Every Version & Canon Status

The Halloween franchise has gone through multiple reboots with crucial changes to the timeline. Whether it’s omitting a detail from previous sequels or taking things in a completely new direction, the movies have had to constantly define what is and isn’t canon.

In total, there are six timelines in the Halloween series. These include the original films from the 80s and 90s, the Rob Zombie remakes, the modern trilogy set 40 years after the original, and the one-off film Season of the Witch.

Each film follows a certain canon, with some overlapping others. It can be tricky to understand, but once fans are able to pick up on connecting details, it can be easy to comprehend each timeline.

The “Original” Timeline

Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981)

The original Halloween duology not only serves as the basis for many future timelines in the series, but is also its own separate story. Taking place over the course of one night, the 1978 classic follows Laurie Strode as she babysits a young boy named Tommy Doyle on Halloween night.

When she discovers that Michael Myers, a masked killer, has murdered her friends, she attempts to fight back when he comes for her. Dr. Loomis, Myers’ psychiatrist, intervenes at the last minute and shoots Myers six times. However, he’s shocked to discover that Myers has wandered off after falling out of a window.

In Halloween II, Laurie is taken to a hospital, where Myers stalks her. It’s revealed that Michael is Laurie’s sister, and he’s hunting after her after killing her older sister, Judith, years ago. Laurie and Dr. Loomis corner Michael in a room full of gas and blow it up, seemingly killing Michael as he’s engulfed in flames.

The “Silver Shamrock” Timeline

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Following Halloween II, it was revealed that the franchise would continue as an anthology, rather than continuously following Michael Myers. To emphasize this, this timeline shows that the first two Halloween films are works of fiction, as shown by the first film playing on TV.

The main story for Season of the Witch follows a doctor uncovering a conspiracy where Halloween masks are being tampered with to kill children across the country. He learns from the head of the Silver Shamrock company that the masks have been enchanted by Celtic magic and a rock from Stonehenge to turn children’s heads into venomous animals, killing anyone in the room with them.

He’s able to escape the clutches of Silver Shamrock. However, he’s too late to stop the impending massacre, screaming in terror as the commercial that activates the masks plays in the background.

The “Cult of Thorn” Timeline

Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween 4, Halloween 5, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

This is the timeline that most longtime fans of the franchise may be familiar with, as it introduced an entirely new story and a memorable new protagonist. The “Cult of Thorn” timeline primarily follows Michael Myers, his quest to kill his family, and explaining why he does it.

In Halloween 4, it’s revealed that Michael survived the blast in the hospital. Laurie’s daughter, Jamie, becomes the target of Myers’ slaughter after it’s revealed that Laurie was killed in a car crash. Jamie’s able to stop Myers but develops a psychic link with him, which causes her to nearly kill her foster mother.

She’s pursued by him once again in Halloween 5, where she uses her psychic abilities to reach through to his human side long enough to have him arrested by the police. She’s later kidnapped by a mysterious cult in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.

The group is called the Cult of Thorn and led by Dr. Wynn of Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. They’re revealed to be the reason behind Michael’s murder spree as they placed a curse on him to kill his family. Jamie is raped into pregnancy by the cult and forced to give birth, so Michael has a new target.

She’s then killed by her uncle, leaving her baby with Dr. Loomis and Tommy Doyle. As they try to avoid Michael and the cult, Tommy seemingly kills him with a mysterious liquid. Dr. Loomis leaves the baby with Tommy, only to be killed off-screen by Michael, bringing an end to the timeline.

The “Sister” Timeline

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

After the “Cult of Thorn” timeline came to an end, it was decided that the series would be rebooted to start fresh. This time, Jamie Lee Curtis was brought back to focus on her and Michael.

Halloween H20 completely ignores the last three films, making Jamie and the Cult of Thorn non-canon to this new timeline. However, it is revealed that she did fake her death to start a new life in California.

Michael eventually learns where she’s hiding and travels from Haddonfield to Hillcrest Academy, where Laurie is working as the headmaster. When most of the students leave to go on a field trip, Michael strikes and hunts down Laurie and her son, John. Laurie manages to get her son and his girlfriend to safety before locking herself in the school to face off against Michael.

She manages to knock him out after an intense battle, but she doesn’t believe he’s really dead. She hijacks the ambulance holding him and drives off. She manages to pin Michael between the vehicle and a branch, where she decapitates him.

However, it’s revealed in Halloween: Resurrection that she didn’t actually kill Michael, but rather a paramedic Michael swapped clothes with. Laurie is then locked up in a sanitarium, where she waits for Michael.

When he shows up, she traps him on the roof. As she checks to make sure it’s him though, he grabs and stabs her, dropping her to her death. He then returns to Haddonfield, ending the timeline as he stalks a group of reality show contestants entering his home.

The “Rob Zombie” Timeline

Halloween (2007), Halloween II (2009)

Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake of the original film starts Michael’s story over from the very beginning. However, instead of suggesting Michael was born evil, his vision shows that his environment and home life caused him to become a killer. He endures constant abuse and bullying from his sister, stepfather, kids at school, and his sister’s boyfriend before killing them all on Halloween.

Years later, he escapes from Smith’s Grove and hunts down his baby sister, Laurie. She’s been adopted by the Strodes and plans to babysit that night. However, Michael returns to Haddonfield and kills her adoptive family and friends before finding her.

He takes her back to the Myers house and takes off his mask, trying to appeal to her as the one person he loved. She fights back, leading to a battle that ends with her shooting him in the head.

Halloween II sees Laurie dealing with the trauma of that night, having constant nightmares and lashing out at friends. Michael mysteriously returns and begins killing victims before finding Laurie again. He takes her to a barn, where they’re surrounded by the police. Laurie kills him and walks out wearing his mask, where she’s later incapacitated in a sanitarium and hinted at becoming the next Michael Myers.

The “40 Years Later” Timeline

Halloween (1978), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends

This requel trilogy of the Halloween franchise became the first to completely omit anything beyond the first film. This means Laurie is no longer Michael’s sister in this canon. Instead, she’s shown in Halloween (2018) as a recluse who is haunted by what happened 40 years ago and is preparing for the day Michael escapes again.

That day finally comes as his psychiatrist, Dr. Sartain, lets him out to figure out why he kills. Michael goes on a killing spree throughout Haddonfield before being found by Sartain. He drives Michael to Laurie’s house after realizing Michael has no interest in her, leading to him being killed himself.

Michael finds Laurie and battles her, her daughter, and her granddaughter before being trapped in the basement as the house is set on fire. However, in Halloween Kills, he escapes with the help of a firefighter and continues his murder spree.

The people of Haddonfield form a mob to try and kill Michael, led by Tommy Doyle. Michael manages to kill most of them before returning to his home, where he kills Laurie’s daughter and disappears again.

Five years later, in Halloween Ends, Michael is still missing, and the town’s hatred has turned to a man named Corey, who accidentally killed a boy in 2019. He finds Michael and begins to be corrupted by him to become a serial killer. He steals Michael’s mask and begins his own killing spree before Michael finds him at Laurie’s house.

Michael kills Corey, then battles Laurie until she eventually kills him. The town of Haddonfield forms a procession, where they take Michael’s body to a grinder and destroy his body. This ends up being the final timeline in the Halloween series. However, with talks constantly being made about bringing him back, it’s only a matter of time before a new timeline is formed and Michael returns.