major role, portraying teenage babysitter Laurie Strode, who becomes the target of a deranged serial killer named Michael Myers.
2. Halloween (2018)
A direct follow-up to John Carpenter's original film, 2018's Halloween returns to find Laurie Strode a paranoid loner, obsessed with the eventual return of her attacker: Michael Myers.
Her fixation on survival has led to the estrangement of her daughter and granddaughter, but the Strode women will find themselves allied once more when their worst fears come true.
This instalment in the Halloween film series was a mammoth hit, with two sequels confirmed to be on the way: Halloween Kills in 2021, and Halloween Ends in 2022.
3. Halloween Kills (2021)
A direct follow up to 2018's Halloween, the latest entry in the franchise unfolds in the immediate aftermath of the events of the previous film – after Michael Myers escapes from the trap Laurie had laid for him.
As in Halloween II, Laurie spends much of the runtime incapacitated at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, but a mob formed by Tommy Doyle – a grown-up version of the boy she babysat for all those years ago – aims to get rid of the boogeyman once and for all.
The response to this film was rather more muted than to its predecessors, with the movie receiving mixed reviews from critics – albeit some fans remained enthusiastic in their praise.
4. Halloween Ends (2022)
Continuing the story from the previous two instalments, this final entry in David Gordon Green's reboot trilogy promises to be the final showdown between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers.
Picking up four years after Halloween Kills, it opens with Laurie living with her granddaughter and trying to finish her memoir – only for things to take a turn when a young man standing accused of murdering a boy he was babysitting ignites a cascade of violence and terror in the community.
This leads to Laurie finally confronting the evil she can't control.
The Rob Zombie series
Following the failure of Halloween: Resurrection, the franchise was passed to genre director Rob Zombie to reinvent with full creative control.
The result is a two-film franchise set in a self-contained continuity, that generally failed to impress critics or audiences; that said, as is often the case with niche horror fare, both have a small cult fanbase.
1. Halloween (2007)
Loosely adapting the plot of John Carpenter's 1978 classic, this remake sees babysitter Laurie Strode (here played by Scout Taylor-Compton) stalked by a deranged killer on the night of Halloween.
2. Halloween II (2009)
Rob Zombie returned to continue his spin on the Halloween mythos, with Myers continuing his hunt for Laurie Strode, while his former psychiatrist capitalises on his newfound infamy.
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If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
