All 4 David Gordon Green Horror Movies, Ranked (2024)

Pre-2018, the idea of David Gordon Green directing a horror movie might've sounded more than a little bizarre. After all, this filmmaker had first risen to prominence on the indie scene with well-received small-scale dramas like George Washington (2000) and Snow Angels (2004). Then, for a while, he seemed to be on a bit of a comedy spree, and achieved more popularity with 2008’s Pineapple Express, though Your Highness and The Sitter – both released in 2011 – didn’t really reach the same heights. After some more dramas like Joe (2014) and Stronger (2017), Green made a move to horror.

Notably, his four horror movies to date all came out between 2018 and 2023, and all belong to well-worn franchises from the genre’s history; namely, The Exorcist and Halloween. In all honesty, not all of these are particularly great, but the ones that aren’t good are kind of misfires in interesting ways, and do generally have some things to offer (well, sort of… if you're feeling charitable). Things might get a little negative, but this is a phase within Green’s career, following his first run of dramas, then his comedy spree, and then his second run of dramas, so it's worth exploring. He’s going back to the comedy/drama well with 2024’s Nutcrackers, so maybe this “quadrilogy” of horror movies will be it, for now. After all, his thirst for the genre could well rise from the dead, much like the villain of a continually profitable slasher movie series.

4 'The Exorcist: Believer' (2023)

Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn

Though it’s recent, it still feels as though The Exorcist: Believer could well be a contender for the undesirable distinction of worst horror movie of all time. It’s particularly lousy because it belongs to a legacy that did at least begin with something unfathomably great. 1973’s The Exorcist is one of those rare borderline-perfect horror movies, and one that works so exceptionally well as both a drama and something terrifying. The characters are compelling, the conflict is strong, and the way it slowly builds up its horror elements is riveting. The Exorcist: Believer was released 50 years after that original, brings back Ellen Burstyn in the role of Chris MacNeil, and generally makes sure to remind you of things about that movie every chance it gets, much to the detriment of what Believer actually is.

As for new ideas, The Exorcist: Believer itself seems to believe that two possessed girls will be scarier than one, and so that’s the central premise. There are two girls who are probably possessed. More characters get involved with the whole exorcising thing, and those behind the movie should’ve exercised their brains to come up with something better than a team of people from different religions assembling to do a group exorcism. The final act is laughable and the first two acts are deathly dull. It’s a pretty shoddy viewing experience all around, with the poor actors doing the best they can (it’s not enough). Of all the movies in The Exorcist series, this one might be the nadir, or at least very close to it.

The Exorcist: Believer

R

See Also

10 "True Story" Horror Movies That Can Barely Be Called TrueAll The Exorcist movies & TV shows, rankedExorcism Movies’ Terrifying Truth - Christianity TodayFrom 'The Exorcist' to 'Heretic,' why holy horror can be a hit with moviegoers

Horror

Supernatural

When two girls disappear into the woods and return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, the father of one girl seeks out Chris MacNeil, who's been forever altered by what happened to her daughter fifty years ago.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 6, 2023

Director

David Gordon Green

Cast

Leslie Odom Jr. , Ellen Burstyn , Ann Dowd , Jennifer Nettles , Lidya Jewett , Olivia Marcum

Runtime

121 Minutes

3 'Halloween Ends' (2022)

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney

It’s not quite as terrible a horror movie as The Exorcist: Believer, but the horror flick David Gordon Green made the previous year, Halloween Ends, isn't much better. It capped off a trilogy of Halloween movies that he began in 2018, and though some might argue it’s not as laughable or ridiculous as the second film, it is less fun. There is an attempt to do something a bit different here, with most of the movie pivoting away from Michael Myers while centering on a new character who’s going down a somewhat dark path and could become a Michael Myers-like killer. But the film also seems unafraid to not deliver one final showdown between Michael and Laurie Strode, so that’s also jammed in there more than a little awkwardly.

