Through the decades the horror film genre has evolved into a thriving industry where companies can decide to either leave a movie as it is or capitalize on the fan base they generated with their first title, and sometimes those sequels can be a horribly horrific mess that is scarier than the movies themselves.
But there have been a few gems amidst the garbage, and this list focuses on the best horror sequels of all time – those that were better than the originals – so sit on your sofa with a pillow clutched in your hands and get ready to look at the Top 10 Horror Film Sequels.
This is a list comprised of the 10 best horror movie sequels of all time that were better than the originals, going as far back as the early twentieth century. For any horror fan willing to watch these films, they are highly recommended, and if you’ve watched them already, I tip my hat to you sirs and madams.
Though the entries are numbered, please note this list is in no particular order.
10: Blade II (2002)
Blade II is more action-packed than its original and has a real zombie feel to it compared to all the vampires shown. Guillermo Del Toro directed this Marvel Comics-based movie that is far from a comic book with its horror tones. Wesley Snipes returns as the Daywalker, which means he’s half- vampire and half-human. Ron Perlman, Norman Reedus, and Kris Kristofferson, as well as sevearl other great actors, join him for the sequel and bring the movie together with ease.
An all-star cast, as well as strong gore and an engaging storyline that focuses heavily on horror and action, makes this sequel better than the original Blade in so many ways that it seems to be the best sequel out of the three films and definitely gave the series a broader fan base.
9: Halloween II (1981)
With its close quarters setting and claustrophobic feel, Halloween II raises the chill factor to 11. Set directly after the first film, it focuses on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) as she is whisked to the hospital from the trauma she faced from Michael Myers’ onslaught of terror. Some of the main cast return from the original film, including Donald Pleasence (as Dr. Sam Loomis), who tries to reason with Michael, but can you reason with a psychopathic serial killer?
This sequel has some memorable kills, including the one in the below picture, and is a very tense film, using the suspense to make you jump out of your seat in abject horror. Definitely not for the faint of heart, it’s a worthy horror sequel to put on this list from one of the greatest film directors of all time: John Carpenter.
8: Evil Dead II (1987)
Evil Dead II stars Bruce Campbell as Ashley J. “Ash” Williams, the chainsaw-handed unwilling hero stuck in a cabin and fighting for his life; he battles Deadites and the trees themselves to survive. The sequel has a memorable cast and is funnier with its dark humor and gorier with all of its blood, focusing primarily on Ash as he gets punished with buckets of blood thrown into his face. He even loses a hand in the process.
Bruce Campbell brings this sequel to life with director Sam Raimi getting the right amount of suspense, horror, dark comedy, and moments of true awesomeness. The chainsaw-hand making scene is ahead of its time, and the blood and gore makes this sequel one of the best ever made and definitely worth a watch. It also has achieved cult status and skyrocketed Bruce Campbell’s career into a household name; this B-movie actor is one of the best in the business, and it shows in the movie. You’d have to have an eyeball in the mouth not to watch this!
7: Day of the Dead (1985)
The maestro of the zombie movie, George A. Romero, released a sequel to Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead in 1985, the movie being called Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead is considered by many to be Romero’s best film, and it focuses heavily on isolation and the struggle to survive among a group of soldiers, doctors, and zombie hordes. The out-of-their-depth survivors go to Florida, and all hell breaks loose, literally!
Romero always satirizes different genres and topics; Dawn of the Dead, located in a shopping mall, was about consumerism. Day‘s cast of characters that are neither bad or good makes for gritty realism, but can the zombies think? One zombie ex-soldier proves they can, given the right conditioning. Great special effects make-up by master Tom Savini and Romero’s directing style blend together to make a stomach-churning social documentary style film focusing on drama and the horrors humans can do given the chance of being in an apocalypse. Very gory and full of cringe-worthy moments, it is definitely one of the best films Romero has ever directed. (Personally, I find some of his new films to be terrible.)
6: Aliens (1986)
Director James Cameron and actress Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley) return for one of the best sequels in movie history with a powerhouse of an action-horror film. Aliens is set 57 years following the original film after Ripley went into stasis. She drifted through space until the evil Weyland-Yutani Corporation found her. She tries to assimilate back into normal life but has nightmares. With the persuasion of Weyland-Yutani representative Carter J. Burke, Ripley heads back to the location of the first film with a group of Space Marines, which she finds a little girl called Newt and becomes a mother figure to her.
With intense violence and action, this film is a heart-racing roller coaster with realistic special effects. The acting is believable, and the aliens are a menacing enemy to go up against. Watch if you love a great story, action, acting, and horror blended into a neatly directed package.
