We’re back! The latest entry in our comprehensive score rankings is here, and this time, we’re taking on all 11 (as of this writing) feature films in the Halloween franchise!

Feel free to check out our previous rankings here.

Growing up, I wasn’t really a fan of slasher films… even though I loved the Nightmare on Elm Street series. Still, I never saw a single Friday the 13th (I’m in the process of correcting that now), and until very recently, the only Halloween I’d seen was the original.

(Feel free to “watch” the entire series with us here.)

The franchise got a boost in 2018 with a new film that was way better than it had any right to be. And since we now have to wait until 2021 to see its follow-up, Halloween Kills, which was delayed an entire year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we thought this might be a good time to revisit the films… and hopefully scratch the Halloween itch we’re all feeling right now.

The Halloween franchise is one of the few horror series that has a fairly consistent sound throughout. John Carpenter’s simple piano theme is instantly recognizable, immediately creepy, and in almost every one of these films.

Which is good, because the series is confusing as all heck. This isn’t a consistent story with 11 installments. Far from it. Over the course of 11 films (so far), there are no less than FIVE separate timelines, and unless you know how they’re supposed to connect, you’ll be hella confused.

Watching the Halloween films is a bit like a Choose Your Own Adventure. I mean, cripes, there are THREE films simply called Halloween!

But the music? The music is a throughline that connects them all and lets you know you’re watching a Halloween movie.

Keep in mind that we’re not here today to talk about the merits of the films themselves. We’re here to talk about the music. We’re ranking the orchestral scores – not the movies (which is an entirely other conversation… and one we’ve already had).

So without further ado…

#11: Halloween

• aka: the one with few redeeming qualities
• composed by Tyler Bates (2007)
• listen to: “Judith Kill,” “The Mask”

Just like I have no desire to EVER watch this movie again, I have very little desire to listen to this score again. To be fair, Bates scored the movie he was given – so it’s not a surprise that the music (like the film) is bleak, depressing, and remorseless. It gets points for the creepiest version of “Mr. Sandman” of all time, but the only highlights of this score are the few callbacks to Carpenter’s original themes.

#10: Halloween II

• aka: the one with no redeeming qualities
• composed by Tyler Bates (2009)
• listen to: “Halloween Theme 2009,” “Can I See the Pig?”

Musically, this one does a tad more than its predecessor at establishing an original – and suitably eerie – mood. It’s slightly more listenable than Bates’s score for the first Rob Zombie film, but not by much. And remember, you have to divorce the music from the film, because Zombie’s Halloween II is one of the most unwatchable films ever made. It’s so aggressively awful that I wouldn’t inflict it on my enemies.

Put this one into perspective. Halloween III: Season of the Witch was long seen as the film that nearly killed the franchise. It took 6 years before Halloween 4 came out. Zombie’s Halloween II debacle was so atrocious, so horrific, so fucking awful that it took 9 years to reboot the franchise back to square one.

#9: Halloween: Resurrection

• aka: the one with Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks
• composed by Danny Lux (2002)
• listen to: “Main Titles”

Like the film, completely unmemorable. I’ve listened to it multiple times, and I’m not even sure what to say about it.

#8: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

• aka: the one where Jamie Lee Curtis returns… with LL Cool J
• composed by John Ottman & Marco Beltrami (1998)
• listen to: “The Showdown”

As happens somewhat often in the industry, H20 actually has two different scores. John Ottman scored the entire film, but the filmmakers weren’t crazy about it. They then brought in Marco Beltrami who, in the late 90s, was riding high on his scores for Wes Craven’s Scream and Scream 2. (Beltrami would go on to compose all four Scream films.) Beltrami rescored much of the film, and we’re left with a soundtrack that’s orchestral and very thriller-esque (the Halloween theme is only hinted at). And because the final thing is a mishmash of Ottman’s and Beltrami’s scores, it feels a bit disjointed.

However, if you’re interested, Ottman’s original score for H20 was released as Portrait of Terror. And it’s a much more satisfying listening experience than the official H20 score.

#7: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

• aka: the one that was rushed into production and nearly got an X rating
• composed by Alan Howarth (1989)
• listen to: “Stranger Things”

Howarth returns the Halloween theme to its roots on the piano (it was synth in all previous films except the original), but he supports it with an orchestral and synth backing. More so than other scores, the music here is dissonant and a bit cacophonous. It is, I assume, meant to evoke the confusion and terror Michael causes, and even though that’s the ultimate aim of ALL these scores, only Revenge really goes all in on the discordant front.

