In 1978, a new boogeyman was born that would haunt babysitters around the world and would become a legend. The legend of Michael Myers has become a cultural phenomenon that spawned many sequels to keep the fear of Michael Myers around the world 44 years after the original “Halloween” debuted.

“Halloween” had a very low budget of only $325,000 and shot the entire movie in only 17 days. Despite that, Writer, Director and Composer, John Carpenter, created a cinematic masterpiece with one of the most iconic scores of all times. The movie would go on to make $47 million and was in the top ten for the box office of 1978. “Halloween” was number 9 with some of the other films above it being “Grease”, “Superman The Movie” and “Jaws 2”.

While the legend of Michael Myers haunts many people, another legend was born in 1978 and that is the legend of Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis had only had one recurring role before the movie, in a show called “Operation Petticoat”. She was fired from that show which is the only reason she was available to audition for “Halloween” and her career blew up from there.

One of the most confusing parts of this franchise is all of the different timelines that exist. There are 3 different timelines and each have certain movies that are canon and others that are not. There is the sequel timeline and the H20 timeline that are both not canon. These alternate timelines exist because either the movie was so poorly received they decided to go in a different direction or they wrote themselves into a corner and could not find a way out. There are also a few stand alone movies in this franchise. The current timeline is the H40 timeline in which the only canon movies are “Halloween (1978)”, “Halloween (2018)”, “Halloween Kills (2021) and “Halloween Ends (2022)” which I would argue is the best of the timelines with the best story. 

Curtis uses the new trilogy that has been released to not only create a horror spectacular but she uses her platform to talk about the importance of mental health. Curtis and David Gordon Green, the writer and director of the new trilogy, talk about coping with trauma, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many other issues in our society. This is not something that happens in horror movies for the most part which is why these movies stand out. Curtis and Green use the 2018 film to focus on Laurie Strode and her trauma. The 2021 film is a continuation of the same night the 2018 film takes place but focuses on the community’s reaction to the events of Michael Myers. The 2022 film is about trying to heal from trauma.  “Halloween Ends” is not only the conclusion to the trilogy, but the conclusion of Curtis’ story with Michael Myers. 

Overall this franchise is one of the most iconic when it comes to the Halloween season. There are some great messages behind these movies but also are great horror stories. It is definitely one of the best movie series to watch to celebrate Halloween. I highly reccomend all of these movies. “Halloween (1978)”, “Halloween (2018)” and “Halloween Kills (2021) are available to stream now on HBOMax and “Halloween Ends (2022)” is streaming on Peacock and is in theaters.

Image 1: Michael Myers dawns his mask once again in “Halloween”. RYAN GREEN/UNIVERSAL
Image 2: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) prepares to reunite with Michael Myers in “Halloween”. RYAN GREEN/UNIVERSAL
Image 3: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Karen (Judy Greer) prepare to kill Michael Myers in “Halloween”. RYAN GREEN/UNIVERSAL
Image 4: Michael Myers escapes the trap set by Laurie Strode in “Halloween Kills”. RYAN GREEN/UNIVERSAL
Image 5: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Karen (Judy Greer) find out Michael Myers is still alive in “Halloween Kills.” RYAN GREEN/UNIVERSAL
Image 6: Michael Myers hunts down Laurie Strode in “Halloween Ends”. RYAN GREEN/UNIVERSAL