Halloween Movies in Order
Choose a path before the timeline splits.
Halloween does not have one clean chronology. The 1978 original becomes the shared starting point for three different sequel paths, while the Rob Zombie remakes begin again from scratch.
Pick one continuity below and watch it from top to bottom. Halloween III: Season of the Witch sits outside every Michael Myers timeline as a standalone anthology story.
The quick answer
There are 13 Halloween films: three sequel timelines branching from the 1978 original, Rob Zombie's two-film remake, and the Myers-free Season of the Witch.
First time watching? Start with Halloween (1978), then pick one timeline and stay with it. Halloween III: Season of the Witch is optional: it has no Michael Myers and fits anywhere.
The four Halloween timelines
Each timeline is complete on its own, so Halloween (1978) and Halloween II appear in more than one.
Original / Thorn timeline
The longest original continuity follows Laurie, Jamie Lloyd, and the Thorn mythology.
1981Halloween II
The same night continues as Michael follows Laurie to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital.
1988Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Michael returns to Haddonfield and hunts Laurie’s young daughter, Jamie Lloyd.
1989Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Jamie’s connection to Michael deepens as another Halloween night turns violent.
1995Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
The Thorn mythology closes the original sequel path around Michael’s evil.
H20 timeline
H20 ignores parts 4–6 and brings Laurie back twenty years after the first two films.
- 1981
Halloween II
The same night continues as Michael follows Laurie to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital.
2002Halloween: Resurrection
A live internet broadcast enters the Myers house while Michael waits inside.
Blumhouse / H40 timeline
This legacy-sequel trilogy ignores every sequel and continues directly from the 1978 original.
Rob Zombie timeline
Two remake films reconstruct Michael’s origin and tell a self-contained alternate story.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
A standalone anthology experiment with no Michael Myers and no connection to the four timelines.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Halloween Timeline
How many Halloween timelines are there, and why does the same movie appear more than once?
There are four separate continuities: the original Thorn timeline, the H20 timeline, the Blumhouse/H40 timeline, and the Rob Zombie remakes. Halloween (1978) anchors three of them, and Halloween II (1981) belongs to both Thorn and H20, which is why those two films show up more than once across this guide.
How many Halloween movies are there in total?
Across all four timelines plus the standalone Halloween III: Season of the Witch, there are 13 unique films. Several titles are counted in more than one timeline, so the real total is lower than adding up each branch separately.
What order were the Halloween movies released in?
In release order: Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), Halloween (2007), Halloween II (2009), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022).
Where does Halloween III: Season of the Witch fit in the timeline?
It doesn't. There's no Michael Myers, no Laurie Strode, and no connection to any of the four continuities. It's a standalone anthology entry that shares only the Halloween title, so it sits outside every timeline rather than at a point in one.
Which order is best for a first-time viewer?
Start with Halloween (1978), which opens three of the four timelines. For the Thorn or H20 timeline, Halloween II (1981) comes next. From there, stay with one continuity rather than switching between them, and treat Halloween III as an optional standalone watch rather than part of the sequence.
Which Halloween timeline has the highest-rated movies?
By HorroRated's verdicts, Halloween (1978) is rated Legendary and Halloween (2018), the start of the Blumhouse/H40 line, is rated Highly Recommended, the two highest scores in the franchise. The Blumhouse/H40 timeline has the best average score and the Rob Zombie timeline the lowest, with Halloween (2007) at Recommended and Halloween II (2009) at Worth a Look.
Do I need to watch Halloween 4, 5, and 6 to understand the H20 timeline?
No. The H20 timeline ignores those three films entirely and retcons Laurie Strode's death into a faked identity change instead. You can start the H20 continuity straight from Halloween II without watching the Thorn sequels first.
Does the Blumhouse/H40 timeline require watching any other sequels first?
Only the 1978 original. The H40 timeline treats Halloween (2018) as a direct sequel to the first film alone, ignoring every other sequel released between 1981 and 2009.