The Halloween series demonstrates its uniqueness in so many ways and I can’t think of such a long running series that has such drastic swings in quality - that’s fascinating to me. There are also essentially 4 completely different timelines here and I can’t think of another example of this in a film series.
So let’s pull up a chair on a warm, breezy, late-October afternoon and settle in for some Halloween.
The Films
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I still have my Criterion edition of the movie on LaserDisc but I haven’t watched that disc in many years. Regardless, the original Halloween is masterful in execution especially with cinematography, blocking and score. There’s no doubting its influence on the entire genre and it continues to hold up really well today.
The first act in particular shines above the others with its buildup and how it covers The Shape lurking around town. Genuinely wonderful work.
It’s not perfect though and some of the performances come across a little silly but none of that matters in the end. It’s not a spoiler but we all know it’s not going to get better for the Halloween series than this first one but this is no time to stop!
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Watching this right after the first one shines a brighter light on some of the problems with the movie. It’s definitely passable but there are a lot of moments resulting in me having a confused look on my face and I believe making Laurie Michael’s sister was a genuine mistake.
It’s great how it picks up mere moments after the first one and I wish more direct sequels did that.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everything about this movie is insane and it almost gets an additional star for that alone. Season of the Witch has magic, robots, crazy characters, Stonehenge, people watching Halloween within a Halloween movie and a Silver Shamrock theme that has a life of its own.
Dan O’Herlihy has a great performance too and it’s impossible to forget him! What a crazy movie!
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I originally saw this many, many years ago on LaserDisc and remembered nothing from my original viewing. Every time I’ve seen it since, it’s a whole new experience since I forget most of it each time.
This sequel has some decent moments though and it’s nice to feel like the threat has evolved beyond a couple houses and hospital to now all of Haddonfield. The first act before reaching the town is the strongest when it comes to a pleasant late October tone and I think it’s the strongest of the movie.
There are only a few kills here and violence is on the relatively tame side compared with other entries but I get a strong feeling of nostalgia when watching this one, making the experience stronger than the movie itself.
⭐️⭐️
This one frustrates me and just keeps going and going and going while waiting for something to happen… I don’t know who to care about and the psychic connection just feels silly to me. It’s a missed opportunity because I think they could have really leaned into Loomis losing his mind.
⭐️
It has Paul Rudd and that’s cool but this is a beyond rough addition to the series so I’ll just leave my rating here and move on.
⭐️⭐️
I remember seeing this in the theater but clearly forgot how unlikeable the characters are. Small moments of potential were quickly overshadowed by indifference or frustration with the story. As far as entries in the series though, I suppose it’s at least in the top 10.
⭐️
I do make an effort to not trash things I don’t like because I know it still represents a lot of hard work by many talented people. What I will say though is this is my least favorite entry in the Halloween series.
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This is by far the most interesting movie in the series to talk about and there’s a lot to digest. Zombie took something known by millions and made it his own. There are many positives in his version but for every decision I liked, there was another I didn’t.
The tone in particular is memorable and the first half of the movie is certainly stronger than the second. Dialog through the entire movie feels really forced, very unnatural though and I often laughed when I shouldn’t. Swearing just to swear never sits right with me and usually feels out of place.
Zombie has talent but I’m missing a feeling of genuineness, almost like he’s being driven by a desire to shock as opposed to something coming from a more real place.
As mentioned, this one has the most things to discuss and that makes it super interesting but that doesn’t mean I enjoy everything there.
⭐️⭐️
There’s no question there are some crazy movies in this series and it’s still fun to turn them into a marathon.
This is one of the rough ones and I found this movie in particular cruel without anyone to like. Dialog is just as forced as in the previous entry but at least Brad Dourif helped elevate the scenes that he was in by a very large margin.
The dreams, ghosts and Myers running around most of the movie without a mask didn’t sit right with me and I’m now wondering if I’m giving this too many stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The movie is much better than it has any right to be. I went in with no expectations and left really impressed. Some of the more interesting parts of the movie are actually the more quiet ones which is usual for the later Halloween movies and it reminds me of the very first one in this way.
Perfect? No. I found some characters annoying and the violence is a little uneven, changing in tone a few times but it is easy to look past all these things. It’s a genuinely good effort and the music is the most memorable since the original and might be better as a whole.
⭐️⭐️
After the previous entry in the series I was really looking forward to this and while I did enjoy watching it, ultimately it proved to be quite disappointing.
I think there are some good ideas here but they all get overpowered by the uneven tone and as a result, this feels like a very generic sequel, similar to what we’ve seen in the past for Halloween. Good ideas from the previous one are turned on their heads or simply discarded.
Most characters have nothing to do, including Laurie Strode which is mind boggling. Kills don’t always make sense, characters don’t always act they way you feel they should, meaty themes are forgotten and the original score doesn’t stand out the way it did before. Everything lives in a shadow.
There’s too much here, too many characters without enough of the true menacing feeling of Myers. The town is going insane over something that happened 40 years that most people would have forgotten about. A much more simplified experience would have worked better, let Myers be Myers without muddled social commentary.
When Halloween Ends is released I wonder how this will feel because so much of the move appears as padding to turn a single movie into two.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This marks the end of the new trilogy and I have to say that overall, I’m a little disappointed. When the 2018 release showed itself, I was genuinely excited, but the series ultimately didn’t match the feeling I got from the first entry.
This movie doesn’t feel like a Halloween movie and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It does feel a little like a bait and switch, but I respect the desire to do something different. It’s not a bad movie, I enjoyed it but I can’t give it big points for being a Hallowwen movie.
My Current Order
Halloween (1978) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween (2018) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween II (1981) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween (2007) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween Ends (2022) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween Kills (2021) ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween H20 (1998) ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween II (2009) ⭐️ ⭐️
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) ⭐️
Halloween: Resurrection (2002) ⭐️