Halloween (Michael Myers) Movies

[disneychrista]

Every Halloween I choose a different horror movies to watch. Well this year it is the Halloween franchise. I have never seen any of the Halloween movies. So my question is which ones should I concentrate on & which one are skippable. Also in what order do I watch them? There seems to be several remakes or off shots of the original series.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Every Halloween I choose a different horror movies to watch. Well this year it is the Halloween franchise. I have never seen any of the Halloween movies. So my question is which ones should I concentrate on & which one are skippable. Also in what order do I watch them? There seems to be several remakes or off shots of the original series.

The first 6 (except movie 3) are relevant and the last 3 that have been made (the new 7, 8, 9). The couple in between are AUs. Halloween 3 curse of the witch can be skipped (it has nothing to do with the plot and was meant as a spinoff but failed). Halloween 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 all follow the original story. You can skip all the others ones in between.

 

[Ginger R]

I agree with everything Buzz Rules said except I do like Halloween H20. The Halloween franchise are my favorite scary movies!

 

[disneychrista]

@Buzz Rules So you are recommending:

Halloween
Halloween II
Return of Michael Myers
Revenge of Michael Myers
Curse of Michael Myers
Resurrection
Halloween Kills
Halloween Ends

But skip Seasons of Witch & H2O ??

 

[BrianL]

The first 6 (except movie 3) are relevant and the last 3 that have been made (the new 7, 8, 9). The couple in between are AUs. Halloween 3 curse of the witch can be skipped (it has nothing to do with the plot and was meant as a spinoff but failed). Halloween 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 all follow the original story. You can skip all the others ones in between.

Yeah, except for that 3 is the BEST one. It's soooo cheesey! It's actually the only one I even remotely like because I am not a horror guy anyway.

 

[disneychrista]

Yeah, except for that 3 is the BEST one. It's soooo cheesey! It's actually the only one I even remotely like because I am not a horror guy anyway.

3 is one of the ones I can watch on Peacock, so I will likely watch it anyway.

 

[Mysterian]

The first 6 (except movie 3) are relevant and the last 3 that have been made (the new 7, 8, 9). The couple in between are AUs. Halloween 3 curse of the witch can be skipped (it has nothing to do with the plot and was meant as a spinoff but failed). Halloween 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 all follow the original story. You can skip all the others ones in between.

Halloween III Season of the Witch is one of the best of the whole series.

 

[Mysterian]

3 is one of the ones I can watch on Peacock, so I will likely watch it anyway.

YES

 

[Mysterian]

Part II isn’t great but has it’s moments. Halloween 2018 overwrites this one, and is one of better entries.

I didn’t care for Rob Zombie’s remake, but surprisingly I heard good things about his sequel. I couldn’t bother to see it.

Halloween III is fun. Halloween was originally going to be a series of unrelated movies revolving around Halloween, so this one is evidence of that.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I like H3 but it isn’t really essential to MM story. It’s ending is scary as bleep though.

 

[Buzz Rules]

@Buzz Rules So you are recommending:

Halloween
Halloween II
Return of Michael Myers
Revenge of Michael Myers
Curse of Michael Myers
Resurrection
Halloween Kills
Halloween Ends

But skip Seasons of Witch & H2O ??

H2O’s storyline was disregarded after *specific character you will meet* had a son in that one was totally changed to having a daughter. They are all classics in their own way. Everyone has a favorite and truly none are bad. The Crystal Lake series is better than Halloween in my opinion. The one thing that makes me laugh about the MM series is that you would think people would abandon the town by movie 4 or increase it’s police force.

 

[unrequited23]

Somewhat off topic, but since you are discussing the Halloween franchise...My son is 10 and wants to watch Halloween. I saw it on network tv at least 20 years ago. From what I remember, it was tense, moody and suspenseful with jump scares vs. gory and gratuitously violent. Should I give it a rewatch to see if it is ok for him or consider it a hard no and not waste the hour and a half? (The second Dr. Strange movie is at the top end of his scary/intense limit.)

 

[BrianL]

The timelines may be confusing so this may be helpful. I'm not even a big Halloween/horror fan, but I find it fascinating. They've had a multiverse since before Marvel!

 

[footballmouse]

Halloween was the first scary movie I saw, scared the living s**t out of me, probably shouldn't have watched it when I was 11. Because of this I have never liked scary movies. The theme music to this movie also scares me.

