1978–1995 Timeline

The original Halloween timeline begins with Halloween (1978) and continues through Halloween II (1981), Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.

Fifteen years later, after being sent to the sanitarium, Michael escaped the sanitarium and returned to Haddonfield, Illinois. He began stalking a babysitter Laurie Strode and murdering teenagers throughout the town. During the events of Halloween II, Laurie is revealed to be Michael’s younger sister, giving Michael a family related motive in this timeline. Later on, he is shot down and burned.

After the events of Halloween II, Years later Michael returns to hunt Laurie’s daughter Jamie Lloyd. The later films introduce the Cult of Thorn, a supernatural curse believed to control Michael and force him to kill his family. This timeline slowly transforms Michael from a mysterious killer into a supernatural figure connected to ancient evil.

1998–2002 Timeline

The H20 timeline ignores the events of Halloween 4, 5, and 6. Instead, it continues directly from Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981). This storyline includes Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and Halloween: Resurrection.

In this timeline, Laurie Strode survives Michael’s attacks and fakes her death to hide from him. She changes her identity and works at a private school while struggling with paranoia and trauma. Twenty years after the original murders, Michael survived the Hospital fire in Halloween II and later tracks Laurie down for another confrontation. Michael is later "killed" at the end of the movie.

Halloween: Resurrection continues the story after H20 which revealed Michael had faked his death in H20 and later tracked down Laurie eventually killing her. Later on the movie follows a group of college students participating in an online reality show inside the abandoned Myers house. Michael later killed majority of the participates leaving two survivors.

2007–2009 Timeline

Director Rob Zombie rebooted the Halloween franchise with Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009). These films reimagine Michael Myers with a darker and more psychological backstory.

Unlike the original films, the remake explores Michael’s childhood in detail, showing his abusive home life, bullying at school, and growing violent behavior. The films attempt to explain how Michael became a killer rather than portraying him as completely mysterious.

Rob Zombie’s version of Michael Myers is physically larger, more brutal, and more violent than previous versions. The films also place a stronger focus on Laurie Strode’s trauma and mental decline after surviving Michael’s attacks.

2018–2022 Timeline

The modern Halloween timeline ignores every sequel except the original 1978 film. This timeline includes Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends.

In this timeline, Laurie Strode is no longer Michael Myers's sister. Instead, Michael’s attacks appear completely random, returning the character closer to John Carpenter’s original vision of pure evil. Laurie spends forty years preparing for Michael’s possible return by turning herself into a survivalist.

Halloween Kills takes place immediately after the events of Halloween (2018). After Laurie Strode, her daughter Karen, and granddaughter Allyson trap Michael Myers inside Laurie’s burning house, firefighters arrive at the scene. However Michael survives the fire and brutally kills the firefighters before escaping back into Haddonfield. Michael later eventually goes on a killing spree before killing Laurie's daughter Karen.

Halloween Ends takes place four years after Halloween Kills and introduces Corey Cunningham, a bullied outcast whose trauma leads him into darkness after meeting Michael Myers in the sewers. Michael’s presence pushes Corey toward violence, while Laurie Strode tries to live peacefully with Allyson but is drawn back into conflict. After Corey’s death, Laurie confronts and kills Michael in a final battle and his body is destroyed by the town, ending his terror.