The Halloween series has 13 films and no single watching order, because it splits into four timelines that ignore each other. The shortest route is Halloween (1978), then Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022).
What order should you watch the Halloween movies in?
The Halloween films are watched by timeline, not by release year. The series restarted several times, and each restart ignored some of the sequels before it. Each of the four orders below tells one consistent story.
| Timeline | Films |
|---|---|
| 2018 trilogy | 1978 → 2018 → Kills (2021) → Ends (2022) |
| H20 | 1978 → II (1981) → H20 (1998) → Resurrection (2002) |
| Original series | 1978 → II (1981) → 4 (1988) → 5 (1989) → 6 (1995) |
| Rob Zombie | Halloween (2007) → Halloween II (2009) |
What are the Halloween movies in release order?
- Halloween (1978), directed by John Carpenter
- Halloween II (1981), directed by Rick Rosenthal
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
- Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), directed by Dwight H. Little
- Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), directed by Joe Chappelle
- Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), directed by Steve Miner
- Halloween: Resurrection (2002), directed by Rick Rosenthal
- Halloween (2007), directed by Rob Zombie
- Halloween II (2009), directed by Rob Zombie
- Halloween (2018), directed by David Gordon Green
- Halloween Kills (2021), directed by David Gordon Green
- Halloween Ends (2022), directed by David Gordon Green
Which Halloween movies should a first-timer watch?
For a first-timer, the shortest and most consistent route is the 2018 trilogy: Halloween (1978) first, then Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022). These four films close the story of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers 40 years on. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie Strode in both the 1978 film and the trilogy.
Why is Michael Myers not in Halloween III?
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) was made under a plan to turn the series into an anthology with a different Halloween story each year. The film follows a company that sells Halloween masks and has no connection to Michael Myers. The plan did not continue, and Michael Myers returned in Halloween 4 in 1988.
What is Halloween 2007?
Halloween (2007) is Rob Zombie's remake that retells the first film from the start. It gives more time to Michael Myers's childhood and his years in the asylum. Its sequel is Halloween II (2009), and the two films stand apart from the other timelines.
Who plays who in the Halloween series?
- Michael Myers: Nick Castle in 1978, Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney in the 2018 trilogy.
- Laurie Strode: Jamie Lee Curtis, in 1978, 1981, 1998, 2002 and the 2018 trilogy.
- Dr Sam Loomis: Donald Pleasence, in five films of the original series.
- Dr Ranbir Sartain: Haluk Bilginer, in Halloween (2018).
The characters who became Halloween's best-known figures over the series are in Halloween characters. Halloween's origins are in what is Halloween.
Sources: Wikipedia, Halloween (1978 film) and Wikipedia, Halloween (franchise).