Sequels are always a crap shoot when it comes to quality, and that’s never more true than with horror movies. Particularly those that end up as a franchise, where you have a set of (usually) diminishing returns. For this list, we’re (mostly) sticking with direct sequels, Part II’s and the like. When a sequel works out, it’s like catching lightning in a bottle. Again. When it doesn’t, it’s like licking a car battery. With this list, we’re hoping to give you bottles full of lightning. Either way, you’re probably going to get shocked. I… I’m sorry, that metaphor got away from me a bit. ANYWAY, here are the terrifying double-dips that ended up working out.
Here are the 50 Greatest Horror Sequels of All Time.
10. [•REC]² (2009)
REC 2 starts just moments after the end of the original film, with a group of soldiers and a health official sent into the apartment building to find out what’s happened. It adds context and explanations for the events of REC, but never lets its foot off of the gas as it does so. It’s a constant stream of action and horror, with just enough context and backstory to fill you in (and make you even more horrified). REC is one of the greatest found footage horror movies ever made, and REC 2 is right up there as well. It’s a worthy addition to the franchise, one that retroactively made the first movie even scarier, and it should probably have been the last one.
–Bob Cram
9. The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
What a bonkers ass movie this is. Following the Firefly family from House of a Thousand Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects is still grindhouse but has a much more compelling story. Part of what drives the intrigue is the addition of William Forsythe’s Sheriff Wydell: a foil to the family who will have to get as demented as they are to have a chance at stopping them. Honestly, I think this is a much better movie than the original, and while not for everyone, it’s a wild ride and has some incredible stand-out scenes at both the beginning and end of the movie.
–Valerie Morreale
8. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
No other franchise, save for maybe James Bond, has split its fanbase as equally as the Friday the 13th films. You ask 100 Friday the 13th fans which film is their favorite, and I guarantee each film in the series will be picked at least once. Some fans love the over-the-top cheese of the third, while others defend the divisive remake and Jason X, and believe it or not, there are a select few that even go to bat for A New Beginning, The New Blood, and Jason Takes Manhattan. They’re rare, but they do exist.
But if you got that same group of fans and asked them which film they think is the best, the results would be radically different. Part 2 is arguably the scariest, and Jason Lives the most fun, but The Final Chapter is pound for pound the most enjoyable in the series. It has the best kills, the best cast of victims, the best story, and the third-best Jason behind Hodder and Mears. Pretty impressive for the last entry in the franchise.
–Sailor Monsoon
7. Psycho II (1983)
There’s not much one can say about Psycho II without it being a spoiler. Picking up 22 years after the events of Psycho, Norman Bates has returned home. Is he truly sane? Is Mother really gone? Who can we trust? There are enough twists, turns, and revelations to keep you guessing throughout the brisk 2-hour run time.
Anthony Perkins revels in stepping back into the role of Norman Bates, with Vera Miles also back as Marion Crane’s sister, Lila, who married Sam Loomis after the events of Psycho. With ’80s mainstays Robert Loggia and Dennis Franz, as well as a young Meg Tilly, also part of the supporting cast, Psycho II is a star-studded horror sequel that I’ll boldly claim is superior to the original. Don’t believe me? Well, I guess you’ll have to watch and find out for yourself if you want to prove me wrong.
–Marmaduke Karlston
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
By the time the Elm Street series got to the third entry, Freddy was well on his way to becoming a pop culture icon. He had Halloween costumes, toys, various merchandise, and even a hotline. Seeing where the wind was blowing, the producers decided to shift gears and lean into it. They relocated Freddy out of the boiler room, moved him out of the shadows, and gave him the spotlight. He went from a dream demon into a wise-cracking movie star, and while some horror fans still bemoan the sudden shift in character, audiences at the time ate it up.
Dream Warriors was the entry that made Freddy Krueger one of the most recognizable characters in film. It gave him the personality he was lacking in previous installments, and it used his dream powers to great effect. It upped the creativity of his kills and introduced the concept of the victims fighting back with dream magic. Since it’s their dreams Freddy is haunting, they figure out that they too can manipulate their surroundings or give themselves powers in order to survive. It’s an ingenious idea that no other film in the franchise capitalized on. Dream Warriors isn’t as scary as the first, nor is it as well-made as New Nightmare, but it’s fun as hell and that theme song still slaps 32 years later.
