Thirteen films, and they can’t agree on almost anything — not who Michael is, not whether Laurie’s his sister, not even which sequels count. So we mapped it the honest way: by which continuity you’re actually watching.
13 films4 continuities1 black sheep1978 → 2022
0/13 watched
The 1978 original is the seed of everything. From there the series splits into four continuities that ignore each other — and one film (Halloween III) that belongs to none of them. Pick a lane; each one is a complete, self-contained way to watch.
The Original — where (almost) every version begins
▽ from here the timeline forks — pick a continuity ▽
All 13 films — in release order
A single “story order” would be a lie here — the continuities overlap and contradict, so real chronology only exists inside a lane (see Which Timeline?). This is the order the world actually saw them; each film is tagged with the continuities it belongs to.
Body count — Michael Myers’ on-screen kills
How much blood is on the Shape’s hands? These are his approximate on-screen kills — fan-tallied and varying by cut (Curse especially). It’s the shape of the data that matters: the lean 1978 original, H20’s restraint, and the outright massacre of Halloween Kills. Halloween III isn’t here — Michael sits that one out.
Laurie vs. Michael — the same two people, four different stories
The single biggest thing the timelines argue about: are Laurie and Michael related? The idea was invented in Halloween II (1981). The classic timelines and the Rob Zombie reboot keep it; the 2018 trilogy throws it out and calls it a rumor. Here’s how the central rivalry changes lane to lane.
Dr. Loomis — the man who knows what Michael is
Every Halloween needs someone who understands the evil. For five films that was Dr. Sam Loomis, Donald Pleasence’s obsessed psychiatrist. But each continuity treats his legacy differently — and the 2018 trilogy replaces him with something far more unsettling.
Where to start — pick your path
You don’t have to watch all 13. Each of these is a clean, satisfying route depending on how deep you want to go.
Beyond the films — page, panel & pixel
Halloween’s mythology didn’t only live on screen. The anthology plan, the novel that invented the curse, the comics and the games all shaped how the story grew — and where a new generation actually met Michael.
Year Ribbon — four timelines, one beam
One story night in 1978, then four continuities that each pick up from a different point and pretend the others don’t exist. Nodes are grouped by which timeline they belong to, not by release year — that’s the whole point of the franchise’s mess.