What you get with Halloween Ends is indeed, hopefully, the end of Halloween as a series, perhaps for now. It leaps off in a strange direction while also retreading some familiar ground, and it fluctuates between being dull and bewildering. There are small glimpses of gruesome horror here that might be almost alarming on a pure gut level, and Jamie Lee Curtis is in this one more than the second movie (which kind of sidelined her), so maybe that’s something? But the good stuff to be mined out of Halloween Ends is pretty minimal, overall, and the depths to which you’ll have to dig make the whole activity not worth the effort.

Halloween Ends

R

Horror

The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a spine-chilling climax in the final installment of this trilogy.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

See Also

Stream Spine-Chilling Horror for Free: Top 9 Websites to Visit

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 14, 2022

Director

David Gordon Green

Cast

jamie lee curtis , Andi Matichak , James Jude Courtney , Rohan Campbell

Runtime

105

2 'Halloween Kills' (2021)

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak

In 1981, Halloween II was released three years on from the first Halloween, and picked up right where that one left off. It took place on the same Halloween night as the first movie, and so much of the film involved Laurie being stuck in a hospital. 40 years later, Halloween Kills was released three years on from another movie called Halloween, and it took place on the same night while featuring Laurie stuck in a hospital for most of the movie. Time is a flat pumpkin.

Actually, other than that, Halloween Kills does go off in some other directions versus Halloween II, perhaps similarly to how the 1978 and 2018 Halloween films aren’t just the exact same thing. Halloween Kills does sideline Laurie, but it goes all-out with some other wild tangents, having a premise that involves the town of Haddonfield undergoing a collective madness in their shared desire to form an angry mob and track down – then kill – Michael Myers no matter what. And Michael fights back in his typically violent fashion, and then schlock unfolds. Halloween Kills is extremely silly, sometimes unintentionally hilarious, and so woefully heavy-handed in the themes that it wants to get across that it feels almost like Scary Movie at times. As a parody of the Halloween series, it’s kind of great. And sure, it’s probably not trying to be a parody, and seems like it wants to be serious, but it can be enjoyed because of the mistakes it makes. It is quite bad, but it’s bad in a very fun way, and that makes it better than Halloween Ends, which is bad in a boring way. You have to appreciate what you can, here. Pickings have seldom been slimmer.

Halloween Kills

R

Horror

Thriller

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 15, 2021

Director

David Gordon Green

Cast

James Jude Courtney , Anthony Michael Hall , Judy Greer , Andi Matichak , Kyle Richards , Will Patton , Nick Castle , Jamie Lee Curtis

Runtime

105 Minutes

1 'Halloween' (2018)

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak

When 2018’s Halloween starts, and it feels distinctly Halloween with the music and everything, there is a small feeling of hope one gets that the trilogy to follow might actually be good. The trilogy that came was more bad than good, but to its credit, it did start well. Halloween (2018) is pretty solid as far as slasher movies go, and marked a respectful attempt to do a direct sequel to something that was 40 years old. And it worked as a direct sequel, because even though various other Halloween movies came out between 1978 and 2018, Halloween (2018) ignored what was established there. Here, Laurie has only met Michael Myers that one time, back in 1978, and now has both a daughter and granddaughter she wants to protect when Michael potentially breaks free for the first time in decades.

Michael Myers, in this movie, does remind viewers why he was initially such a great villain, as he’s decently intimidating at times and really doesn’t mess around when it comes to dispatching people ruthlessly. The plot is extremely simple, with Laurie hunting Michael seemingly more than Michael wants to hunt Laurie (he’s kind of mindless in his rampaging and murdering), and it all builds to a pretty good showdown. It’s no masterpiece of the horror genre by any means, but Halloween (2018) is easily the best horror film David Gordon Green has directed to date, and ends up feeling like a serviceable and moderately respectful entry to a long-running (and admittedly inconsistent) series.

Halloween

R

Horror

Thriller

Laurie Strode confronts her long-time foe, Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 18, 2018

Director

David Gordon Green

Cast

Jamie Lee Curtis , Judy Greer , Andi Matichak , Will Patton , Virginia Gardner , James Jude Courtney , Nick Castle

Runtime

106 Minutes

NEXT: Collider's 100 Best Movies of All Time, Ranked

✕ Remove Ads