–Sailor Monsoon
5. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Somebody who loves Hellraiser II a lot more than I do made this list. There are a ton of elements in this film that I adore – the expanded visions of hell, more Cenobites, more Pinhead, the return and elevation of Julia – but for me, these all suffer in comparison to the elements of the first film. It’s just not as intense or dreamlike or disturbing. That being said, it’s still a damn (sorry) good time, with excellent creature effects and some world-building that helped launch the series beyond the confines of a single family and their turmoil. And it is a metric crapton better than anything that followed.
–Bob Cram
4. Aliens (1986)
While working on the set of Galaxy of Terror, a young James Cameron noticed that everything from the cast to the crew to the sets was as low quality as possible and wondered why they weren’t trying to make a film as good as Alien. The crew, having worked on many a Corman production beforehand, was used to banging out cheap knockoffs made solely to chase a hot trend, but Cameron couldn’t fathom why. If they were going to a movie anyway, why not make the best movie possible? Cut to five years later, and that same set designer who had to make a futuristic set out of spray-painted Styrofoam containers he bought from McDonald’s was helming Aliens.
Cherry-picking the best elements of Alien, Cameron took what worked in Ridley Scott’s masterpiece and ditched everything he didn’t like. Namely, the haunted-house-in-space setting and slower pace, and adding in action-hungry space marines, while also fleshing out the xenomorph’s biology and giving Ripley some much-deserved emotional weight. The xenomorph queen is a brilliant creation, and say what you will about Cameron as a writer, but there’s a reason Sigourney Weaver was given an Oscar nomination. Ripley is finally given something to do outside of opening and closing doors or arguing with men, and Weaver attacks the role like a hungry dog. She’s spectacular in it, and amazingly, the film is worthy of her performance.
–Sailor Monsoon
3. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Bride of Frankenstein is often considered one of the best sequels ever made because it doesn’t just repeat the original in the same way so many tend to do. Instead, it builds on the story begun in Frankenstein (1931) and digs deeper into the themes of morality, loneliness, and the need for companionship. As with Frankenstein, director James Whale does an excellent job blending the gothic atmosphere with dark humor and real emotion. More importantly, the Monster is seen as more than just a frightening creation! He’s a tragic figure, yearning for connection, and aren’t we all? Today, it’s almost impossible to picture the Monster without his Bride at his side. To me, Bride of Frankenstein elevates the original story into something even more profound and moving, securing its reputation as a horror masterpiece and a sequel that may well outshine its predecessor.
–Romona Comet
2. Evil Dead II (1987)
One of the most unabashedly fun horror movies of all time. Director Sam Raimi took everything he learned while making the first Evil Dead and, with some money and time on his side, cranked it all to an 11. It’s essentially a remake of the first film with more of all the things that made Evil Dead work. More gore, more funny, and more Bruce Campbell – finally revealed as a gifted and charismatic physical comedian. It’s not a perfect film – some of the effects are a little dodgy, the acting is a little (or a lot in some cases) wooden and things get a little sloppy around the edges (you can see light fixtures in the beams of the cabin roof at one point and that Henrietta costume apparently ripped in the crotch during the filming and they didn’t fix it). None of that matters because it’s 150 lbs of fun in a 5lb bag. There is just SO MUCH good stuff crammed in there that you never have to wait for more than a minute or two before getting another, more awesome round of gags and gore.
–Bob Cram
1. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
George Romero might’ve created the modern zombie with his highly influential debut Night of the Living Dead, but it would be its sequel, Dawn, that would kickstart the zombie craze. No other movie in history has spawned as many knock-offs, copycats, or imitators, and for good reason. The film is an expertly crafted character drama masquerading as a zombie film dealing with consumerism. It has a lot on its mind, but the theme never gets in the way of the human element, which is the heart of the film.
More than its amazing special effects and ingenious setting, it’s the characters that’ll stick with you. Stephen “Flyboy” Andrews, Peter Washington, Roger “Trooper” DeMarco, and Francine Parker (played by David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, and Gaylen Ros,s respectively) are more than just zombie fodder; they’re three-dimensional characters you not only love but root for. You want to see them live, and when they start dying, it’s heartbreaking. Few filmmakers create a film that changes cinema forever. Lucas did it, Welles did it, Tarantino did it, but Romero did it twice.
–Sailor Monsoon
20-11 | Greatest Horror TV Shows
What are some of your favorite horror sequels that didn’t make the cut? Share them with us down in the comments!