There was a new 'Halloween' film last year, so I thought I'd update my current ranking list of the series. Now, I won't be doing this three year's straight for each new movie coming so don't worry about repetition. I just thought I'd take another look and give you all something fun so without further ado, let's rank the 'Halloween' franchise. We go worst to best this time and yes part 3 is included.
'Resurrection' is still at the bottom for me and this is unlikely to change in the near future. While 'Halloween H20' wasn't perfect, it did provide a satisfying conclusion that saw Laurie Strode finally overcome her demons and chopped off Michael's head. What should have been sequel proof is explained away two minutes into this dreck. Then to add to the poor decisions, Laurie is unceremoniously disposed of and then we get into the real garbage. I will give the film this: the idea is not a bad one on paper, but the execution and writing is what topples everything. Every character is annoying, dumb, and I can't even remember their names even after watching it again for this ranking. It's no surprise that this did truly kill the 'Halloween' franchise for many years. At least Rob Zombie's version gave the series some life again despite your overall thoughts on the film. As far as I can tell, there's truly no hope for this one moving any time soon.
A perfect example of what happens when you rush a movie to cash in on the success of the previous installment, 'Halloween 5' is boring, repetitive, and bloodless. 'Resurrection' may have a terrible cast all around, but this one has Tina who could have single-handedly dropped the film to very bottom if not for part 5 having better technical qualities than that film. Donald Pleasance does seem to be trying his best as Dr. Loomis but it just feels like he's just having a real hard time which is sad that his talent is wasted on this. Danielle Harris is okay but the whole idea of her being psychically linked to her uncle is a little too silly for 'Halloween'. The film also just throws any continuity out the window in favor of generic slasher tropes and a setup that wouldn't be resolved until 1996. 'Halloween 5' is a cash grab plain and simple.
I like some of Rob Zombie's films, but I think it's nothing new for me to say that they aren't the most intellectual or well written. That's the most mild thing you could say about his 2007 half-remake of the original film. The prequel portion is commendable because it's at least trying to be an original idea, but after five minutes you just want to shut it off. The movie like many of his works seem to just be trying to be offensive so hard that it's just obnoxious and desperate. He stated he wished to remain faithful to the original film but at the same time, he seems to be going for a sleazy grindhouse style film that just clashes with that film's more subtle angle. It's like that kid you knew in school who thought swearing made him cool when he's just an annoyance. He even managed to make me hate Dr. Loomis and Laurie which is some kind of achievement.
Most of what I have to say about 'Halloween II' is the same as above, with a couple changes. At least this is a completely original story and not based on the 1981 sequel. It's also more stylish than the 2007 film but instead of the exploitation style, Zombie is going for the surreal which he was much more successful at with 'The Lords of Salem'. Nothing much else really. It's a trashy Rob Zombie flick.
This may be due to fatigue, but I feel like I'm from another world whenever I hear people tell me 'Curse of Michael Myers' is a good sequel. I've heard this from so many fans and that's their opinion and their right don't get me wrong, but I simply don't understand the love for this flick. Even the Producer's Cut doesn't change a lot of the problems I have with it, with the exception of more Donald Pleasance which is always a plus. But the story is still silly, the cast is bland, the kills are lackluster, and I can completely understand why they basically rebooted with 'H20'. What I do like about the movie is it has the atmosphere down and it feels like Halloween if that makes sense. The film is also shot with a more contrast heavy darkness that gives it more style than a lot of 90's horror of the time. It's not as terrible as I thought the first time around, but it's a bit overrated to me.
It was nice to see Jamie Lee come back in what was intended to be the last movie of the series (yeah right). 'Halloween H20' has sadly not aged well over the years, especially with the recent 2018 film taking it's place but it's still pretty fun. It was the first 'Halloween' film I got to see and being a big fanatic of the 'Scream' series at the time I was of course hooked on the franchise after 'H20'. But 'Scream' is the root of the problem here because ironically the film that was inspired by 'Halloween' would influence a 'Halloween' sequel. Hell even the score is recycled from 'Scream' much to the chagrin of the composer but it's the final act that really ramps up the film on the list for me. I'll predict that once the upcoming sequels roll in, you'll probably be seeing 'H20' go down a bit more.
'Halloween III' is much like 'Curse' in that it has become a bit overrated due to a resurgence of fans who began to praise the film. I do still think it's overrated, but it's also a better movie than 'Curse' in my opinion. While it doesn't follow any characters or storylines from the main 'Halloween' series, it captures the holiday on screen better than some of the other sequels. This is one of the better films to binge during Halloween and it is one of the few in the series to try legit scares and is surprisingly one of the gorier sequels. It also still had a lot of the original team still working behind the scenes so you do get a quality script, musical score, and direction. I just think people need to calm down a bit when singing its praises is all.
'Halloween 4' has grown on me after ranking so low the last time. When I did my first list, 'Return' felt a bit too simple for an anniversary comeback film but now I see that simplicity is what makes 'Halloween 4' work so well. It goes through the same beats as the first movie and we thankfully see the return of Dr. Loomis and we're introduced to Danielle Harris's Jamie who is a very likeable character as is her sister Rachel. Even if the movie itself seems cheap the performances from Harris, Pleasance, and the rest are better than a slasher sequel expects of them. It's really only held back by it's cheap look and Michael himself who looks like he wears football padding at all times and probably the worst mask in the franchise.
The previous number two holder 'Halloween II' has been given the bronze though it's still a great sequel. The hospital setting is surprisingly underused in horror and my personal favorite setting of the series. I just find hospitals eerie and the flick gets that down (though one must wonder why no other patients exist). Michael is brutal and unrelenting this time around, with more gruesome deaths and an overall darker tone to the whole thing. Sadly Jamie Lee is pushed to the side and instead we get a more generic slasher plot. The reveal of Michael and Laurie being siblings never bothered me but I will admit it did create issues down the road and probably should not have been included. Donald Pleasance returns in my favorite Loomis role. He's just a madman desperate to kill Michael at all costs and the over the top performance is wonderful and humorous. 'Halloween II' may not be considered canon anymore, but it's still a great sequel.
'Halloween 2018' is overrated, but I still love it. It brought the franchise back with a well made project that had effort and passion put into it when it could've just been another cash grab. While it's far from perfect (my old review is pretty different to how I feel now) with a bit too much name-dropping and self-referential humor along with some really dumb horror cliches and dialogue it's also well acted, one of the better made, the score has John Carpenter return, and of course Jamie Lee is badass. Let's hope they can do even better with next year's 'Halloween Kills'.
I'm going to be honest, I have officially run out of things to say about the original 'Halloween'. You all know this movie, most people I know love it, it's one of the best movies ever made. It's my number one horror movie of all time and inspired countless imitators some good most bad. 'Halloween' is a phenomenon but you already know that.
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