GameTimeline

Watch order

Halloween movie watch order

John Carpenter and Blumhouse Halloween theatrical films starring Michael Myers—from Halloween (1978) through Halloween Ends (2022), plus every sequel branch in between. Release lists all thirteen US premieres in order. Story follows only the H40 timeline: 1978 → 2018 → Kills → Ends. Thorn (4–6), H20 (7–8), Rob Zombie (9–10), and Halloween III (no Myers) stay on Release with FAQ context. Horror neighbors: Scream and Saw.

Updated August 2026

Release order

When each Michael Myers theatrical film opened in the US—from Halloween (October 25, 1978) through Halloween Ends (October 14, 2022). Best first path in 2026: watch in premiere order so you see how the franchise kept resetting continuity before Blumhouse’s H40 direct sequel.

  • First watch 2026 → Release: all thirteen premieres in order to see every branch
  • H40 only → Story: 1978 → 2018 → Kills → Ends (skip 2–10 on this tab)
  • Thorn branch → Halloween 4 → 5 → Curse (optional H20/Resurrection if you want that era)
  • Halloween III → optional standalone; no Myers
Story order tips

H40 timeline only—ignores every sequel between 1981 and 2017: Halloween (1978) → Halloween (2018) → Halloween Kills → Halloween Ends. Four films; Thorn, H20, and Rob Zombie branches stay off this tab.

  • 1978 → Halloween (Carpenter original)
  • 2018 → Halloween (Blumhouse sequel, ignores 2–10)
  • 2021 → Halloween Kills
  • 2022 → Halloween Ends (H40 finale)

Timeline

When each season premiered in the US. Expand a row for dates and where it fits in your watch order.

Release order

  1. Halloween

    Halloween

    TheatricalStreamingH40 sagaLive-action

    John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher invents Michael Myers stalking Haddonfield on Halloween night—Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis, and spare suburban dread that every sequel still quotes.

    Overview
    Holiday slasher grammar with a blank-mask killer and synth score. Opens both Release and Story; required before every branch.
    Related games
    Franchise origin. H40 Story continues in 2018; Release next is Halloween II (1981). Neighbors: Scream and Chucky.
    Where it fits
    Start here on both tabs. Correct first watch before any sequel, reboot, or H40 chapter—every branch still quotes Carpenter's 1978 grammar.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release October 25, 1978 (Compass International / Aquarius).
  2. Halloween II

    Halloween II

    TheatricalStreamingThorn branchLive-action

    Rick Rosenthal's 1981 same-night sequel picks up minutes after the original—hospital siege, Laurie's family revelation, and an ending Thorn and H20 timelines later ignore. Second on Release; H40 Story skips it entirely.

    Overview
    Direct continuation energy rare in slashers—same Halloween night stretched into a clinical second act before the franchise branches into anthology and reboot lanes.
    Related games
    Thorn/H20 era sequel. H40 Story ignores this film. Next on Release is Halloween III (no Myers).
    Where it fits
    Second on Release; not on Story. Watch for Thorn/H20 context, not for Blumhouse H40's four-film path.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release October 30, 1981 (Universal).
  3. Halloween III: Season of the Witch

    Halloween III: Season of the Witch

    TheatricalStreamingStandaloneNo Myers

    Tommy Lee Wallace's 1982 anthology pivot—no Michael Myers, instead Silver Shamrock masks and Irish occult tech that explain why numbered Myers sequels took years to return. Cult favorite on every completionist Release shelf.

    Overview
    Standalone sci-fi horror outside the Myers lane—proves the Halloween title could sell without the Shape before the franchise retreated to Michael-only sequels.
    Related games
    No Myers on screen. Next Myers film on Release is Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988).
    Where it fits
    Third on Release; off Story. Watch when you want a Myers break; skip freely on any Michael-only binge or H40 four-film path.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release October 22, 1982 (Universal).
  4. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

    Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

    TheatricalStreamingThorn branchLive-action

    Dwight H. Little's 1988 revival brings Michael back after a coma—Laurie's daughter Jamie Lloyd enters the saga and opens the Thorn timeline that runs through The Curse of Michael Myers. Fourth on Release; not on H40 Story.

