That said, there are remakes, sequels and yes, even rip-offs, that get it right, and give a good name to this inherent lack of originality. True, we’ve seen some pretty awful remakes in recent years as well as more than a handful of sequels that were clearly made for the sole purpose of capitalizing on an established brand, but we’ve also gotten some pretty good examples of both, which oftentimes get forgotten while we’re spending so much time focusing on the bad.
Here on Shock, we take a look at the past decade’s horror sequels, shining the spotlight on ten of them that prove that a sequel can be just as good – if not better – than the film it’s a follow-up to. Keep in mind that these choices merely represent my personal favorites, so if you disagree, let’s have a healthy discussion in the comments section, rather than a flame war!
We kick off the list with Hellraiser: Revelations, which was released back in…
Just kidding. Onto the real list, in no particular order!
Best Horror Sequels of the Last 10 Years
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Curse of Chucky
Though I consider myself a big fan of the Child’s Play movies – well, the first two, at least – I admit that I pretty much gave up on the franchise when that brand name was dropped in favor of the more recent sequels Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky. Personally, I absolutely hated the direction the series headed with those two utterly silly installments, which is why I was so excited to hear that creator Don Mancini planned on returning the franchise to its roots. That’s precisely what he did with last year’s Curse of Chucky, which at long last reminded me why I became a fan of the killer doll in the first place. It’s not a perfect film, by any means, but it represents a nice return to form for the series, while also tying in to both Bride and Seed. Curse of Chucky served as a reminder that the terms ‘low-budget’ and ‘direct-to-DVD’ are no longer the harbingers of cinematic doom they once were.
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Wrong Turn 2
I think it’s pretty safe to say that not many fans expected 2003’s Wrong Turn to become as enduring of a franchise as it’s proven itself to be, to date spawning a whopping four sequels – with a sixth installment on its way. Released in 2007, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End kicked off the string of direct-to-DVD sequels with a bloody bang, a gore-drenched follow-up that had me at the complete and utter bifurcation of an American Idol contestant – still one of my favorite opening sequences in horror history. With Henry Rollins in a badass leading role and some truly awesome practical effects, there’s very little to not love about Joe Lynch’s highly entertaining directorial debut, which I personally prefer over the original Wrong Turn.
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Hatchet 2
Four years after bursting onto the scene with the gory throwback Hatchet, Adam Green returned in 2010 with Hatchet 2, a balls to the wall sequel that proved that a sequel need not break much new ground, to deliver precisely what you’d want it to deliver. This time around, the journey leading up to the gory mayhem is even more fun than it was in the first film, with Danielle Harris taking over the role of Victor Crowley’s main adversary and even Child’s Play/Fright Night director Tom Holland popping up for a rare acting role. The star of the show here, however, is Tony Todd, who is absolutely golden as the twisted Reverend Zombie. Hatchet 2 tops the original film in nearly every department, jam packed with even more wildly outlandish kill scenes, an even more badass looking villain and a sense of pure fun that’s matched by few modern day horror movies. When it comes to the 80s slasher revival, nobody has done it as good as Green has, and Hatchet 2 is perhaps his throwback masterpiece.
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Texas Chainsaw 3D
It’s entirely possible that I’m going to lose a few of you with this next entry on the list, but hear me out before you pick up the pitchforks and flaming torches. As I mentioned in my recent ranking of the depictions of Leatherface across the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, I greatly admire the attempt that was made by Texas Chainsaw 3D to be a direct follow-up to Tobe Hooper’s original film, which was a totally ballsy move given the franchise had just a few years prior been completely rebooted. I’m not going to lie and pretend that Texas Chainsaw 3D is any sort of masterpiece, but it’s a fairly fresh take on the proceedings that almost feels like a lost sequel we never got back in the day. It’s admittedly more the intent that I appreciate than the execution, but I nevertheless found a whole lot to like about this totally unexpected sequel. Do your thing, cuz.
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Final Destination 5
Much like Child’s Play, I had pretty much given up on the Final Destination franchise around the time of the third installment, and an all-time low was hit when The Final Destination was released in 2009. I felt the series had run its course, and worn out its welcome, and I’m happy to say I was left eating those opinions when the end credits rolled on Final Destination 5, which unexpectedly turned out to be my favorite installment in the entire franchise. Packed with good characters, fun – and insanely violent – death scenes and the infusion of a clever ‘death trading’ element into the proceedings, Final Destination 5 does pretty much everything right, even taking the liberty of neatly tying up the entire franchise with a brilliant twist ending that I never saw coming. I love when a franchise goes out on a high note, and Final Destination 5 was most definitely that note.
