Join us for a deep dive into horror highs & lows…
Franchises are critical to filmmaking, especially in horror. There have been highs and lows when a film decides to spin itself off and do more entries, and we’ll cover them today.
We don’t want to harp on the traditional excellent or lousy horror sequels for this list. We all know Jason Takes Manhattan is awful, and we saw surprise hits like Scream 2 and so on, but we want to spotlight sequels that are often far too overlooked. Join us as we spotlight these horror franchise entries that surprised us for better or worse…
The Best – Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
Wes Craven is a sequel maestro. His Scream franchise was built on a continued stream of films that delight fans. But one of his best sequels comes from the franchise he created, which is filled with awful sequels.
Nightmare on Elm Street is stacked with lackluster follow-ups to the memorable first entry, but an argument can be made as to why Craven’s A New Nightmare rises above the rest. We get another outstanding performance from Heather Langenkamp, possibly the best out of her three turns, and she’s allowed to play in a great story.
Before he went meta with Scream, Wes Craven used A New Nightmare to explore filmmakers dealing with the ramifications of what they’ve created. It’s a challenging film that asked a lot of its audience at the time, but it soon found a home with Elm Street fans and the horror community.
The Worst – Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Collectively, the Alien and Predator franchise has seen some rough movies; Alien 3 and 2018’s The Predator come to mind. But if you look at both franchises, it doesn’t get worse than Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.
Even though the first Alien vs. Predator wasn’t great, it had enough moments to fulfill the horror fans’ demand to see these two iconic extra-terrestrials battle. The 2007 sequel didn’t have the same charm, becoming a messy, slasher-inspired romp that doesn’t live up to its potential. That is when you can see the poorly lit and ugly movie.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem even tries to throw out the idea of a Xenomorph/Yautja hybrid, which is cheesy in this already hard pill to swallow. In an attempt to make a fun B-movie, a VHS-era throwback, it ultimately feels like a studio mandate rather than an earnest experience.
The Best – Saw X
For the most part, Saw fans know how to pick out the good and the bad in the franchise. The first three films are solid, and you can find a random sequel in the original set that works. But none hit the heights of Saw X.
Who knew it would take till 2023 to perfect the Saw formula? All they needed to do was put Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw at the front of the film, which truly paid off. The actor has always been a joy to watch in these movies, but none allowed him to be the story’s focus. In this gnarly slasher, you get all the gore and all the John Kramer you could want.
Saw II is another top contender for one of the better sequels, but the common denominator between the two is Tobin Bell. Saw X knows how to use the legendary actor to his full potential and lets him shine in this twisted revenge tale. Hopefully, the follow-ups can live up to this one.
The Worst – Rings
If you were around in 2002 for The Ring, you know the pop culture juggernaut it became. It had a sequel that tried to hit the original peaks but couldn’t. And then there’s this absolute monster of a movie.
Don’t be surprised if you didn’t know this 2017 sequel existed, as even the most diehard Ring fan tries to ignore it. All sense of mood is gone, which is what the first two Ring movies thrived on. You want the atmosphere, not just cheap jump scares and a messy plot that gives you little to care about. Simply, it isn’t excellent to sit through, The Ring fan or not.
Not to blame it solely on this, but a hilariously awful movie could only be co-written by the mastermind behind Batman & Robin. It isn’t good. You wish it were at least “so bad, so good,” but it’s dull and dreadful. I’d rather watch the mid-tier The Ring 2 on repeat for seven days.
The Best – Ouija: Origin of Evil
Of all the sequels here, Ouija: Origin of Evil might be the only one far better than its original. Director Mike Flanagan takes over and adds his signature flair to the franchise, saving it before utter failure.
2014’s Ouija opened to middling reviews but a successful box office, which allowed the sequel to happen. To save it, they got budding horror filmmaker Flanagan to take over and give Ouija: Origin of Evil everything that the first outing was missing. There’s personality, good scares, and a solid performance from its young cast.
Mike Flanagan would go on to bigger and better things, but he can’t be credited enough for turning around the Ouija reputation before it fell into horror obscurity. It also has to be mentioned that this was a massive turning point for him, putting him on the map in a big way.
The Worst – Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
No one would argue that Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever is a masterpiece, but if there were to be a follow-up to the film, it deserved to be something far better than this horrible cheesy romp.
To say I admire director Ti West would be an understatement, but it’s wild to see where he is now after making a childish and lackluster gross-out teen comedy like Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. Roth’s original Cabin Fever had dark humor, but it never forgot to be creepy. This wants to be gross and goofy; it’s nothing we need.
Ti West already had House of the Devil under his belt before he dropped Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, but it’s wild to think he’s come back from that to make bangers like The Innkeepers and Pearl. If you want to see growth or gag, check this out.
The Best – The Devil’s Rejects
Rob Zombie is a touchy subject for horror fans. Good or bad, the filmmaker always sparks a reaction. Even with that, most will admit the power that The Devil’s Rejects possess.
His follow-up to the outlandish debut House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects strips back the colorful insanity we saw in the first Firefly Family film. In place of all the candy-coated creepiness is stone-cold brutality and some of the best direction we’ve ever seen from Zombie. It’s sleek, smart, and pure shock; words most never hold for the filmmaker.
If you took the same film and threw Tarantino’s or Rodriguez’s name on it, it would be considered a 00s masterpiece. But as a sequel and a Rob Zombie movie, it’s as close to perfect as we’d ever get. Is it for everything? No, but it should be for real horror lovers.
What are your best and worst horror sequels? Let us know on our socials @FlickeringMyth…
EJ Moreno
