47% Agree This Is The Best Movie In The Halloween Franchise

Genre fans can no doubt agree horror movie franchises with a plethora of installments have historically spotty track records, generally speaking. And as far as those track records go, most would likely also agree the "Halloween" franchise — which contains 12 films and counting — has been among the spottiest. It's also been a lot more fun than some of its counterparts, however, with the blood-spattered saga of the impossible-to-kill Michael Myers' relentless campaign to off Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her loved ones continuing to make for gruesome popcorn fodder. 

That saga has, of course, seen a resurgence of late thanks to David Gordon Green. The director's 2018 franchise reboot (of sorts), "Halloween," which was well-received at the time of its release (via Rotten Tomatoes), and the recent but less-revered follow-up "Halloween Kills" (also via Rotten Tomatoes). While those films continue to bring new fans to the slasher series, they all seem to have their personal favorites from the franchise.

So, which "Halloween" film is the best in the eyes of fans? Looper asked that very question in a recent readers poll. A total of 590 franchise fans took part in the vote, and to no one's surprise, they showed a lot of love for one particular entry in the fabled horror franchise.

In case there is any doubt about which film franchise fans love the most, it is indeed director John Carpenter's 1978 original "Halloween." And no, the final tally wasn't even close, with Carpenter's iconic slasher flick claiming a whopping 47.12% of the vote in Looper's recent poll. Again, that's hardly a surprise as that original film is not just revered as the jewel of the "Halloween" franchise, but one of the scariest horror movies ever made. Likewise, Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode and the white-masked menace known as Michael Myers (aka The Shape, played by Nick Castle) regularly rank among the great Final Girls and cinematic psycho killers, respectively. As it is, this recent vote of adoration from franchise fans can only add to both the film's and the characters' already robust legacies.

Just for point of reference to how lop-sided a result our poll produced, the closest competitor to the 1978 movie is its original sequel, 1981's "Halloween II," which earned just 10.68% of votes. Following that classic sequel with just over 10% of votes is David Gordon Green's 2018 film "Halloween," which is also a direct sequel to the '78 original. In a surprising twist, 1995's much-maligned "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" (via Rotten Tomatoes) slotted into the number four spot, and 1982's "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" (officially the cult hit of the franchise) rounded out the top five picks.