    Overview
    1980s slasher relaunch template—Michael returns, Haddonfield mythology expands, and Jamie gives the series a new child-in-peril anchor for Parts 5–6.
    Related games
    Thorn timeline opener. Next on Release is Halloween 5; H40 viewers skip to Halloween (2018) on Story.
    Where it fits
    Fourth on Release. Required for Thorn path (4–6); skip entirely on H40 Story tab that jumps 1978 → 2018.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release October 21, 1988 (Galaxy International / Trancas).
  5. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

    Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

    TheatricalStreamingThorn branchLive-action

    Dominique Othenin-Girard's 1989 follow-up escalates Jamie's trauma and teases the Man in Black—Thorn mythology deepens toward the cult reveal of The Curse of Michael Myers one year later in theaters.

    Overview
    Bridge chapter in the Thorn run that keeps Jamie's arc alive while planting rune-and-cult clues fans still debate in Producer's Cut circles.
    Related games
    Thorn timeline middle. Next is Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) on Release.
    Where it fits
    Fifth on Release; not on Story. Thorn middle chapter between 4 and Curse—H40 path ignores this block.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release October 13, 1989 (Galaxy International).
  6. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

    Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

    TheatricalStreamingThorn branchLive-action

    Joe Chappelle's 1995 Thorn finale (with reshoots) explains Michael through cult runes and Thorn prophecy—Paul Rudd's Tommy Doyle returns while a circulating Producer's Cut keeps fan debate alive. Sixth on Release; H20 later ignored this run.

    Overview
    Cult-and-runes mythology peak for Thorn—endpoint of the 4–6 branch before H20 soft-resets continuity back toward Laurie-only canon.
    Related games
    Thorn timeline end on Release. H20 branch begins next with Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998).
    Where it fits
    Sixth on Release; Thorn closer. Not on H40 Story—watch only if you want every Myers theatrical branch.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release September 29, 1995 (Miramax / Dimension).
  7. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

    Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

    TheatricalStreamingH20 branchLive-action

    Steve Miner's 1998 soft reboot ignores Thorn—only Halloween and II count as Laurie Strode survives twenty years later at a secluded academy, facing Michael one more time with Scream-era self-awareness.

    Overview
    Continuity reset before Blumhouse's later H40 reset—H20 branch (7–8) treats only Carpenter plus optional II as canon.
    Related games
    H20 branch opener on Release. Next is Halloween: Resurrection (2002); H40 Story skips both.
    Where it fits
    Seventh on Release; not on Story. Watch after 1978 (and optionally II) for H20 path only—not for H40.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release August 7, 1998 (Dimension Films).
  8. Halloween: Resurrection

    Halloween: Resurrection

    TheatricalStreamingH20 branchLive-action

    Rick Rosenthal's 2002 follow-up sends Michael to a reality-TV haunted house—Busta Rhymes, internet-era meta, and an ending that left the franchise dormant until Rob Zombie's gritty remake five years later.

    Overview
    Early-2000s meta slasher coda for H20 branch—reality-TV satire dates the film but closes the Laurie-era before Zombie's full reboot.
    Related games
    H20 timeline end on Release. Next is Rob Zombie Halloween (2007)—separate continuity from H40.
    Where it fits
    Eighth on Release; H20 closer. Not on H40 Story—Rob Zombie reboot follows next on Release.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release July 12, 2002 (Dimension Films).
  9. Halloween

    Halloween

    TheatricalStreamingRob Zombie rebootLive-action

    Rob Zombie's 2007 gritty remake retells Michael's childhood and first Haddonfield night—Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie, expanded white-trash backstory, and a separate continuity from every prior branch before Blumhouse's 2018 reset.

