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Every Movie in the Michael Myers 'Halloween' Series, Ranked

Not every attempt on Laurie Strode's life is as entertaining as the rest.

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Looking at the Halloween franchise, it's a bit startling to see that in reality, there aren't that many good films in the canon. That said, when Halloween hits its stride, it really nails what it's trying to achieve. When it doesn't, you might want to check whether or not Jamie Lee Curtis is in tow, because the correlation there is really something worth paying attention to. That doesn't change the fact that the eleven-film series spans across 40 years and features a killer that somehow never seems to die.

In a way, the Halloween series can be broken into three categories: very good films, enjoyable disasters, and Rob Zombie. Part of the journey of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode is sitting through the triumphs and the travesties. But in the rundown of films detailing the cursed night of Halloween and the relentless bullshit that one poor woman has to deal with throughout her life, there is a very clear ranking of how those films should be regarded.

Below are all eleven films, ranked based on watchability and plot. Unfortunately, the Tyra Banks and Busta Rhymes installment (yes, seriously) did not take number one, but that doesn't mean it's not very much still in the family. Sit back, grab a papier-mâché mask, and read on.

11. Halloween II (2009)

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You love to see Hollywood give someone a second chance after their first attempt didn't pay off. Less well-received than Zombie's first remake/origin story, Halloween II attempted to tell the story of how Michael Myers and Laurie Strode are somehow alike in some ways. It didn't pan out. Neither did the third installment that was cancelled before it saw the light of day.

10. Halloween (2007)

Do you know what hardly ever worked? Recreating film franchises in the mid-2000s with hot, young versions of old characters. Rob Zombie's attempt at breathing life into the franchise was a flop, failing to capture any of the film's original allure. Part-origin story, the set up never quite paid off in the end.

9. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

This stars Paul Rudd, and that's about all you need to know. While Rudd tried, it's the lowest critically rated film in the series, and yet... still higher on our list than two others.

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8. Halloween V (1989)

Ending a terrible run with a forgettable, terrible movie is a sad flex, but that's what happened with Halloween V. After four unfortunate sequel attempts, Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myers was the last weak swing that the franchise would take for a while. Loomis is still a mainstay, but Strode remains gone until her triumphant return in 1998. The fifth installment is less of a disappointment and more of a final dying breath that the franchise needed for a bit.

7. Halloween IV (1988)

This is just a categorically bad film that attempted to find a franchise still lost in the weeds. Donald Pleasence returns as Dr. Loomis, but that's about where the fanfare stops. Criticized for its lack of direction and actual suspense, Halloween IV is a bit of a non-starter and isn't actually bad enough to be noted upon.

6. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Halloween: Resurrection deserves your respect and admiration. First and foremost, Laurie Strode returns in full form after the 1998 venture. But more than that, this film is so incredibly bad that it nearly careens toward being good. Starring alongside Curtis is Busta Rhymes (not a typo), Tyra Banks (not a typo), and Sean Patrick Thomas (oh, this is a typ—oh wow, still not a typo). Treat. Yourself.

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5. Halloween II (1981)

This is where it all went wrong. After a massive success with the first film, Halloween II came along and fell apart so hard that Curtis didn't even return for the third installment. Attempting to recreate the magic of the first, the hospital-set film falls into cliché quickly before seemingly stalling out and going nowhere. Most critics agree that Halloween II derailed the franchise for a long, long time before course correcting years later.

4. Halloween III (1982)

Halloween III lands above its predecessor sequel because it was doing its best with a bad situation (more on that... well, below). Initially, this film was just bad. I mean, it literally doesn't feature Myers. But it also came to establish its own strange cult following as a movie so bad it's actually good. That's a feat in itself and worthy of a higher placement.

3. H20: Halloween (1998)

Listen, this lands high for a lot of reasons. A) Michelle Williams is here. And B) It largely ignores four of the six films that preceded it, which is honestly for the best. Halloween as a film? Great. Halloween as a franchise? There are many serious bumps in the road. Outside of the top two film slots, this is the one that felt most true to the original, and it hits on the 20th anniversary, which feels like the appropriate time to check in on Laurie Strode to make sure she's not absolutely bonkers.

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2. Halloween (2018)

In all its iterations and recreations, the 2018 remake of Halloween is the closest that the series has come to reinventing itself. Curtis returns 40 years after the original as a rightfully jaded, paranoid Strode who has come to be known as the crazy lady who lives down the way. Her legend status comes in handy though when she fires back against the insane killer who refuses to die.

1. Halloween (1978)

This is essentially a gimme. None of the rest would have existed without the inception of Michael Myers and the utter badassery of Laurie Strode. The babysitter killer in the late 70s opened up a whole slate of films and spoke to a serial killer anxiety at the time that narratively could not have been better timed. While Michael Myers might be the greatest inception of the series, the film also cemented Curtis as the preeminent scream queen, forever.

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