As seen with the new Halloween movies and producer Jordan Peele’s upcoming Candyman reboot, old-school horror movies getting long-delayed sequels is one of the genre’s biggest trends today. In doing so, horror series from yesteryear (or from just a few years ago) are given a second chance at life, to either give their overarching stories the ending they deserve or redeem themselves of shameful sequels that came before.
Seeing the likes of Michael Myers return to his murderous roots in Haddonfield brought a tear to many a horror fan’s eye, leaving them wondering who could be up next for a new sequel in the coming 2020s. Without further ado, here are 5 horror franchises that need a new sequel, plus 5 more that should be left in the past for different reasons.
Needs a Sequel: The Real Leprechaun
In 2018, the Leprechaun came back in Leprechaun Returns. Normally, this would be reason to celebrate among Lep’s fans, but there was one big problem: Lep wasn’t portrayed by Warwick Davis.
Davis’ goofiness and enthusiasm made the Leprechaun series a cult favorite despite Lep having two questionable sequels already, and the newest entry lacks this charm. Now that long-delayed horror sequels are the trend, there’s no better time for Davis to properly conclude Lep’s saga.
Doesn’t Need a Sequel: Paranormal Activity
Found footage movies have been around for a long time, but Paranormal Activity arguably made the popularity of the concept explode. The first movie’s surprise success led to five sequels, all of which diminished in quality with each passing entry. Not only is the Paranormal Activity series floundering, but found footage has fallen out of favor.
With few exceptions, these low-budget movies have been exposed as lazy cash grabs that are indistinguishable from one another. There are rumors of a seventh Paranormal Activity, but maybe it’s better for this fad to fade away, beginning with the one that started it all.
Needs a Sequel: The Original Child’s Play
The case of the Child’s Play movies is a strange one. The original run is still ongoing and will be followed up in an upcoming series, and it still got a reboot this year that’s bound to spawn some sequels.
The reboot has its strengths and merits, but its mere existence runs the risk of rudely overshadowing a beloved long-running story that has yet to end. The events of Cult of Chucky ended on an inspired cliffhanger where Charles Lee Ray is free once more, and his killing spree deserves a proper conclusion before a new generation takes over.
Doesn’t Need a Sequel: Jeepers Creepers
One of the few original and recognized horror franchises of the 2000s is Jeepers Creepers, a trilogy (at the moment) about a flying cannibal who awakes every 23 years.
Jeepers Creepers 3 was so poorly made and received that it killed any interest in the sequel it was building up to. The third movie was mostly filler with watered-down kills, lacking its predecessors’ dread. It’s one of those franchises that seemed to lose its momentum, and that’s a very difficult thing to recover from.
Needs a Sequel: Hellraiser
The production cycle of the Hellraiser movies is a mess. With the exception of the first two movies, the Hellraiser series has almost no involvement from its creator Clive Barker. The celebrated horror author wrote the first two films and even directed the original, but lost creative control of anything after that.
To say the sequels missed the point of Barker’s vision is an understatement, as they degraded his uniquely Gothic vision into typical slasher gore. A return to form is reportedly in the works, thankfully with Barker back in the fold.
Doesn’t Need a Sequel: The Amityville Horror(s)
Believe it or not, there was an Amityville movie released in 2018… a year after another Amityville movie opened in 2017 following years’ worth of delays. The Amityville movies went from being decent haunted house fare to becoming a cliché of their own.
These movies are always about a hapless family moving into the legendarily spooky house, only for them to get spooked on and killed later. Unless a team of visionary filmmakers takes control, Amityville movies are probably better left dormant in their grave of cinematic obscurity.
Needs a Sequel: The Evil Dead
Unlike most horror properties, The Evil Dead boasts a good original franchise and a well-made reboot. The Evil Dead remake may be a bit more serious than expected, but it deserves a follow-up after director Fede Alvarez showed what he’s capable of.
Meanwhile, the original The Evil Dead trilogy continued in Ash vs. Evil Dead, which was canceled after three seasons. Ash Williams’ story closed with an open enough ending, but it still feels a bit lacking. Whether it’s through a crossover with the new generation or a definitive final chapter, Ash deserves a proper last hurrah.
Doesn’t Need a Sequel: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The horror of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre lies in how little is known about Leatherface and his cannibalistic clan, yet the franchise keeps on adding prequels and reboots that needlessly reveal their backstories. In this series’ case, it has to stop churning out origin stories and restarts no one asked for.
If anything, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre needs more sequels because it’s known for making some of the strangest follow-ups in horror history. Given the film-makers’ obsession with exploring Leatherface’s childhood, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll get something as amazingly weird as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 again.
Needs a Sequel: Friday the 13th
Unlike most other horror reboots of the 2000s, the new Friday the 13th was actually good, if not great. It breathed life into Jason Voorhees and introduced the classic slasher killer to a new generation, properly modernizing his myth in ways that the futuristic guilty pleasure Jason X failed.
A sequel (or another reboot) has been in the works since 2009, but the series’ legal battles bogged everything to a screeching halt. The modern horror genre is in dire need of some good old fashioned slasher fun, which is something Jason can provide.
Doesn’t Need a Sequel: A Nightmare on Elm Street
If Friday the 13th did its job in 2009, A Nightmare on Elm Street failed catastrophically in 2010. Despite Jackie Earle Haley’s best efforts as the new Freddy Kruger, the Elm Street remake was a dull retread that lacked any of the franchise’s signature horror, creativity, and fun.
There are rumors of another remake, but thankfully, New Line Cinema is occupied with The Conjuring movies. Also, as iconic as he is, Freddy – a shape-shifting killer who preys on fearful children – has been somewhat usurped by the new Pennywise in the IT movies, making his return all the more unlikely.
