I’ve figured out what the Halloween franchise is. It’s a choose your own adventure!
Thirteen films across six different timelines. Changing masks, even in the same film. There’s a tonne of story and behind the scenes lore to get stuck into. I do wish they’d be more creative with their titles though; I’ve not had to date so many films to tell them apart before!
At this point I’ve seen all of the films. Even the one that doesn’t include Michael Myers. Perfect to rank. But just as important as the quality of the film is the quality of the Michael, so I’ll judge his movement/mannerisms, and most importantly, his mask.
Suffice to say, there’s a reason the older films persist in putting the original mask on the box covers.
Moe importantly though, is he the Boogeyman? Yes, I think he is.
13 – Halloween II (2009)
Rob Zombie is not a subtle filmmaker. With “edgy” dialogue, it feels as though they think they’re clever. They really aren’t. Michael being a voyeur is pretty standard, but H2 is completely OTT. It also manages to be both unnecessarily violent whilst also being tension free.
The predecessor to this film had one thing I could lean into – Loomis. But whereas Pleasance’s version fundamentally still cared, Malcolm McDowell’s Loomis is just a dickhead.
Certain scenes, especially later ones with the returning Danielle Harris as Annie Brackett, are too much. Brad Dourif is good! But I fundamentally do not like this film. It doesn’t meet any expectations of a Halloween film. It’s gratuitous and self-indulgent. But it’s also not fun
Mask – He isn’t The Shape with half a mask.
Michael – A hulking bum who doesn’t keep the mask on. He’s far too emotional. He even grunts at one point.
12 – Halloween III: Season of the Witch
I absolutely understand why Carpenter wanted to make Halloween an anthology and move into other areas. But if you’re going to step away from Michael, you better nail it.
Season of the Witch’s story doesn’t make sense. How did they move Stonehenge? Why kill all the children? What does that gain!? Surely there’s a better way to go about it? It’s not overall as violent a film, one gross death aside. But attacking kids is iffy at best in my book.
Dan O’Herlihy is cool to see at least! You know he’s shady as heck, but you can’t deny he’s charming.
It took a long time to getting round to watch this, but it’s rubbish.
Mask – The Shamrock mask designs are creepy. Nicely referenced in Halloween Kills too. But they aren’t Michael.
Michael – Can’t judge what isn’t there.
11 – Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Six years after Revenge, Curse had little chance of making sense of the mess left for it. How do you go about explaining the man in black, cults, and giving purpose to Michael. First of all, you shouldn’t. Secondly, they don’t really manage it!
I despise what they do to Jamie and it’s does Pleasance no favours in his final appearance. Paul Rudd sucks, hard.
There are some good kills, but the editing is far more horrific. The theatrical version at least is a mess of mashed together scenes. Then there’s the Producer’s Cut, which maybe I’ll get to.
At least the dickhead Dad gets his. Perhaps the most deserving of Myers in all the films.
Also, what’s the with music? Metal techno with screechy guitars has no place here!
Mask – A marked improvement over 4 and 5. Big but right level of detail. And you can’t see the eyes! Hair is too spiky though.
Michael – Brutal with a beer gut. Perhaps his most brutal and cruel in the original films.
10 – Halloween: Resurrection
Resurrection is such a dumb film. It couldn’t be more 2002 if it tried, But it’s biggest problem is what to do once Michael no longer has motivation.
I can appreciate that this timeline couldn’t keep relying on Michael following Laurie. And Curtis had clearly had enough of it. Michael having no plan, and just going home, could be enough. That “peace” being disrupted could be enough of a reason.
The use of the handheld camera, especially when guiding the final girl isn’t wholly ridiculous. It’s not a bad cat and mouse mechanic. But Busta Rhymes is terrible, and ultimately the film doesn’t really know what to do.
Mask – Far too contoured, though perhaps that helps with the grainy footage. If they had made a sequel, the melted mask could have been interesting.
Michael – Miles better than H20. The movements are pretty good, with a decent cadence to it all.
9 – Halloween (2007)
Rob Zombie’s remake is a waste of time. It’s so occupied with being grimy that it can’t even be bothered to keep up with it’s own story. So much time is spent badly explaining Michael, only for it be ditched halfway through for ‘yep, he’s just evil’.