5: Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
One of the best horror sequels of all time beyond question has to be Universal’s Bride of Frankenstein. Bride of Frankenstein returns stars Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s Monster and Colin Clive as the tortured Dr. Henry Frankenstein in a sequel that took four years to make. The sequel is better than the original with a stronger budget that is beautifully shown off by director James Whale and a musical score that is both brilliant and memorable credited to Franz Waxman. Bride of Frankenstein starts off directly after the events of the first film’s end with the windmill burning Frankenstein’s Monster alive… or so we thought! Frankenstein’s Monster is alive and well but visibly burnt and scarred by the events. Luckily, he meets a blind hermit that teaches him to talk, and the real villain of the film is never Dr. Frankenstein but rather his mentor, Dr. Pretorius, who tantalizes the doctor into creating the perfect Bride to go with his Monster.
With the higher budget given and even higher cinematography, the film is faultless, the acting’s some of the best in the period, and the sets are highly detailed. Christian imagery and homosexual/camp tones are everywhere in this film so if you’re not easily offended by these subjects, then give it a watch because black and white films do not get any better than this one right here.
4: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
I’ve chosen another George A. Romero film sequel because his films are over-the-top and often grand in story and scale even if the location chosen is in a shopping mall with thousands of zombies banging at the doors waiting for their pound of flesh to come. Dawn of the Dead is arguably the best film in his Dead series, and to horror fans such as yours truly it’s a personal favorite. The movie follows a band of characters as they try to live in a world where the recently deceased reanimate into walking, flesh-hungry corpses. Sadly, all the residents in the local town are dead, which leaves the shopping mall overrun by zombies. The few remaining people’s fight for survival starts from the moment they try to live together and create a life among the death and chaos around them.
With Tom Savini and George A. Romero teaming up once again to flesh out one of the most unique worlds in horror films, they create some real horror magic with the social statements they make in the film and fortunately hits the mark with the consumerist parodies it creates. Definitely a film for horror fans interested in a thought-provoking movie with horror mixed in that is all about the shocks and fleshed-out story that leaves you wanting to chew it over again and again.
3: Scream 2 (1997)
Director Wes Craven spoofs the slasher genre and horror genre expertly in Scream 2, and most of the cast returns for a second installment in the quadrilogy with the characters being hunted by a new Ghostface Killer, who kills in ways that make the sequel both fresh and engaging. The twists and turns in the sequel feels less formulaic than the first, and the danger to the characters is ever-present as they fight for their lives and search for clues as to who is behind the murders.
Scream 2 is one of those sequels you can watch over and over again, loving the kills and the story with the acting balancing out the movie to give it weight. Scream has had many fans through the years, and they all agree it is a dark comedy about damaged people surviving against a psychopath/deranged person. Fans of good kills and suspenseful moments should give it a watch at least once in their lives.
2: Psycho II (1983)
Director Richard Franklin brings back actor Anthony Perkins in one of horror’s most iconic roles. Norman Bates gets released from a mental asylum after his split personality becomes supposedly suppressed. The personality that usually overtakes him is his mother, Norma. After being released, he goes back to his motel, gets work in a diner close to his home, and befriends a young woman. The horror starts from there and builds up to a climax that homages the classic Hitchcock movie.
Anthony Perkins’ performance is as great here as in the first film – maybe even greater. The directing style is different and oozes 1980’s grindhouse with its suspense, great acting, intense scenes, violence that is gritty and disturbing, as well as a creepy soundtrack to make the movie whole. Quite simply, it never disappoints. Scream to your mothers when you watch this sequel, and get ready to be shocked over and over again.
1: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Robert Englund returns as Freddy Krueger to wreak havoc and misery on more troubled teenagers in one of the better sequels in the Nightmare series. Nancy Thompson returns from the first film to help some teenagers in a psychiatric hospital after Freddy focuses on the kids’ fears to kill them one by one. Nancy helps them prepare for battle by showing them how to use their own individual dream powers to fight and kill Freddy for good.
Robert Englund is always a scream as Freddy Krueger, bringing his dark humor into the mix amongst the horror and dark setting. Full of gore, with an intriguingly surreal storyline and often random moments in the dream sequences, it leaves you guessing what is next until the very end. Give it a viewing if you dare! Sweet dreams…
Writers and directors of horror sequels should take a page from the past and make their films better than the originals. Always one-up your game when delivering a new installment into a franchise with unique kills, fresh stories, and more twists, or fans will never come back for more. Don’t release a sequel just to capitalize on a fan base already established for a film that is well loved by fans and critics alike.