Michael Myers is a slasher villain so famous that his name alone can elicit terror. Even if you've never seen one of the Halloween franchise's 13 movies, chances are you know Michael anyway. The movie, of course, that started it all is John Carpenter's Halloween (1978). With the namesake holiday around the corner, Halloween sits at the heights of JustWatch's streaming charts. Currently sitting in the Top 10, this ‘70s classic even outranks new horror hits that just released this year, including Sinners (2025) and M3GAN 2.0 (2025).
This isn't an anomaly. Each October sees a similar rise in Halloween's popularity. However, even in the off-season, the film remains a staple among horror fans who've come to think of it as a reliable comfort watch. So, if you want to see what all the buzz is about, boot up Shudder, Plex, and more to discover the staying power of Halloween. Stay tuned, and I'll break down everything you need to know about John Carpenter's most famous film, including why it deserves a spot on your watchlist. (Seriously, add it right now.)
What Is 'Halloween' About? An Iconic Horror Movie Franchise, Explained
Discovering that the Halloween franchise includes 13 movies might have you steadying yourself on the nearest surface. However, before you topple over, know that it's not that complicated. Ignoring the Halloween franchise's multiple watch orders, all you really need to know about Michael Myers occurs in Halloween (1978).
The movie opens with Michael's first crime: killing his sister in 1963 at the ripe age of six years old. Flash forward 15 years, and Michael escapes Smith's Grove Sanitarium to stalk, chase, and murder a group of high schoolers on Halloween. What follows is plenty of slow-building suspense, some genuinely creepy cinematography, and a tense cat-and-mouse encounter between Michael and Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode.
The premise is simple, but the scares are effective. Really, the movie is about the nature of evil and the seemingly unstoppable monster created by a lack of empathy. By the time Halloween's open-ended conclusion rolls around, you'll understand why it kick-started an ongoing franchise. Because, yeah, it's just that good.
Later installments seek to explain Michael's origins and his relationship with Laurie, but many, including myself, would agree that he works best as an unflinching, uncaring killing machine who was just born bad, or, as Dr. Loomis says, "evil." Still, the franchise is worth the full watch at least once. However, Halloween (1978) also works as a standalone, one-and-done kind of experience.
Why 'Halloween' Is Exploding On The Streaming Charts
Halloween's climb to the top of the streaming charts isn't unusual. At the time of writing, it's October, with only a couple of weeks until the movie's namesake holiday. In fact, Halloween might be one of the most recommended Halloween movies out there. At this point, it's like an initiation rite for horror fans.
However, a deeper dive into the statistics reveals Halloween's staying power isn't just tied to the season. The movie has clocked up 468 days in the streaming charts' Top 100, with 180 of those days spent in the Top 10. It might be nearing 50 years old at this point, but the numbers prove audiences haven't tired of Halloween's classic scares yet. Plus, with the release of movies like Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) and Freakier Friday (2025), Halloween draws new viewers curious about Jamie Lee Curtis' first movie, which released when she was just 20 years old.
Should You Watch 'Halloween'?
If you consider yourself a horror fan, Halloween is a must-watch. Slashers, especially, owe so much to this movie. Do you like a slow-walking masked killer in movies like Friday the 13th (1980)? Thank Halloween. Dig the classic final girl trope in favorites like Scream (1996) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)? Well, then, thank Halloween again. Even holiday-themed movies like My Bloody Valentine (1981) ripped their inspiration directly from the film.
That's not to say these tropes didn't exist before Halloween. Black Christmas (1974), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and others certainly laid the foundation. However, Halloween's suburban setting, iconic soundtrack, and mastery of suspense created the type of critical and commercial success that others sought inspiration from by the buckets full. Halloween birthed the modern slasher genre, plain and simple. And while genre fans adore John Carpenter's other horror movies, the average person just knows him as "the guy who did Halloween."
Think of Halloween as The Godfather (1972) of slashers. Even if you're not a hardcore horror fan, the minimal gore makes it friendly enough for genre newcomers to enjoy. (Believe it or not, it's mostly bloodless.) Acting as both gateway horror for new audiences and comfort horror for old ones, once you watch Halloween, you'll see its influence everywhere. View it with the lights off, and I guarantee its 1978 scares still hold up.
