Halloween’s John Carpenter-Abandoning Sequel Is Officially The #1 Movie In The World

Published Sep 26, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

John Carpenter brought the Halloween franchise to life in 1978 with his seminal horror film of the same name. The movie introduced a now-iconic horror villain in the form of Michael Myers, a figure who has returned in 12 subsequent installments over the past 48 years. Most recently, Myers returned in David Gordon Green's reboot trilogy, culminating with the divisive Halloween Ends in 2022. The next step for the franchise is the upcoming Halloween TV show, but an earlier entry in the franchise is now proving surprisingly popular with audiences.

38 years after its release, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers has become a hit on streaming. As of writing, the film stands as the number one movie in the world on Shudder, beating some significant titles on the horror-centric streamer.

Halloween 4 Is The Biggest Movie On Shudder Worldwide

Released in 1988, Halloween 4 is reconnecting with audiences on Shudder, as it is currently beating a number of other films, including several in the Halloween franchise. The slasher movies comes ahead of titles like Goody Goody (2026), Halloween (2018), Halloween (1978), Penny Lane is Dead (2026), Lizzie (2018), Its Name Was Mormo (2024), Late Night with the Devil (2024), Vivarium (2019), and Halloween 5 (1989).

Shudder continues to be a go-to destination for horror content, and the Carpenter franchise is obviously an iconic one in this arena. With October and Halloween itself now fast approaching, it's not necessarily surprising to see the slasher franchise occupying so many spots on the Shudder top 10, but the fourth installment topping the list is unexpected. Directed by Dwight H. Little, the film follows Myers as he returns to Haddonfield to kill his young niece, with Dr. Loomis setting out to stop him.

The Horror Sequel Memorably Abandoned John Carpenter's Plans

Kyle Cassidy

Halloween 4 takes place ten years after the events of the original film, and this is about the only element that was part of Carpenter's original plan. Carpenter and Debra Hill, with screenwriter Dennis Etchison, originally conceived of the film being far different, with Myers explicitly becoming a supernatural being who could absorb gunfire and physically grow in size. The driving idea was that Myers' power grew as Haddonfield banned Halloween and attempted to suppress memories of him.

Executive producer Moustapha Akkad ultimately rejected the script for being "too cerebral," and Carpenter and Hill both subsequently sold their stake in the franchise. The film, which pivoted to become a more straightforward slasher sequel, was a hit despite poor reviews, grossing $17 million at the box office on a $5 million budget. Though Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers may not be the most celebrated entry in the franchise, audiences are evidently being drawn back to it close to 40 years later.