Sequels, especially horror sequels, often get a bad reputation. If a movie is good enough to warrant a sequel, it means that subsequent films have a lot to live up to. While many sequels are bad, every so often an Empire Strikes Back or The Dark Knight comes around and proves that the first film isn't always the best.

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Horror movie sequels have an interesting advantage over their original films. Many horror franchises are born from a unique idea, but the original film doesn't execute it as well as it could. This leaves room for sequels to improve upon the formula and become the superior film.

10 Jason Lives Is Quintessential Friday The 13th

Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th Part 6

When fans think of Friday the 13th, they think of Jason in a hockey mask and murdering a variety of camp counselors. In truth, it isn't until Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives for that to actually be the case. In the movies before that, the franchise was still finding its identity.

In the first Friday the 13th, the killer is Jason's mom, and Jason doesn't even get his iconic look until Friday the 13th Part III. It isn't until Jason Lives that the series finally brings together all the elements in one film. It also has one of the greatest lines of any horror movie when a young camper asks his friend, "So, what were you going to be when you grew up?"

9 The Purge: Anarchy Showed Audiences The Real Purge

The Purge Franchise

The-Purge Anarchy Promotional Image

When The Purge came out, it felt like a waste of an interesting concept. Despite the unique dystopian setting, the movie itself largely played out like a typical home invasion movie and the concept of the Purge - one night where all crime is legal - felt more like an excuse not to just have the characters call the police.

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The sequel, The Purge: Anarchy, seemed to realize that audiences were curious to know about the wider effects of the lawless night. It follows several characters who can't afford to live in a house with advanced security systems as they try to survive the hellish night. The sequel made the most of its setting and gave audiences a much better idea about how the average American was affected by Purge nights.

8 Candyman (2021) Had A Clearer Message Than The Original

Candyman

Poster for 2021 Candyman movie

1992's Candyman definitely tackled some interesting ideas surrounding race in America. The film centers on Helen, a character the film uses to critique white people who fetishize people of color and want to act as a savior for them. However, the message of the movie wasn't completely clear, and some audiences chose to just view the film literally.

In contrast, 2021's Candyman includes explicit depictions of police brutality in the movie, going so far as to use the tragic killing of Breonna Taylor as inspiration for a plotline. While the original movie also had interesting social commentary, the new Candyman making it more explicit made the film feel more poignant to a wider range of viewers.

7 Dawn of the Dead Helped Define A Genre

George Romero's Dead Series

Survivors equip themselves in the mall in Dawn of the Dead

George A. Romero is considered the creator of the modern zombie. Though Night of the Living Dead was the first time audiences would be introduced to this new movie monster, it wasn't until its 1978 sequel, Dawn of the Dead, that the genre would really start to come into itself.

Dawn of the Dead features a lot of tropes that zombie fiction still draws from. The biker gang in the film shows how people who use tragedy as an excuse for violence are far more dangerous than the mindless undead, an idea that has permeated many zombie films since. Set in a mall - a new concept at the time - Dawn of the Dead also used its zombies as social commentary on the nature of mindless consumerism.

6 Prey Adds Depth To Predator

The Predator Franchise

Naru readies bow and arrow for Predator target in Prey

The original Predator ​​​​​​is definitely a classic movie with great special effects and some really amazing action sequences. However, the movie doesn't really have a lot going on besides cool action and a unique monster. Its characters are mostly just 1980s cool guys with slightly varying looks and personality quirks.

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Prey doesn't feel like a Predator movie as much as it feels like a good movie that happens to have Predator in it. Audiences really get a chance to connect with Naru on a personal level, and they are invested in her survival. She is also a character that experiences growth in the movie, not just a big buff guy that sprays bullets around until he dies.

5 Troll 2 Is So Bad It's Classic

Troll 2

Famous "oh my god" scene from Troll 2

The most memorable thing about the first Troll movie is that its main character is named Harry Potter and director John Carl Buechler is convinced J.K. Rowling stole the name from him. The film itself is boring and would likely never even be mentioned again if it wasn't for the fantastic train wreck that is Troll 2.

Troll 2 is such an amazingly bad movie that it has earned the designation as "Best Worst Movie." Adding to just how epically bad the film is, Troll 2 doesn't have any trolls in it. The monsters are goblins.

4 Evil Dead II Introduced The World To The Concept Of "Spook-A-Blast"

The Evil Dead Series

Ash Williams with his chainsaw hand in The Evil Dead 2 movie

The Evil Dead was a great horror film and really showed off Sam Raimi's creativity. While there is some dark humor in the first movie, it isn't quite the Evil Dead that fans came to love. Instead of being a safe and repetitive sequel, Raimi completely changed the course of the series Evil Dead II.

Evil Dead II made full use of leading man Bruce Campbell's comedic chops, creating a much more humorous movie than the first. Ash became an icon, going from a bland horror protagonist to having a chainsaw for a hand and spouting cheesy one-liners. Evil Dead II also allowed Raimi to really dig into his concept of "Spook-a-Blast;" movies that mix horror and slapstick comedy for a truly fun experience.

3 Dream Warriors Is More Than A Creepy Concept

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

A Nightmare On Elm Street III Dream Warriors poster

Freddy Krueger is one of the most iconic horror villains out there, and while A Nightmare on Elm Street is a good movie, a lot of Freddy's popularity comes from the movie's concept more than its execution. With the lore of the series firmly established, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was able to give audiences a better film in the Elm Street world.

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A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 took the idea of a dream-based killer and used it to give the main characters of the film power. Instead of passive teenagers waiting around to get slaughtered, the titular Dream Warriors intentionally journey into their dreams to try and defeat Freddy. Where the original movie is the typical slasher formula with a fun facelift, the third movie makes the most out of the idea.

2 Hellraiser (2022) Focuses On What Audiences Care About

The Hellraiser Franchise

Jamie Clayton as Pinhead in Hellraiser 2022

Clive Barker's original Hellraiser is a good horror movie, but it might actually have been better without its most iconic element. The creepy and mysterious Cenobites put the Hellraiser series on the map, but in the first movie, they are simply teased with the focus being on Julia killing people for Frank.

The newest Hellraiser film, also titled Hellraiser, mainly on the Cenobites and their puzzle box, so audiences get enough of what they came for. At the same time, it doesn't stray too far into the series' deep lore, allowing the film to be accessible to new fans.

1 Jason X Embraces The Franchise's Silliness

The Friday The 13th Series

Jason's futuristic redesign in Jason X

Friday the 13th is an interesting series because pretty much every movie is better than the original. The series started out as a pretty lackluster slasher that was in serious need of finding its own identity. Friday the 13th is at its best when it embraces the fact that audiences are just there to watch Jason perform gory and creative kills, and Jason X delivers.

Jason X is set both in the future and in space, which already provides it with a lot of opportunities for fun set pieces. The ridiculousness of the movie is dialed up to 11 when Jason is rebuilt by advanced technology and becomes a futuristic murder machine. It's a compliment to say this sequel went off the rails because the original established some pretty boring rails.

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