A fresh new horror film is hard to come by these days, as Hollywood seems to favor rebooting old cult classics rather than pumping out original movies. Of course, the other route when it comes to not wanting to start from scratch is the option of tacking on a sequel. Continuing a series with a new cast of faces and a linking storyline is a great way to give horror fans what they’ve been itching for.
However, among the very serious sequels that serve as a proper passing of the torch from one great film to its successor, there are a few that just end up plain silly. Here are a few horror movie sequels that end up delivering on fun factor rather than the scares.
10 Scream 4
The Scream series was loved by horror fans for years for its heavy commentary and self-speculation about the horror genre as a whole; showing fans it was self-aware and played with viewers’ expectations. This sequel, following what was to be the true end of the Scream franchise in 2000, came out eleven years later; following in the footsteps of many other horror series that returned with reboots.
Although seeming to be a bit cliche rather than actually making a commentary about horror movie cliches, Scream 4 still delivers on the fun gory kills, a mysterious “whodunit” factor, and mixes the original cast with fresh new faces to keep things feeling unfamiliar and exciting.
9 Jaws: The Revenge
While the original Jaws film was an amazing thriller, its sequel about a shark that has a personal vendetta against a specific family wasn’t nearly as successful. After two sequels to the original masterpiece with mixed to generally negative reviews, executives were ready to give it another go with Jaws: The Revenge.
However, the incredibly strange plot of a shark with the magical ability to track down its enemies no matter where they are, paired with a vicious grudge was laughable, even on paper. It was somehow even more comedic once it hit theatres as the lackluster special effects didn’t help with viewer immersion.
8 Troll 2
Not as if this installment ruined the original’s reputation, but the original “horror-comedy” film, Troll, at least persisted past its mostly negative reviews to end up a cult classic. Meanwhile, the sequel Troll 2 didn’t end up being nearly as loved; even ironically.
The fact that the sequel literally has the word “troll” in its title yet for whatever reason, the entire film doesn’t feature a single troll is already a red flag. Instead, the trolls are replaced with goblins that work to mutate the lead family into plants for them to eat, as they are vegetarian goblins. As if that plot doesn’t sound bizarre enough, the acting in this film really is truly the cherry on top of this hilarious mess.
7 American Psycho 2: All American Girl
Originally to be a standalone film, something completely unrelated to the American Psycho universe, some executives made the brash decision of tacking this lackluster film onto the name of American Psycho; overall ruining some of its reputation.
American Psycho 2: All American Girl was to be about a young girl committing a few heinous murders and only ever really tries to tie in with its supposed predecessor near the beginning of the film. Perhaps this film can be enjoyed as a standalone film, without being thought of as a sequel; but as the continuation of the original American Psycho film, it truly ends up as laughable at best.
6 Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows
The original Blair Witch Project was as subtle as horror could be; the mystery of if everything truly happened the way the distressed students witnessed was up to the viewers’ interpretation. It was truly the beginning of the “found footage” craze that the horror genre then dominated.
However, its sequel, Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows wasn’t nearly as chilling as its predecessor. Blair Witch 2 took all the subtlety away; replacing it with “tropey” horror imagery, taking all the aspects of what made the original film unique and terrifying and tossing them aside. Not only are the overall camera style and feel of the film incredibly different from the original, but aside from the location being the same, the sequel also has nothing to do with the first film story-wise. Instead, the very archetype set of cast members, the weird imagery of a ghost girl, and the confusing “twist-ending” turn this sequel into a comedy rather than a true horror film.
5 Freddy Vs. Jason
This crossover was to be one of the greatest crossovers in horror history; unfortunately, critics didn’t find it to be the masterpiece it was supposed to be. However, fans really didn’t mind overlooking some of the film’s flaws. This film, acting as both the eighth installment of A Nightmare on Elm Street and also the eleventh installment of the Friday the 13th franchise, despite its imperfections, still managed to be a good time.
Freddy Vs. Jason, finally pitting two of the biggest names in cinematic horror history against each other, was fairly easily pardoned of its sins. Although being criticized for its lackluster and often goofy-looking special effects, it still serves as a fun watch for fans of the respective franchises or just the slasher genre altogether.
4 Seed Of Chucky
The Chucky series has been a cult classic for years, but this sequel made executives give up on theatrical releases altogether as the films after Seed of Chucky went straight to home release. Despite the generally negative consensus on this film, some dedicated fans still find some fun in this film.
Looking past the weirdly bizarre and downright uncomfortable bits in the film (Chucky and Tiffany did want to procreate of course), Glen/Glenda was a fun addition to the family and actually gave Tiffany’s character some room for growth as she even tries to give up her serial killer ways just for their child.
3 Jigsaw
Regardless of how poorly the majority of the Saw series did, they kept pushing out new editions to the Saw series as it somehow always brought in viewers; many of which were faithful fans. No matter how hard they tried, no Saw film could ever live up to the originality and suspense of the very first installment. After a phase where a new Saw movie was released each year from 2004 to 2010, they finally took a break from the series; up until the release of Jigsaw.
As goofy as some of the previous installments were, Jigsaw somehow even more ridiculous. From the insane over-the-top traps to the strangely comedic scene of John having a (very random) change of heart after subjecting a participant (that he hand chose for his game) and making him his new apprentice, this particular Saw installment was more for the laughs rather than a proper horror movie.
2 Jason X
Regardless of the dampening reviews for this installment of the Friday the 13th franchise, fans still show Jason X a lot of love. In the era of futuristic sci-fi, it seemed natural to send Jason to space in the year 2455 as this new-age aesthetic seemed like a fun trend. The campy set dressing and goofy acting really brought this film together as a silly slasher flick. Fans loved the brutal over-the-top kills and gratuitous violence this futuristic spaceship had to bring. After supposedly being defeated, Jason then gets an incredible upgrade, turning him into Uber Jason; a super futuristic upgraded, Terminator version of Jason.
No matter how silly, this sequel is still a fun watch and a fan favorite.
1 Alien Vs. Predator
As much flack as Alien Resurrection gets from fans, Alien Vs. Predator was another questionable part of the Alien series. A Ripley clone having a Xenomorph baby was silly, but the alliance between Lex and that one good Predator that helps her defeat the Xenomorph Queen? Absolutely bizarre.
This unexpected alliance between Lex and Scar (the friendly Predator) was one of the silliest moments in the Alien series; corny, maybe, but an exciting duo that g0t everyone rooting for them. A goofy turn of events, but no one can resist the idea of humans and Predators joining forces for the sake of defeating a powerful enemy.
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