There’s No Straightforward Timeline in ‘Halloween’

Halloween is one of the big dog horror franchises and Michael Myers is one of the most popular horror figures. The Shape exists in multiple timelines and that means the terror that is Michael Myers has been experienced by many. But that also means the chronological order of the Halloween films is a bit funky. And I’m not talking about listening to Earth, Wind, & Fire while wearing bell-bottoms. The order is funky in a way that gets a bit confusing. So I’m here to clear up the confusion.

The Halloween films in order by release date are as follows:

• Halloween (1978)
• Halloween II (1981)
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
• Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
• Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
• Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
• Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
• Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
• Halloween (2007)
• Halloween II (2009)
• Halloween (2018)
• Halloween Kills (2021)
• Halloween Ends (2022)

Now let’s break them down into the various (confusing) timelines.

Sequel timeline

Halloween and Halloween II

If you’re looking for the original timeline, this one is for you. Halloween and Halloween II kickstart this series of events, focusing on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) trying to escape her brother Michael Myers’ murderous rampage. Both films take place on the same night and Halloween II primarily takes place in the hospital where Michael kills people. Of course, Halloween is one of the most iconic horror films of all time. And is regarded as one of the best slashers of all time. So we can’t forget that.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers marks the beginning of the Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) entries and they are … a lot. The film follows Laurie’s daughter Jamie and her foster family being terrorized by a newly awoken Michael (he was in a coma) on Halloween. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers isn’t the worst in this timeline and is watchable for the most part. But without certain characters like Jamie, Rachel Carruthers (Ellie Cornell), Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), it would be an incredibly rough watch.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

There’s only so much to say about Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers because it’s not great as a whole. It follows Michael trying to kill Jamie again as she struggles with her telepathic abilities. The departure from the other films is very evident because when were abilities like telepathy ever part of the other films? The answer is obvious. But if you are dedicated to watching every film in this timeline, then brace yourself for very kooky character decisions.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is one of the worst Halloween entries. It follows Kara Strode (Marianna Hagan), Tommy Doyle (Paul Rudd), and Dr. Loomis as they struggle to protect Michael’s son/grand-nephew (it’s a fucked up storyline) from both Michael and the Cult of Thorn. Introducing cults to Halloween was the silliest decision ever. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers will forever remain an unnecessary entry in the franchise. And much to the surprise of many, Paul Rudd does not save it.

Anthology timeline

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

It doesn’t matter when you watch Halloween III: Season of the Witch because it’s a standalone entry. Halloween III: Season of the Witch isn’t about Michael Myers and instead focuses on evil masks and a doctor trying to expose the factory that’s making them. The film wasn’t always beloved but thankfully it’s reached cult classic status because it’s actually good. I recommend watching it whenever and curling up with your favorite drink.

H20 Timeline

Halloween and Halloween II

Just like the original timeline, Halloween and Halloween II kick off the timeline and we all know the gist of them. Both films follow Laurie Strode and her brother Michael Myers who is determined to kill her. And doesn’t hold back from eliminating anyone who gets in his way. Halloween is indeed a classic and regardless of what timeline you’re interested in, it’s a must-watch.

Halloween H20: 20 Years Laters

The timeline fast forwards 20 years later with Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and of course Michael returns to ruin the lives of Laurie and her son John (Josh Hartnett). It’s a lot of fun and LL Cool J plays a character that actually survives his encounter with Michael Myers. And trust me, that was a big feat for Black characters in horror at that time

Halloween: Resurrection

What could have been a fun concept turned into a failed movie. Halloween: Resurrection not only kills Laurie Strode in a very stupid way, but the film is only memorable because Busta Rhymes’ character beats the hell out of Michael. Otherwise, it’s quite literally a Halloween film about Michael Myers not appreciating people filming a reality TV show in his childhood home. It’s not well-written and the characters are forgettable.

Rob Zombie timeline

Halloween

Rob Zombie has a style of directing and writing that may not be for everyone, making his remakes are extremely divisive. Halloween follows an incredibly brutal version of Michael Myers tracking down his younger sister. The film explores Michael’s childhood and how he became a killer. Halloween is gruesome in its kills and Michael is fucking terrifying (especially the adult version) throughout most of the film. Of course, the characters aren’t all well-written and that puts a damper on the experience. But it’s not as horrible as people make it out to be.

Halloween II

The world of Rob Zombie’s Halloween is full of horrible people that get murdered by Michael. Halloween II follows Michael waking up (after being seemingly killed) and terrorizing a traumatized Laurie. The director’s cut and the theatrical cut vary in vibes and key scenes/dialogue. Therefore the experience of watching this film will be dependent on the cut you’re watching. Other than that, you’ll either like it or you’ll probably hate it. The unnecessary aspects of the film are hard to ignore.

H40 timeline

Halloween

After many years of no Halloween films, Halloween takes us back into the world of Laurie and Michael Myers. Halloween ignores every sequel in this franchise and is a direct sequel to the first film. The film follows Laurie Strode forty years after Michael’s killing spree and, of course, he returns to Haddonfield to do it all over again. Say what you will about David Gordon Green’s trilogy, Halloween is fucking great and was a near-perfect return to this bonkers franchise. The exploration of trauma is woven right into the film and the message of Laurie’s experiences being validated hits hard.

Halloween Kills

People aggressively hate Halloween Kills, but overall it does what the middle of a trilogy often does—entertain us. Halloween Kills takes place the same night as Halloween and follows Michael killing people on his way to his childhood home. It also follows the townspeople looking to kill Michael once and for all. It’s a blood fest and is a silly slasher that was never meant to be a masterpiece. If you watch the David Gordon Green trilogy, you shouldn’t have high expectations for Halloween Kills.

Halloween Ends

The divisiveness surrounding Halloween Ends is intense and that’s understandable. Halloween Ends is the final film in the H40 trilogy and it follows Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) who becomes tangled up with the Strode family and Michael Myers. It’s unpopular to like this film, but there are some interesting things that it offers such as character study, cool kills, and Laurie finally finds peace at the end of the film. It may not be everyone’s ideal Halloween film and that’s alright because it was always going to be divisive.

(featured image: Compass International / Aquarius Releasing)