31 movies to watch in October: Halloween / Halloween 2018

For day 30 of 31 movies to watch in October, we are celebrating “Halloween Eve” with a double feature. Obviously, everyone has their own opinion regarding the best movies in the Halloween franchise.

For my money, the first and the most recent films are the best. That’s right, we are going with the OG 1978 Halloween and last October’s 40 years later sequel, Halloween 2018.

I was never a fan of Halloween 2 (or most of the other sequels), so I wasn’t at all upset that we were being asked to ditch the idea of Michael and Laurie being the world’s most dysfunctional siblings.

There is no real need to dig into the storyline of Halloween, every fan of horror films knows the story of Michael Meyers and Laurie Strode by heart. But, this is a rare slasher flick that actually holds up well, I saw a 40th-anniversary show on the big screen last year and was pleasantly surprised.

More from Halloween

• 31 Days of Horror: The secrets of The Nightmare Before Christmas!
• Is David Gordon Green’s sequel to The Exorcist doomed to fail?
• Where can I stream the original Halloween and all of its sequels?
• 31 Days of Horror Movies: Halloween Ends, I Bet I’m About to Offend You
• Interview with Michele Dawson, Nurse Deb in Halloween Ends

One of the things that set Halloween apart from most teen slasher flicks is the fact that the characters are likable, which means it hurts when they die. There is also very little visible blood, even though many people remember it as a gorefest kind of movie.

Halloween 2018 was a little bloodier, but I loved that they brought Laurie back and that she was such a badass.

Judy Greer was a great addition as Laurie’s daughter, and then, of course, there is that great kid (played by Jibrail Nantambu), who practically stole the show.

Halloween 2018 ignored not only the siblings’ storyline but also the Halloween 4 and 5 character of Jamie. Though the character of Laurie had returned in both Halloween H20 and Halloween: Resurrection, we were asked to pretend those two movies did not exist.

Not all Halloween fans liked the sequel/reboot, but I actually loved it. It felt much like the original, and it was a thrill to see Michael and Laurie face-off as equals.

There are two more upcoming sequels in the Halloween/Halloween 2018 timeline, so Michael and Laurie aren’t finished yet. Halloween Kills is scheduled to release next year, and Halloween Ends should premier in 2021; here’s hoping they are just as good as their predecessors.

Halloween and Halloween 2018 can be streamed on several platforms, including Amazon Prime and Vudu. The original Halloween can also be seen on Shudder.

Did you enjoy Halloween? Will you watch it for Halloween this year? Give us your input in the comments section.