 

[sailorstitch]

Somewhat off topic, but since you are discussing the Halloween franchise...My son is 10 and wants to watch Halloween. I saw it on network tv at least 20 years ago. From what I remember, it was tense, moody and suspenseful with jump scares vs. gory and gratuitously violent. Should I give it a rewatch to see if it is ok for him or consider it a hard no and not waste the hour and a half? (The second Dr. Strange movie is at the top end of his scary/intense limit.)

Let me preface by saying I'm not a parent and my own dad was so conservative that he tried to forbid me from watching horror movies even after I turned 18. So my opinion is based on how I was raised. That being said, I wouldn't do it. It's been a few years since I watched the first one. But if I remember correctly there's a sex scene and the girl is exposed.

The timelines may be confusing so this may be helpful. I'm not even a big Halloween/horror fan, but I find it fascinating. They've had a multiverse since before Marvel!

View attachment 709551

Thank you. This is very helpful.

 

[Turn the Page]

Part II isn’t great but has it’s moments. Halloween 2018 overwrites this one, and is one of better entries.

I didn’t care for Rob Zombie’s remake, but surprisingly I heard good things about his sequel. I couldn’t bother to see it.

Halloween III is fun. Halloween was originally going to be a series of unrelated movies revolving around Halloween, so this one is evidence of that.

I am not a huge horror movie fan but for some reason I have always liked the Halloween movies. The first two were obviously very low budget and somewhat cheesy, as all the best slasher films are, and as you move on in the series they steadily get higher budget and such. What I liked about Rob Zombie's remakes was that it explained more of Michael's backstory which made him more human and, in a way, scarier than the cheesy boogie man he was before.

OP, for my money, Halloween I and II are good, skip 3 entirely, maybe 4 but after that it gets really hokey and I would just skip right on to H2O and go from there.

For me, the story is about Michael in an epic battle with Laurie. If she isn't in it, it isn't a Halloween movie for me. This crazy side story of Laurie's first daughter Jamie having a psychic connection with Michael may appeal to some but doesn't do it for me.

 

[focusondisney]

@unrequited23 : I saw the original Halloween in the theater when it came out in 1978. I was 21 & my heart was racing for half an hour after it ended. Over the years I’ve known people who let their young kids watch that & movies like nightmare on elm street. Then wondered why the kids wouldn’t go to bed or woke up with nightmares. I think you should probably at least skim the movie & decide for yourself what your son can handle.

 

[Mysterian]

I am not a huge horror movie fan but for some reason I have always liked the Halloween movies. The first two were obviously very low budget and somewhat cheesy, as all the best slasher films are, and as you move on in the series they steadily get higher budget and such. What I liked about Rob Zombie's remakes was that it explained more of Michael's backstory which made him more human and, in a way, scarier than the cheesy boogie man he was before.

OP, for my money, Halloween I and II are good, skip 3 entirely, maybe 4 but after that it gets really hokey and I would just skip right on to H2O and go from there.

For me, the story is about Michael in an epic battle with Laurie. If she isn't in it, it isn't a Halloween movie for me. This crazy side story of Laurie's first daughter Jamie having a psychic connection with Michael may appeal to some but doesn't do it for me.

I wouldn't consider the first Halloween cheesy, myself, it has a much more professional quality than many other slasher films. Definitely strong on atmosphere, and not too reliant on gore.

As for Rob Zombie's Halloween, your reasons for liking it are exactly my reasons for not liking it: Explaining Michael Myers. And through the explanation, Myers is now reduced to just another human serial killer.

In Carpenter's version, Myers is Evil in human form, almost supernatural, invulnerable. I love that he's sometimes called "The Shape", because it completely dehumanizes him. A boogeyman that's wearing a hollow, lifeless face, that just happens to resemble a human. Can't be reasoned with, and will never stop coming.

 

[Mysterian]

Halloween was the first scary movie I saw, scared the living s**t out of me, probably shouldn't have watched it when I was 11. Because of this I have never liked scary movies. The theme music to this movie also scares me.

The soundtrack is fantastic! One of the few slasher films where the music adds so much to the movie, and even becomes it's own thing.

 

[Mysterian]

Here's John Carpenter playing the Halloween theme on a Nintendo Labo.
Carpenter is actually a gamer, btw, but he's no fan of Labo: