The public’s connection with horror films always seems to be a little extra special. All movies want to move their audiences, yet horror films playfully experiment with life, death, and the artifice of reality. There’s an inevitability for sequels in the film industry and at this point, it’s something that’s already in consideration before the first film comes out.
This practice is even more prevalent in the horror genre where there is a wealth of franchises that practically become yearly Halloween traditions. The prevalence and disposable nature make it easy to dismiss horror sequels, but there are plenty of examples where the second chapter in a series is even better than the first.
10 A Quiet Place 2 Doesn’t Break Its Predecessor’s Methodical Approach To Horror
One of the biggest problems with sequels is that often they simply don’t need to happen. Many ideas are not designed to sustain entire franchises. John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place concludes with a relatively open ending, but it’s one that could be easily left to the audience’s imagination.
Surprisingly, A Quiet Place 2 manages to stick the landing by not trying to push things too far. It focuses on the fundamentals and continues to make human connection its priority. The flashback to the aliens’ initial attack is also the strongest sequence from either of the two movies.
9 Hellraiser II: Hellbound Runs Wild With The Cenobite Lore
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser is one of the more hedonistic of the major horror franchises, and the series’ iconic villain, Pinhead, is truly gruesome. The original Hellraiser is an effectively disturbing horror movie, but it only scratches at the surface of the Cenobite world and everything that Pinhead represents.
Granted, the Hellraiser series eventually goes too far in this area and gets lost in its mythology, but Hellraiser II: Hellbound finds the perfect balance. Kirsty's story continues in a deeply depressing place and the addition of a slew of Cenobites that practically make Pinhead look cuddly is where the film thrives.
8 Scream 2 Becomes A Meditation On The Power Of Horror Sequels
Wes Craven’s Scream movies helped rejuvenate the horror and slasher subgenre in the ‘90s and modern horror owes quite a bit to them. The Scream franchise is so aware of the stigma associated with horror sequels that Scream 2 engages in several conversations on the topic, only to confidently prove why sequels have a unique opportunity to expand upon the magic of the original.
Scream 2 is an extremely satisfying successor to the self-aware slasher film and it has even more to say. It’s still viewed as an effective template for how to do a horror sequel.
7 Evil Dead 2 Is When The Absurdist Horror Series Finds Its Voice
When people think of the Evil Dead franchise and its effortless ability to blend together horror and comedy, they're inevitably thinking about Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn and conflating it with the original. Sam Raimi's first Evil Dead is a low-budget classic, but it's more or less a straight horror movie and it's not until the movie's sequel that the franchise's more layered voice emerges.
Evil Dead 2 ostensibly remakes the first movie anyway, which helps the case even more for why the sequel is superior and it really lets Bruce Campbell have some fun with the role.
6 Creep 2 Builds Upon The Tension Of The Original With Terrifying Results
The found-footage subgenre of horror has definitely been done to death, but Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass’ Creep films beautifully explore the intimate nature of the stylistic choice. Creep 2 doesn’t stray radically off the mark from its predecessor and both of the movies see Duplass’ unreliable figure lure someone into his web of murder and deception.
Creep 2 hits even harder than the original in some ways due to how the audience knows that Duplass’ character is a murderer. A raw bond forms between these characters and at no moment does the audience truly know if they’re getting the truth.
5 Friday The 13th, Part II Marks The Start Of Jason Voorhees Killing Spree
The Friday the 13th series is still one of the most influential horror franchises. Some of the best entries in the series don’t come along until Friday the 13th Part IV and Part VI, but the original sequel is still a satisfying extension to what the original introduces.
Friday the 13th, Part II still features camp counselors on the run from a murderous maniac, but it’s the first time that Jason is responsible for the mayhem. He may not have his trademark hockey mask yet, but Friday the 13th, Part II is still fun and full of creative kills.
4 Basket Case 2 Pushes The Series To Surreal Heights That Are Necessary
Frank Henenlotter is a fascinating horror director who only made a few films, but they all deserve to be experienced, with Basket Case 2 arguably being the crown jewel. The original Basket Case is an obscure ‘80s gem where a brother struggles to protect his mutant brother.
Basket Case is known for its great effects and weird energy, but Basket Case 2 turns all of this up to an absurd degree. A whole menagerie of mutants gets introduced and the sequel’s sense of humor is sublime. It’s a movie that needs to be seen to be believed.
3 10 Cloverfield Lane Delivers A Claustrophobic Story Set In The Original’s Fragile Universe
The Cloverfield series has taken a very atypical approach where its “sequels” are all standalone movies that feature connections to the larger Cloverfield universe but can still exist on their own. The original Cloverfield is an inventive take on both kaiju and found-footage films, but 10 Cloverfield Lane is a much more intimate character study that hinges on trust and fear.
10 Cloverfield Lane works so well precisely because it strays from the original and attempts to do something original. The performances from John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead also surpass anything from the first movie.
2 Aliens Is Still Considered One Of The Best Movie Sequels Of All Time
Debates still rage over whether Ridley Scott’s Alien is superior to James Cameron’s Aliens and this continued discussion is proof that the two similar, yet different movies are at least equals. Admittedly, Cameron’s sequel applies more of an action film filter to Ellen Ripley’s continued battle against the alien Xenomorphs, but there’s no denying that the film still contains lots of scares and expands upon the Xenomorphs in disturbing ways.
The claustrophobic nature of Alien is still excellent, but it’s hard to deny that Aliens knows how to draw in its audience and not let them go.
1 The Conjuring 2 Becomes The Frightening Nexus Point For The Growing Horror Franchise
The interconnected Conjuring franchise has turned into one of the most lucrative film series of all time, but the initial success of the movies has a lot to do with James Wan's direction of the movies. The Conjuring 2 tackles the infamous Enfield case and benefits from some affable characters and set pieces that are so frightening they've even triggered their own spin-offs.
What's perhaps most impressive about The Conjuring 2's success is that it’s James Wan's fourth haunted house film when taking his two Insidious movies into consideration, yet it still pushes so many original ideas.