It’s like the film realises that he doesn’t need explaining.
Pleasance is the King but McDowell is definitely the best part of this; you’re not sure if he legitimately means well or he’s a full on sell out.
How does Michael know who his sister is after so long though?
A brutal but very clumsy reboot. When Michael seems the most fleshed out you know something has gone wrong.
Mask – The mask is great, and looks creepy as hell on a kid.
Michael – His sheer size makes the normal Myers mannerisms feel odd. He even rushes a few times. Can more convincingly walk through a door though.
8 – Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Five’s issue is that it doesn’t know what it’s doing, having been rushed into production following four’s success. A mystery box Abrams would have been proud of, it isn’t given a chance to be anything more than questions created and kicked down the road. It brings back Jamie, Rachel, and Pleasance, but completely bottles committing to the previous films’ ideas.
At this point Loomis is positively unhinged, screaming in Jamie’s face, using her bait, and having a stroke as he tries to beat Myers. Speaking of kids, Danielle Harris does a great job again as Jamie. The teenagers are annoying but at least Tina is trying to be protective of Jamie. Rachel however gets stitched up.
Why the police comedy duo get comedy noises I’ll never know.
Michael isn’t mucking about at least, making good use of farming implements.
Overall a frustrating entry.
Mask – Never being tucked in winds me up. Far too long but at least no eyes.
Michael – Good build. Moves alright. Pretty solid.
7 – Halloween Ends
In the cinema I really struggled with this entry. I appreciate a swing for the fences when it comes to the affect evil and fear can have on a community, and on individuals. But I was expecting the big Laurie vs Michael showdown, and the film only seemed interested in that for the last twenty minutes. Green and Co asked a lot of fans with Halloween Ends, but it’s been a few years now and I’ve had the chance to watch the trilogy together.
Ends still might not be what I wanted, but it is interesting. In ways that no previous entry has been. Michael isn’t in it for nearly 45 minutes, but his presence and effect is felt throughout.
Can’t argue that it doesn’t give us catharsis in the end though! It is extremely final, making even the ending of H20 look tame.
Between it being the third film and it’s polarizing story, it’s no surprise that it uses the same fonts as Season of the Witch in it’s title sequence.
Mask – Amazing ’18 mask with burn damage and now possibly moldy. Makes sense. Still looks great.
Michael – We don’t see nearly enough of him. But once rejuvenated he’s the same great Michael of ’18 and Kills.
6 – Halloween II
H2 is a response to other slashers, upping the kills and style. It’s goofy at times but it is more violent, despite several kills being off screen. Using the hospital CCTV is cool, whilst the nurses’ shoes falling off as she dies is a fun gag.
I love continuity so seeing Ben Tramer is cool, whilst Pleasance once again provides much needed gravitas.
A blinded Michael makes for a tense final confrontation.
Whilst I understand wanting to move on from Myers, I’m not sure Carpenter adding in the relationship between him and Laurie did it any favours. Laurie could have been a reminder of his sister who is now deemed unfinished business. And we didn’t need Samhain. No motivation is scarier!
At least we get Laurie and Loomis together for some of it. I love it when Loomis says “You don’t know what death is” and the theme kicks in.
Mask – It’s the original mask so it’s great. Just on a different stuntman’s head and mistreated since the original.
Michael – I enjoy how Dick Warlock moves. Very smooth, never rushed.
5 – Halloween H20
Much like the original, for a large part of the film it’s about mood and not kills. Coming back twenty years later, H20 is about Laurie. It’s how she’s been struggling with her past trauma, and how she ultimately finds the courage to finish the job.
It’s a really short film, so the slashing is in bursts at the start and end. Cerebral would be pushing it, but much like the original it’s not about the gore. Curtis does well to show just how damaged Laurie has become, and thankfully the kids aren’t annoying.
There are lots of call backs, some snappy Scream-esque dialogue and not every decision made is a stupid one. There aren’t many kills, but Laurie and Michael facing off through the window is iconic. A broken Laurie getting herself together and facing her bogeyman is badass and fitting.
