Jason VS. Michael: The 5 Best Halloween & 5 Best Friday The 13th Sequels, According To IMDb

The Halloween and Friday the 13^th franchises are as iconic as horror can get, continuing to turn out sequels and remakes since the 1970’s. Most people would aware that Halloween Kills was meant to be released later this year but like most films of 2020, it’s been delayed due to COVID-19. The Friday the 13^th franchise hasn’t seen a new movie since the 2009 remake due to rights issues but once that’s resolved, it’s more than likely to see a resurgence in some form.

Many would argue that the first film of both franchises are the strongest, particularly John Carpenters Halloween. The Friday the 13^th series took a few films to find its footing with its killer Jason Voorhees. This list includes the five top-rated sequels (including remakes) from each franchise, as rated by IMDb.

10 Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) – 5.2

One of the most disliked films in the Halloween franchise, kicks off with a recap the previous film ending, showing Michael Myers falls down a mineshaft after being brutally shot by the townspeople. Nursed to health by a hermit, Michael returns to Haddonfield a year later and continues his efforts to hunt down Jamie Lloyd.

Jamie spends the majority of this film as a mute living in a children’s hospital, under the direct care of Dr. Sam Loomis, suffering severe psychological trauma. The film’s climax takes place in Michael’s childhood home with Jamie and Dr. Loomis taking the killer on.

9 Friday the 13th (2009) – 5.5

Wiping the slate clean after countless sequels, this remake takes elements from the first four original Friday the 13th films and meshes them into one. The opening credits recap the plot of the first film, showing Pamela Voorhees reign of terror at Camp Crystal Lake. Aspects of the second Friday film fill in the next twenty minutes with burlap sack Jason taking out a bunch of campers; then kidnapping a girl who reminds him of his mother.

The movie then jumps ahead a few weeks and follows another group, travelling to Crystal Lake to stay a cabin. Meanwhile, the brother of the kidnapped girl arrives in town in search of his sister. In true Friday fashion, Jason unleashes carnage on these unsuspecting campers.

8 Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) – 5.9

After Halloween III attempted to make the franchise an anthology series, the fourth film returned to its roots. When we last left Michael Myers, he was caught up in an explosion with Dr. Loomis. It’s revealed that both characters survived, with Michael remaining in a coma ever since.

Upon hearing he has a surviving relative, in the form of his niece, Jamie Lloyd, Micahel awakens from his coma and returns to Haddonfield, with Dr. Loomis hot on his tail. Upon their arrival in town, Michael unleashes another rampage, ten years after the last one.

7 Friday the 13th Part III (1982) – 5.7

The Friday movie that suffers from a 3D gimmick that hasn’t aged well. This was the first film in the serious where Jason donned his iconic hockey mask, after acquiring it from one of his victims. The story picks up a day after the events of the second film with an injured Jason hides in a barn to recover from his injuries.

At the same time, a group of friends come to Crystal Lake for the weekend, staying at the old home of Chris Higgins. The carnage begins from the moment Jason appears onscreen up until the finale, which takes place in the barn and ends with Chris taking out Jason.

6 Halloween (2007) – 6.1

Rob Zombies 2007 remake, shied away from the mysteriousness of Michael Myers presented in Carpenter’s original and instead provides a detailed backstory into who the character is and why. In this version, Michael is the middle child of a low class family, suffering severe bullying at home and in school. This culminates in him killing a boy from his class, his older sister and step-father, resulting in his incarceration in a mental asylum.

The second half of the film provides a fast paced remake of the original film with more gore, violence and severity, likened to Zombie’s directing style. This version of Michael Myers is a bulking, brutal and relentless killing machine.

5 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) – 6

Far from the final film in the series, the fourth Friday the 13th is considered by most fans to be the best, or tied with the sixth. It introduces the character of Tommy Jarvis, who would reappear in parts five and six. The teenager characters are more fleshed out in this film, with Crispin Glover’s character being one standout.

In this film Jason wakes up in the morgue and returns to Crystal Lake, where a fresh group of teenagers are partying it up without a care in the world. Following another brutal killing spree, the film ends with Tommy Jarvis striking Jason in the head with a machete and continuing to attack him until he dies.

4 Halloween II (1981) – 6.5

Halloween II takes place on the same night as the original film with Michael escaping following his encounter with Dr. Loomis and Laurie Strode. Most of the action takes place within a hospital as Michael attempts to get to Laurie and the finale of the film reveals they are in fact brother and sister.

This sequel ramps up the violence from the original, which some argue was due to the release of the Friday the 13th films and the gore fest they are. Planned to be the end of Michael Myers story, the climax involves Dr. Loomis sacrificing himself to incinerate Myers in an explosion.

3 Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) – 6

A now adult Tommy Jarvis returns to Jason Voorhees gravesite to ensure the masked killer is truly dead but inadvertently resurrects him. Tommy attempts to warn the residents of Forest Green (formerly Crystal Lake) about Jason’s return but is ultimately ignored and later, arrested.

Tommy escapes from jail with the help of Megan, the Sheriff’s daughter and they return to Camp Crystal Lake to stop Jason from killing anyone at the campsite. Tommy leads Jason back into the lake and is able to attach a large boulder around his neck, trapping him under the lake.

2 Halloween (2018) – 6.6

Ignoring every film except the original, this direct sequel picks up forty years after the night he came home. During this time Michael Myers has been locked up in the sanitarium whilst Laurie Strode has spent her entire life haunted and preparing for the day he escapes.

Her assumptions prove to be correct and Michael returns to Haddonfield to once again unleash terror on its residents. The film was a huge success leading to a further two sequels being announced soon after.

1 Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) – 6.1

The film opens a few months after the first with an unknown assailant killing final girl Alice Hardy, then the action jumps ahead five years. A new camp for training camp counsellors is opened at Crystal Lake by Paul Shore who doesn’t hesitate to inform his counsellors about the legend surrounding Jason.

Jason takes the reigns as the masked serial killer in this film and would continue to do so in the franchise going forward. His appearance however is vastly different, resembling a small-statured farmer’s build and covering his face with a burlap sack.

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