The "Halloween" franchise isn’t just a straight line of sequels; it’s more like a twisted hedge maze with four different paths. Yes, Michael Myers has four distinct timelines to choose from, making his saga a “choose your own slasher adventure.” If you’re looking to marathon all 13 Michael Myers-centric Halloween movies, you need a game plan.
Below, we break down two viewing options: watching by chronological story timeline or by theatrical release date. We’ll explain each of the four main timelines, including which films go where and how to follow Laurie Strode’s journey (she has multiple endings, including one as Grandma Laurie ready for battle).
© Getty ImagesFinally, we’ll list every Halloween movie in release order, noting which timeline each belongs to. If it sounds complicated, don’t worry, consider this your roadmap through Haddonfield’s branching horrors. After all, with multiple timelines in play, figuring out the best watch order can be tricky.
Let’s carve up these timelines!
Halloween Movies in Chronological Order (By Story Timeline)
Rather than watching in the order the films were released, you can follow the story continuity within each distinct timeline. The franchise splintered into four main continuities over the years (not counting one odd standalone).
Each timeline starts with John Carpenter’s 1978 classic as a foundation, then veers off in its own direction. Below, we break down the four major Halloween timelines and the films in each, in the order their stories unfold. Pick a timeline and follow the terror!
© Getty Images- Original “Thorn” Timeline (1978–1995) – The Curse of Michael Myers. This is the original continuity that began it all, and eventually got really weird. It includes the first two films and then jumps to Michael’s return after a long hiatus, ignoring the unrelated third film.
- Halloween (1978) – The night He came home. Introduces masked killer Michael Myers escaping a sanitarium to stalk babysitter Laurie Strode in Haddonfield. The quintessential slasher that started Michael’s legacy. (This film kicks off three of the four timelines – it’s the common ground before things branch off.)
- Halloween II (1981) – Picks up literally minutes later on the same night in 1978. Laurie is rushed to the hospital, and Michael follows, carving his way through the staff in pursuit of her.
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) – Not in this timeline. This oddball entry has no Michael Myers at all, offering a standalone spooky story about cursed masks. You can skip this when following Michael’s saga.
© Getty Images- Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) – After a 7-year break (and that detour in Part III), Michael is back! Set ten years after H2, Return ignores Laurie’s survival.
- Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) – Continues one year after Part 4. Young Jamie is catatonic after her last encounter with Uncle Michael, who miraculously survived being shot
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) – Set six years later, this film dives headlong into the bizarre cult plot. We learn that the Man in Black is part of the Cult of Thorn, which cursed Michael to kill his kin.
- 1978 Halloween through Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers in 1995. It’s the core saga where Laurie is Michael’s sister, and it evolves into a crazy cult storyline by the end. Michael is basically an unstoppable evil force – explained (loosely) by a curse – and Loomis spends his life chasing the boogeyman. This timeline does not include Halloween III, which stands alone.
© Universal PicturesLaurie’s Second Chance
What if we ignore all that cult stuff and just bring Laurie Strode back? That’s exactly what the H20 timeline does. This continuity branches off after the first two films and skips Parts 3–6 entirely, creating a direct sequel set 20 years later. Laurie gets a new fate – and a showdown (or two) with Michael.
- Halloween (1978) – Yep, the original again. In this timeline, only the events of the 1978 film (and its immediate sequel) happened. Michael’s 1978 rampage and Laurie’s narrow escape set the stage.
- Halloween II (1981) – Still canon here. Laurie and Michael’s hospital of horrors long night remains part of the backstory.
- Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) – It’s the late ‘90s, and Laurie Strode is alive(!) and hiding under an alias. She faked her death to escape Michael and now works as the headmistress of a California boarding school, living in fear and coping with trauma.
- Halloween: Resurrection (2002) – Michael’s not done. This sequel retcons H20’s ending: the man Laurie beheaded was not Michael (oops!), and the real Michael Myers is still at large. Resurrection begins with a gut-punch: Michael tracks down Laurie in a psychiatric hospital and kills her in the opening minutes (she puts up a fight but ultimately falls, fulfilling Jamie Lee Curtis’s request to neatly end Laurie’s story).
© GettyImagesThe H20 timeline consists of Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20 (1998), and Halloween: Resurrection (2002). It ignores parts 3–6 completely.
Rob Zombie’s Reboot Timeline
Next up is an entirely separate reboot with a gritty, bloody remake universe from rocker-turned-director Rob Zombie. These two films stand alone, separate from all other timelines. Zombie essentially said, “I’m doing my own thing,” and John Carpenter gave his blessing. The result is a much more brutal Michael and a different style of storytelling.
If you choose this path, watch in release order:
- Halloween (2007) – A remake of the 1978 classic, but with a twist: the film spends significant time on Michael Myers’ childhood. We see young Michael as a troubled kid before he dons the iconic mask. After escaping the asylum, adult Michael (a hulking Tyler Mane) stalks Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) just like in the original, but with Zombie’s signature grindhouse flair. The film hits the same basic beats as Carpenter’s Halloween, but with far more gore.
- Halloween II (2009) – Not to be confused with the 1981 film of the same name, Zombie’s Halloween II is a sequel to his 2007 reboot only. Laurie and Michael’s story continues in an even more unhinged way. This film diverges greatly from any previous version. Love it or hate it, it’s a unique spin on the Michael Myers lore, with a cult following of its own.
Blumhouse “Rebooted Laurie” Timeline
Finally, we have the recent reboot trilogy from director David Gordon Green and Blumhouse Productions, essentially Halloween for the modern era. This timeline brings back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode yet again, but wipes the slate clean.
© Universal Pictures- Halloween (1978) – Yes, you should start with the classic again, because the 2018 film directly follows up on the events of the original.
- Halloween (2018) – Confusingly sharing the same title as the ’78 movie, Halloween 2018 is essentially “Halloween II” for this timeline – set 40 years later. Laurie Strode is now a hardened survivor (let’s lovingly call her Grandma Laurie – she does have a granddaughter in this) who’s spent years turning her home into a fortified trap for Michael.
- Halloween Kills (2021) – Picks up immediately where 2018 left off, on the same night. The Strode house is in flames, Laurie is rushed to the hospital (injured from the confrontation), and firefighters unwittingly free Michael. Kills is essentially an action-packed middle chapter: Michael rampages through Haddonfield, and the whole town fights back.
- Halloween Ends (2022) – Set four years later, this finale takes a left turn by introducing a new character, Corey Cunningham, who becomes a sort of copycat protégé to Michael after a tragic accident stains his own reputation.
Now that we’ve covered each timeline, you can decide which Michael Myers adventure to embark on first. Whether you want the classic saga with its cultish twists, Laurie’s alternate 20-year reunion storyline (featuring that wild Busta Rhymes fight), Rob Zombie’s brutal remix, or the recent Laurie-vs-Michael final battle, the choice is yours.
