Halloween Movies in Order: Timeline Guide (1978–2022)

Forty-four years after John Carpenter’s low-budget slasher became a phenomenon, the franchise has grown into 13 films spread across three separate timelines. If you’ve ever wondered which sequels connect and which ones to skip, this guide breaks it all down.

Total Halloween movies (1978–2022): 13 ·
Distinct timelines in the franchise: 3 ·
Movies featuring Jamie Lee Curtis: 5 ·
Year the original Halloween was released: 1978

Six films, one pattern: the franchise’s history is split into three distinct timelines that each treat the original 1978 film differently.

What is the correct order to watch Halloween?

The three main timelines explained

• Thorn timeline: Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween 4 (1988), Halloween 5 (1989), Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) (IGN).
• H20 timeline: Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween: Resurrection (2002) (IGN).
• H40 timeline: Halloween (1978), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), Halloween Ends (2022) (Radio Times (UK TV and film guide)).
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) is a standalone anthology film not connected to Michael Myers (IGN).

The catch: each timeline starts with the 1978 original but diverges after that. Picking a timeline dictates which sequels you need to watch.

Chronological order within each timeline

• Thorn timeline: watch in release order: 1978 → 1981 → 1988 → 1989 → 1995.
• H20 timeline: watch 1978 → 1981 → 1998 → 2002.
• H40 timeline: watch 1978 → 2018 → 2021 → 2022.

The pattern: within a single timeline, release order equals story order. No skipping needed.

What are the 13 Halloween movies?

Full list of all Halloween films (1978–2022)

1. Halloween (1978) – directed by John Carpenter (IGN)
2. Halloween II (1981) (IGN)
3. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) (IGN)
4. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) (IGN)
5. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) (IGN)
6. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) (IGN)
7. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) (IGN)
8. Halloween: Resurrection (2002) (IGN)
9. Halloween (2007) – Rob Zombie remake (IGN)
10. Halloween II (2009) – Rob Zombie sequel (IGN)
11. Halloween (2018) (IGN)
12. Halloween Kills (2021) (IGN)
13. Halloween Ends (2022) (IGN)

The implication: the franchise includes 13 movies, but only 11 feature Michael Myers. Halloween III stands alone as a seasonal horror anthology.

Which movies are part of the Michael Myers story

• All films except Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
• The Rob Zombie remakes (2007, 2009) are their own separate continuity.

Why this matters: fans looking for Michael Myers should skip the third film entirely — it has its own cult following but no Shape.

What is the order of the Halloween movies with Michael Myers?

Thorn timeline order

• Halloween (1978) → Halloween II (1981) → Halloween 4 (1988) → Halloween 5 (1989) → Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) (IGN)

H20 timeline order

• Halloween (1978) → Halloween II (1981) → Halloween H20 (1998) → Halloween: Resurrection (2002) (IGN)

H40 timeline order

• Halloween (1978) → Halloween (2018) → Halloween Kills (2021) → Halloween Ends (2022) (Radio Times (UK TV and film guide))

The trade-off: the H40 timeline is the simplest and most modern, but you miss the sibling backstory that drives the earlier installments.

How did Michael Myers find out Laurie is his sister?

The sibling reveal in Halloween II (1981)

• Dr. Loomis reveals Laurie is Michael’s sister in Halloween II (IGN).
• John Carpenter has stated the twist was not his idea but was invented for the sequel (IGN).

Retcons in later timelines

• The 2018 Halloween film retcons the sibling relationship, removing it entirely (Radio Times).
• Director David Gordon Green said they wanted to return to the simplicity of the original.

The implication: the sibling twist is central to the Thorn and H20 timelines, but the H40 timeline treats Michael and Laurie as unrelated, changing the emotional stakes.

Do you have to watch the Halloween movies in order?

Why order matters for each timeline

• Within a single timeline, watching in release order is recommended for plot continuity (People).
• Skipping films within a timeline will leave plot holes (e.g., jumping from 1978 to 1998 without Halloween II).

Standalone films you can watch without context

• Halloween III: Season of the Witch stands completely alone.
• The Rob Zombie remake duology (2007, 2009) is self-contained.

The pattern: you can watch any standalone film without prior knowledge, but for the Michael Myers saga, pick a lane and stick with it.

Halloween Franchise Timeline (1978–2022)

• 1978: Halloween (original) released, directed by John Carpenter (IGN).
• 1981: Halloween II released, introduces Laurie as Michael’s sister (IGN).
• 1982: Halloween III: Season of the Witch released, a standalone anthology film (IGN).
• 1988–1995: Thorn trilogy: Halloween 4, 5, and The Curse of Michael Myers (IGN).
• 1998: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, ignores films after Halloween II (IGN).
• 2002: Halloween: Resurrection, concludes the H20 timeline (IGN).
• 2007–2009: Rob Zombie’s remake duology (IGN).
• 2018–2022: H40 trilogy: Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends — retcons all sequels after 1978 (Radio Times).

The catch: the timeline is a maze of resets. Each reboot attempts to tidy up the continuity, but the result is multiple starting points.

“It was not my idea. It was invented for Halloween II.”

— John Carpenter, director of the original Halloween

“We wanted to go back to the simplicity of the original.”

— David Gordon Green, director of Halloween (2018)

For horror fans who want to experience Michael Myers at his most terrifying, the choice is between a convoluted history and a streamlined reboot. The implication is clear: pick a timeline and commit, or risk confusion. For franchise newcomers, the H40 timeline is the most straightforward option — otherwise, the Thorn timeline offers the classic, if messy, experience.

Related reading: Friday the 13th (2009) Guide · Sleeping with the Enemy: Plot, Cast & Ending

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