    Overview
    Full origin reboot with grindhouse tone—opens Rob Zombie two-film lane (9–10) that H40 Story does not count toward its four-film shelf.
    Related games
    Zombie reboot one of two on Release. Next is Zombie Halloween II (2009); H40 begins later at 2018.
    Where it fits
    Ninth on Release; not on Story. Treat as its own timeline with the 2009 sequel—not a bridge into H40.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release August 31, 2007 (Dimension / MGM).
  10. Halloween II

    Halloween II

    TheatricalStreamingRob Zombie rebootLive-action

    Zombie's 2009 sequel goes hallucinatory—Laurie's trauma, dreamlike violence, and a divisive turn that closed his Myers run before David Gordon Green's 2018 Blumhouse reset ignored everything after 1978.

    Overview
    Art-house slasher sequel unlike Carpenter's pace—closes Zombie branch before H40 treats only the original as canon.
    Related games
    Zombie timeline end on Release. Blumhouse H40 starts with Halloween (2018)—second row on Story.
    Where it fits
    Tenth on Release; not on Story. H40 begins next with Halloween (2018) as eleventh premiere.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release August 28, 2009 (Dimension / Weinstein).
  11. Halloween

    Halloween

    TheatricalStreamingH40 sagaLive-action

    David Gordon Green's 2018 Blumhouse sequel ignores every film after 1978—Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie prepares for a final confrontation forty years later, resetting the franchise for the H40 trilogy on Story.

    Overview
    Legacy sequel model that only counts Carpenter's original—second beat on Story; eleventh premiere on Release after nine other Myers films.
    Related games
    H40 chapter one on Story. Continues into Kills; Release already played Thorn, H20, and Zombie branches first.
    Where it fits
    Second on Story; eleventh on Release. Requires 1978 first; skips 2–10 entirely on Story's four-film path.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release October 19, 2018 (Universal / Blumhouse).
  12. Halloween Kills

    Halloween Kills

    TheatricalStreamingH40 sagaLive-action

    Green's 2021 middle chapter unleashes mob violence the same night as 2018—Haddonfield hunts Michael while Laurie recovers, leaning into franchise meta and meaner kills before Ends jumps years forward.

    Overview
    Same-night escalation sequel that keeps H40 glued to Blumhouse's 2018 siege—third Story beat with nowhere to hide from Michael in town.
    Related games
    H40 middle chapter on Story. Next is Halloween Ends (2022)—no other Myers rows between on H40.
    Where it fits
    Twelfth on Release; third on Story. Watch after 2018 Halloween on H40 path—Thorn/H20/Zombie stay off-tab.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release October 15, 2021 (Universal / Blumhouse).
  13. Halloween Ends

    Halloween Ends

    TheatricalStreamingH40 sagaLive-action

    Green's 2022 finale jumps years forward—new antagonist Corey Cunningham, Laurie's closure, and a marketed end to the H40 Michael Myers arc on both tabs among released theatricals as of August 2026.

    Overview
    Time-jump coda that closes Blumhouse’s direct-sequel trilogy. Story and Release endpoint among released Myers theatricals.
    Related games
    H40 finale on both tabs. Further Myers films would need new continuity decisions—not listed here until US dates exist.
    Where it fits
    Last on both tabs among released films. Watch after Kills on Story—completes the four-film H40 path without Thorn or Zombie homework.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release October 14, 2022 (Universal / Blumhouse).

FAQ

Release vs H40 Story order, Thorn and H20 branches, Rob Zombie reboot, Halloween III standalone, and why four timelines exist.

Watch order

Release is US premiere order—all thirteen Myers theatricals plus III (no Myers). Story is only H40: 1978 → 2018 → Kills → Ends, ignoring every sequel between 1981 and 2017. First-time viewers who only want the current canon should use Story after the original.

Timelines & branches

Blumhouse’s H40 path treats only Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) as canon, then jumps to Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends. That is this page’s Story tab—four films. It erases II through Zombie II from continuity.

Hollywood kept resetting continuity: Thorn (4–6) after II; H20 (7–8) ignoring Thorn; Rob Zombie’s full reboot (9–10); then Blumhouse H40 keeping only 1978. Each reset tried to simplify lore while selling new sequels—hence four branches plus III’s Myers-free detour. This page puts all thirteen premieres on Release and H40 on Story.

What's included

More timelines

Other release-order and story-order guides on this site.