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Scream 4
Since A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of my all-time favorite horror movies, I of course worship at the altar of Craven, which has admittedly become just a tad bit difficult to do, in recent years. With films like Red Eye, Cursed and My Soul to Take stinking up his once prestigious filmography, Wes Craven has become a shell of the filmmaker he once was, which is a sentiment I absolutely hate to even type. That said, 2011’s Scream 4 proved – to me at least – that Craven has still got some wind left in his filmmaking sails, serving as a nice end cap to a franchise that I’ve always enjoyed. In fact, Scream 4 might be my favorite of the Scream sequels, as it’s both incredibly fun and quite clever, feeling very much like the film the original Scream would’ve been, if it had been made a couple decades later. I’ll admit that I went into Scream 4 thinking it was a bad idea, but I came out feeling very glad that Craven and Kevin Williamson made one more go at it.
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Wolf Creek 2
Back in 2005 we met Aussie Mick Taylor, a real-life inspired horror villain who is in my opinion the closest we’ve come to a modern day horror icon. If you don’t agree, then I highly encourage you to check out the just released Wolf Creek 2, which really cements the character’s status as one of the best cinematic baddies of them all. Once again directed by Greg McLean, Wolf Creek 2 is in many ways the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Part 2 to Wolf Creek’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, trading in things like tension and genuine scare factor for an over the top thrill ride that’s a bit more fun than you’d expect it to be. That said, the 9-years-later sequel still packs a mean bite and is not entirely devoid of that grim atmosphere of the first film, and it’s ultimately a nice mixture of the two tones that really makes it feel fresh and different. Few horror icons are more fun to watch than John Jarratt’s Mick Taylor, and I for one hope that we see a whole lot more of him in the near future. So support this movie, and we will!
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Paranormal Activity 3
Though the Paranormal Activity franchise has undoubtedly gotten stale to the point that it only really feels like it’s continuing because it’s profitable for Paramount, I’m nevertheless a big fan of the first few installments, which are some of the best examples of the found footage sub-genre we’ve seen. If I had to pick a favorite out of the bunch it’d be 2011’s Paranormal Activity 3, directed by Catfish filmmaking duo Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost. While I can’t say I entirely disagree with the late Roger Ebert’s assessment that the series’ appeal had ‘worn threadbare’ by the time the '80s-set prequel came around, the film is ultimately innovative and inventive enough to stand out from the pack. Always been impressed by the way the franchise – at least in those earlier installments – stayed fresh and built upon the story presented in the first film, and the third outing is the absolute perfect embodiment of a well-done Paranormal Activity sequel.
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The Devil's Rejects
Back in February, Tyler Doupe wrote up a list here on Shock about 12 horror sequels that lived up to or outdid the original, and one of the films on that list was Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects – a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses. Not only do I completely agree with the film’s inclusion on Tyler’s list but I also consider Devil’s Rejects to be one of my all-time favorite movies, and undoubtedly Zombie’s cinematic masterpiece. Less of a "sequel" and more of a totally different movie with the same characters, Devil’s Rejects is a shining example of Zombie’s artistic vision, filled out with performances from genre icons that are some of the best in their careers. I of course understand why Bill Moseley’s Manson-esque depiction of Otis Driftwood wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, but I can’t help but feel that it should have been. Devil’s Rejects is an exceptional piece of entertainment on every level, and one sequel that is unquestionably superior the original.
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The Collection
I’ve always loved it when sequels are totally different than the films they’re sequels to, and The Collection is very much one of those sequels. A follow-up to the Saw-inspired 2009 gore-fest The Collector, The Collection essentially goes the Aliens route with the franchise, replacing confined horror with action-packed spectacle. For the most part, the shift in tone totally works, and it is my opinion that The Collection is one of the most downright fun theatrically released horror films to come along in the last several years. It’s just a totally crazy film that goes for broke and makes no apologies about it, the kind of movie that encourages you to turn off your brain and just have fun. It’s silly, it’s gory and it’s just plain entertaining – which is all some movies really need to be.
