Why did they do it? For the money? Because they’re lazy? Because they lack imagination? The Scariest Things examines the Worst Sequels in Horror, in Episode 72, and boy did we have a lot to choose from.
As much as we love the genre, we all know there are plenty of stinkers in the horror landscape. And, If I were to ask any number of you, what is the biggest issue with horror movies, I’m sure I would get a response that bags on bad sequels. We all know it. It’s true for most genres now, with any movie that turns a profit into sequels. It shows a lack of imagination, a risk-avoidance, money-grubbing tendency that is particularly pervasive in Horror.
One of the wonderful things about horror movies is that they cost so little to make compared to a big action-adventure movie or superhero production. This has always been true, particularly since the dawn of the B-movie craze of the 1950s. And as such, it doesn’t require a movie to make much money before it becomes profitable. The original doesn’t even need to be a highly rated movie to get a following that will last decades, leading into scores of inferior sequels.
And, after the sequels have run their course, or the star villain has aged out of the franchise… time for a reboot! It’s like past-due sushi that keeps making a return trip on the conveyor belt, with each pass around getting less and less appealing, and more-and-more likely to make you feel awful. By the time it has made its way around the carousel the eighth time, it’s barely recognizable as being edible.
There are exceptions, of course. Some rare sequels rise to the level of the original film. If you tune into our Episode XXVI: The Best Horror Sequels you can hear about our favorite follow-ups. In some rare cases, the “Son of” surpasses the parent film. But we’re not talking about the proud progeny, we’re talking about the monstrous offspring that you keep in the basement.
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