But listen, let’s be honest, this isn’t a GREAT score; it’s just the most listenable one so far in this list. Everything above is just trash. The music of Halloween 5 is either the best of the worst… or the worst of the best. Take your pick.

#6: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

• aka: the one with that surprise ending
• composed by Alan Howarth (1988)
• listen to: “He’s in the Street,” “Still He Kills,” “Shape Attack”

This was the first film in the franchise not scored (or co-scored) by John Carpenter. Alan Howarth, who worked with Carpenter on the two previous films, took over sole composing duties here. Just as this film re-centered the franchise on Michael Myers (after the commercial failure of Halloween III), the music also returned to the franchise’s signature sound.

The Halloween theme is performed on a synthesizer here (rather than a piano), but it’s now also accompanied by percussion. The whole thing feels very 80s… but in a good way.

#5: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

• aka: the one with Paul Rudd
• composed by Alan Howarth (1995)
• listen to: “Run for Your Life,” “Michael’s Curse”

Howarth’s score here is surprisingly good, given how awful the film is. Though the main theme is there, the score as a whole relies on it much less than in previous sequels. The music is moody, atmospheric, and sinister, which matches the film’s focus on the occult.

I should also point out that this movie, like Halloween H20, has two separate scores, but both of them are by Howarth. The theatrical score has heavy rock influences and features – gasp! – electric guitar. It’s… meh. His score for the “producer’s cut,” though, is much more traditional… and vastly superior. It’s also the version that secured this #5 ranking.

#4: Halloween II

• aka: the one that takes place in a hospital
• composed by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth (1981)
• listen to: “Halloween II Theme,” “Mrs. Alves,” “Michael’s Sister”

John Carpenter was joined by Alan Howarth on this first sequel (Howarth would go on to score four more installments), which is heavily reliant on the main themes from the first film, but it also toys with and twists the iconic theme, played on a synthesizer here rather than a piano. The themes are also backed by organ sounds, which makes the whole thing feel very gothic… or like Michael’s pursuing us through a cathedral. This is also the soundtrack that introduced Pat Ballard & the Chordettes’ “Mr. Sandman” to the franchise.

#3: Halloween III: Season of the Witch

• aka: the one without Michael Myers
• composed by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth (1982)
• listen to: “Main Title,” “Drive to Santa Mira,” “Halloween Montage”

The black sheep of the Halloween franchise, Season of the Witch went a long time as the film everyone tried to pretend didn’t exist. Relatively recently, though, it’s become a cult favorite… and for good reason. It’s actually quite good; it’s just not about Michael Myers. Nevertheless, Carpenter and Howarth’s score is firing on all cylinders here. It’s missing the iconic Halloween theme (the only film in the franchise without it), but it still, somehow, feels perfectly at home. This score gets LOTS of play during October around Roarbots HQ.

#2: Halloween

• aka: the one where Jamie Lee Curtis returns… again
• composed by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, & Daniel Davies (2018)
• listen to: “Michael Kills Again,” “The Bogeyman,” “Halloween Triumphant”

When was the last time an 11th film in a franchise was this good? Seriously, David Gordon Green’s reboot defied all expectations and was so much better than it had any right to be. As a direct sequel to the 1978 original, it wiped the slate clean and dumped 9 entire films from Halloween continuity. But I ain’t complaining; I’m just angry we have to sit around for an entire year for Halloween Kills.

But I digress. John Carpenter (joined by his son Cody and Daniel Davies) returned to the franchise as composer – a role he hadn’t filled in 36 years. And the trio knocked it out of the park. This is by far the most enjoyable and re-listenable of all the Halloween scores. It’s faithful to the original yet still takes the music in new directions, it plays with convention, it’s downright frightening, and it introduces a sound – a stringed bow across an electric guitar – that rivals the Halloween theme as the scariest sound effect of the franchise.

#1: Halloween

• aka: the one that’s a true classic of the genre
• composed by John Carpenter (1978)
• listen to: “Halloween Theme – Main Title,” “The Haunted House,” “Laurie Knows”

As if this were ever in doubt. Carpenter’s spare, stripped down score for the original film set the template for everything that followed. The simple piano melody (that even a beginning piano student can play) is haunting and deceptively frightening. For many, this is THE sound not only of Halloween films but also of the entire Halloween season.