Michael – He moves a bit too quickly. Otherwise he’s fine. It’s a shame he’s not on point when Laurie is so good.
Mask – Very messy, with four masks used through filming. The best one is from the previous film, so there really as no need to get it so wrong.
4 – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
H3’s failure meant Myers had to be resurrected. There’s some mental gymnastics to get things going but at least it’s dealt with quickly and creepily. Loomis and Michael survived, and Laurie had a daughter before dying in an unrelated incident. Then you’re left with a film that is fittingly autumnal in it’s tone and presentation.
A child being hunted is fundamentally unsettling, bolstered by Danielle Harris’s acting, and her similarity to my own daughter.
Then there’s Donald Pleasance returning as Loomis. He’s great, often coming to mind for her when discussing this franchise before Laurie. Pleasance has presence!
Shout-out to Sheriff Meeker too. Like Haddonfield residents he’s proactive, even if his decisions leave something to be desired at times.
H4 does a good job of getting things back on track. Every time I watch this one I appreciate it more.
Michael – He’s unintentionally hilarious at times, which I quite enjoy now. The hockey pads used to bulk him out don’t help his stilted motion.
Mask – The story makes it clear it’s a new mask, but it rarely looks good. Brightly shown, with none of the contours of the original. It makes Michael look almost apologetic.
3 – Halloween Kills
I’m so pleased that this is named sequel and not another Halloween 2.
Halloween Kills follows on directly from 2018, with Michael’s initial slaughter becoming known to all of Haddonfield. Returning characters take part in rousing the city against the shape, not that it does them much good.
In terms of the amount of kills, and their style, the film really lives up to its title. In those terms alone it’s likely my favourite in the series. 2018 could easily be the ending of the story, but in true horror fashion some questionable decisions and down right supernatural levels of punishment taking allow things to move forward. Kudos to the firefighter who thought turning the hose on Michael would do anything. moves it on in a somewhat logical fashion. Some social commentary aside, it’s fair to say evil didn’t die tonight. And the flashback! So well done!
Mask – Following on from ’18 Halloween means it’s still an amazing mask. The fire damage adds a little something to it too.
Michael – With style and maybe even some humour, this is a much more violent Michael, fully awakened and ready to take on anyone. Love it.
2 – Halloween (2018)
It’s got everything I need. Lore to read on Wikipedia, a convincing boogeyman, and a strong sense of “watch out!” It also has enough brutality to make me wince but not want to throw up. ’78 is awesome, but older me prefers the pacing and higher kill-count of ’18.
Laurie might not be timid anymore, but despite being hardened she’s also completely broken. Not being able to let go has broken her family, but perhaps she’ll be proven right?
Then there’s Michael, restored to being “the Shape” with a perfect mask aligned with a newer brutality.
There’s the odd bit of silliness, but overall I just like this film a lot. This is a horror film I can fully enjoy. My main question is…does Michael even know it’s Laurie? Should we care?
With the trilogy now wrapped up, I think this could have been the perfect finale.
Michael – Age hasn’t slowed him down one bit. Modern times have made him more brutal too. The cadence and movement is all there.
Mask – Totally believable that this is the same mask years later. An amazing recreation, second only to the original.
1 – Halloween (1978)
The original film sets the bar that all other Halloweens are measured against. From the music to it’s well-paced direction and use of early steady-cam, it builds tension. It’s a very patient film, and there’s no denying that by today’s standards it’s very tame. Five kills with barely a drop of blood. Nevertheless it’s a well-crafted and chilling piece, with Carpenter innately understanding how to build a mood. That patience, punctuated by sharp spikes in the unforgettable score, can still make you jump now. The film takes a friendly, safe looking neighbourhood and undercuts it with a sense of dread. Through the voyeuristic gaze of our killer, his breath is the only clue that he’s human at all.
Even now after watching I still make sure everything is locked after, and there’s always a glance over my shoulder as I go upstairs.
Mask and Michael – The basis for everything after. Iconic.
With so many films across so many timelines it doesn’t really matter if we agree or not. We all know there will be more. How would you rank them?
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