3 maligned Halloween sequels that deserve a rewatch and second chance

Few horror movie franchises are as convoluted as Halloween. What started as a simple premise by John Carpenter in 1978 about a man in a white mask stalking teens quickly spun into several sequels and reboots. For a few movies, Michael even belonged to a secret cult! The latest iteration is David Gordon Green's trilogy for Blumhouse and Universal that spanned from 2018-2022, concluding with Halloween Ends, one of the most polarizing movies in the long-running Haddonfield saga, namely because it set up Corey (Rohan Campbell) to take Michael Myers' place.

There just may come a day when fans reevaluate Halloween Ends and end up loving it because it dared to do something different. I'm not there yet. Still, there have been plenty of Halloween movies over the years that earned horrible reviews and are still pooh-poohed by some fans.

Here are three Halloween movies that deserve a rewatch and second chance, despite their bad reviews.

Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers

To be clear, I'm not a fan of the Cult of Thorn thread that started with Halloween 5. It's goofy as heck and has absolutely nothing to do with the first movie. That said, these particular sequels have some great elements. Danielle Harris absolutely kills it as Jamie Llyod, Michael Myers' niece. She's also one of the strongest champions of the franchise and a fan favorite, for sure. The Cult of Thorn element really ramped up in Halloween 6, but despite that, it has plenty of redeeming qualities.

Despite the wild premise that Michael is part of a cult who protects him and essentially unleashes him to do their bidding (if I even understand it correctly after all these years), I do enjoy Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers. For one, it's Paul Rudd's first major acting role. He stars as Tommy Doyle, the little boy Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) babysat in the first movie. Well, Tommy is all grown up and obsessed with Michael. It's a semi-bonkers performance by Rudd, but so fun to watch. He also assists in protecting Jamie's baby from Michael. Unfortunately, Jamie is killed off minutes into this movie, and Harris wasn't cast as the character again. The rest of the movie deals with the baby, the cult's obsession with the baby, and Michael's eventual rampage.

I also dig this movie because it has a great atmosphere. I love throwing this movie on in October for the spooky autumn vibes that director Joe Chappelle and cinematographer Billy Dickson captured. There are also several nods to the Universal Monsters, including two main characters that dress up as the Bride of Frankenstein and the Monster. Yes, there are some references in here that really date it, including a Beavis and Butthead impression by one of the characters and a shock jock dude who gets gutted, but that oddly makes it all the more charming. It's very much a product of the 90s.

Halloween 6 is currently streaming on Max and available to rent on other streaming platforms.

Rob Zombie's Halloween 2

Few horror directors are as polarizing as Rob Zombie, and part of this has to do with his Halloween movies. The first one gave Michael a backstory when it wasn't really needed. The Shape is so terrifying because he's a force of nature that needs no backstory as to why he murdered his sister in 1963, broke out of an institution, and returned to Haddonfield to kill again.

Zombie's Halloween 2 is a much more interesting film. It wasn't the first film in the franchise to really explore a final girl's trauma. Halloween H20 did that with Laurie Strode, but I'd argue that Halloween 2 does it much better and at a deeper level. In this version, Scout Taylor-Compton's Laurie is mentally damaged after the events of Zombie's first Halloween reboot. She pops pills and can barely maintain her friendships, including with Annie (Danielle Harris), who also survived Michael's rampage and has the literal scars to show it.

The opening sequence makes it seem like this will be a sheer reboot of Halloween 2, set in a hospital, with Michael about to find Laurie again. However, it's a nightmare, and we soon come to learn that Laurie's current reality is just as bad. She's barely hanging on. Additionally, Tyler Mane is imposing and intimidating in his second performance as the famed slasher, and Zombie takes wild swing after wild swing, studio interference and rewrites be damned. For whatever reason, Sheri Moon Zombie frequently appears as Michael's mom alongside a white horse. Just go with it.

But I recommend this movie because of the way it explores the traumatic effects on a final girl, and it does it better than some others in the franchise, including Halloween H20 and Halloween 2018. Taylor-Compton really gives one hell of a performance in this movie and so does Harris. Give it another chance at least for these two contemporary scream queens and all they brought to their roles.

Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 is available to stream for free on Tubi.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

It took a long time, but Halloween III: Season of the Witch eventually found its champions. However, when this movie first released in 1982, boy was it panned! This movie has no Michael Myers. Instead, the third film focuses on a mysterious company named Silver Shamrock that sells Halloween masks with the intent to murder children when a commercial is played on Halloween night. This is all tied up in a plot involving robots and Irish pagans. The premise is absolutely ridiculous.

Still, this movie has some absolutely stunning cinematography by Dean Cundey, who also shot the first two films in the franchise. This movie has sheer flashes of visual brilliance. Meanwhile, Tom Atkins is great as Dr. Dan Challis, who gets caught up in the conspiracy after teaming up with Ellie Grimbridge (Stacey Nelkin). There's hardly a scene where Dr. Dan isn't boozing or trying to sleep with Ellie, and you really wonder how he makes it to the end of the movie. He's an anti-hero, for sure.

Just accept the fact Michael isn't in Halloween III, and that it's not set in Haddonfield but the fictional town of Santa Mira, California instead, and it's a fun watch every October. It took many years, but this initially hated sequel now has plenty of defenders.

If you always detested these Halloween sequels, maybe give them another chance. Despite their glaring flaws, there's enough to like about each of them.

Halloween III is available to stream on Peacock and available to rent on other streaming platforms.