How to Watch Halloween Movies in Order

When it comes to the Halloween horror movie franchise, there’s not a single order to watch all of the movies. That’s because, despite having the same name in the title, Halloween has seen several reboots, retcons, and remakes throughout its decades-long history. This constant revision means that technically, there are four “Halloween” series, along with one unrelated, stand-alone installment. The “main” series diverges three times, and the only thing each branch has in common is John Carpenter’s 1978 original. You’ll jump around a little to watch each version of the series. Here are the viewing lists and order for each one:

The Dr. Loomis Series

This version includes the first two movies and then skips to the fourth one. After Laurie Strode leaves the series, it picks up with her daughter, Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris), as she becomes Michael’s new target. Donald Pleasance remains throughout this series as Dr. Loomis, the psychiatrist obsessed with stopping The Shape’s rampage. The Dr. Loomis Series consists of:

Halloween (1978)Halloween II (1981)Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

The H20 Series

This version of events renders everything after Halloween II as non-canon and picks up 20 years later. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode for this rebooted offshoot. Here’s the watch order for the H20 Series:

Halloween (1978)Halloween II (1981)Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

The Blumhouse Series

This version of events is the most drastic reboot, even erasing Halloween II. Bafflingly, when you watch this one, you view two movies called “Halloween” in a row: the 1978 original and the 2018 sequel. After the events of the first film, the timeline jumps 40 years. Michael has been institutionalized that whole time before escaping and returning home, where Laurie has spent the last four decades preparing.

Halloween (1978)Halloween (2018)Halloween Kills (2021)Halloween Ends (2022)

The Rob Zombie Series

Separate from the previous three versions of Halloween are the Rob Zombie-written and -directed movies from the 2000s. While they use the same characters and concepts as the Carpenter series, they’re not connected in the storyline. To watch these chronologically, first watch the 2007 edition and then the 2009 movie.

Halloween III

Technically, because of all the reboots, you could call four different movies “Halloween III.” But 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch, the only one that actually has that name, is a total outlier. It uses the Halloween name but has no connection to Michael Myers or anything in any of the other movies. It was a test to see if the name “Halloween” could become an overall label to contain lots of different kinds of stories, rather than just Myers-centric slashers. It didn’t work (though it’s a weirdly intriguing movie), so it stands alone.

Where to Watch Halloween Movies

To stream the Halloween movies, you’ll need:

A device to stream on. This can be a smart TV, a computer, a smartphone or tablet, a game console, or other devices that can connect to the internet.A subscription to streaming services to watch the content. Since no single service has all of the Halloween movies, you’ll need multiple subscriptions.If an app is available, install the app for the streaming services you want to use. Apps aren’t usually required—you can stream using a web browser, too—but you may prefer the experience.

Watch the Dr. Loomis and H20 Series

Carpenter’s involvement ended with Halloween III, and most movies after the original are varying degrees or weird and/or bad, but these films make up the “original,” branching series. These movies feature the classic characters: Michel Myers, Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), and Dr. Loomis (played by Donald Pleasance).

Halloween (1978): Stream on Shudder (you can subscribe directly or through AMC+) Halloween II (1981): Only available for rental or purchase as of this writing Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982): Only available for rental or purchase as of this writing (remember, there’s no Michael Myers here!) Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988): Stream on Shudder Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989): Stream on Shudder Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995): Only available for rental or purchase as of this writing Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998): Stream on Paramount+ Halloween: Resurrection (2002): Stream on Paramount+

Watch the Blumhouse Halloween Movies

While these movies—powered by the creative team of Danny McBride and David Gordon Green—are a new series, they’re also directly in the lineage and storyline established by the original John Carpenter movie (but ignore everything other than that). That means you’re seeing the “original” Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode. Despite McBride and Green being more known for their comedy (“Eastbound and Down”, “The Righteous Gemstones”), the involvement of horror-powerhouse Blumhouse makes this a vicious, bloody version of Halloween.

Halloween (2018): Stream on FX Halloween Kills (2021): Stream on HBO Max Halloween Ends (2022): This movie comes out in October 2022, and this article is being written in July 2022, so there’s nowhere you can stream it yet. We’ll update this article when it’s available to stream.

Watch the Rob Zombie Halloween Movies

The first reimagining and reinvention of Halloween came from heavy metal frontman and now horror auteur Rob Zombie. His two movies—starring former pro wrestler (and Sabertooth in the X-Men movies) Tyler Mayne—were released in 2007 and 2009. You won’t find Halloween scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis in Zombie’s series, but Dr. Loomis does appear (this time played by Malcolm McDowell).

Halloween (2007): Stream on Netflix Halloween II (2009): Stream on Tubi | Stream on Plex