5 horror sequels that are better than the original

Pictures via Universal Pictures

Horror sequel tend to become awkward problems, which has nothing to do with previous films and repeats the dance moves and beats of their predecessors without adding much newness. Sometimes, though, the rough diamonds show up, ripping through everything you thought you knew about horror sequels.

DEAD DEAD II

Sam Raimi is a master of horror – even when he’s doing a horror comedy.

Demon of Death II not merely a sequel, as this movie’s timeline and Dead Devil complicated – and the previous movie was reworked to make this one work. But there’s nothing different from how good this movie is. Really creepy, really funny and surprisingly suspenseful – it’s a rare case of a director essentially remaking their own work.

Realistic special effects add such magic to the experience, and learning about how they made it adds another layer of appreciation to this movie. Witnessing Raimi go wild, combining his two strengths of horror and humor makes you wonder what he can do with modern day filmmaking techniques. Maybe he was always suitable for auteur filmmaking?

Demon of Death II also set Army of Darkness, is one of the greatest movies of all time, so it’s hard to argue this is anything but a masterpiece.

THE THING (1982)

This got to the arbitral panel but narrowly passed.

Sequel/soft reboot for 1951 Thing from another world, John Carpenter’s Thing is a suspenseful thriller with one of the best open-ended finals in the modern film classic.

The charismatic performance of regular John Carpenter collaborator Kurt Russell as MacReady, alongside Keith David as Childs gives the film great legitimacy. The film was not well received upon release but has since become a cult classic. I’m willing to say it’s one of the few movies that I can recommend to anyone and keep them entertained.

HALLOWEEN III

“Three more days to Halloween, Halloween, three more days to Halloween, Silver Shamrock“

Long time a good idea Halloween sequels, with failed sequels like Halloween H20 and the recent release of Halloween Kills. But back in 1982, the only good thing Halloween The next part has been done: Halloween III: Witch season.

What makes Season of witches so good that it probably has almost nothing to do with the story of Michael Myers or any of the killers. It’s a frenzy and the two lead the way in investigating the mysterious death of a man, leading them into a grand conspiracy involving the people of Stonehenge and possibly a bit of mind control.

Halloween maybe have a little bit of mind control, as a treat.

CONDITION 2

There’s a fair bit of topic emerging about soft reboots and controversial/ambiguous sequels that make up this list, and this entry is no different.

The Conjuring 2 is the sequel to James Wan The Conjuring follows paranormal investigators (and possibly real-life charlatans) Ed & Lorraine Warren as they delve into a series of spooky tricks on a Rhode Island ranch.

Set across the Atlantic, the sequel follows the Enfield Haunting case and sees the return of the Warrens after more spooky things happen to a family in a council house. This movie does one thing that I love about the horror genre – daytime horror. Anything can be scary in the dark, but scaring me in the supposed safety of the day is always an inspiring choice.

FRANKENTEIN’S BRIDE

The first and arguably the most important horror sequel in cinematic history is Frankenstein’s Bride. A classic black and white, Bride is the final version of Frankenstein story in celluloid form.

It’s hard to believe watching this and realizing both how far filmmaking has come since 1935, and also what remains the same. I won’t call Bride a movie that’s particularly scary with modern day goggles, but still has an element of magic about it.

Since 1935, there have been several remake attempts Bride but none have come close, and there is still the constant, ominous and tireless threat of another remake. Perhaps that is the real monster in all of this; Our desire to redo what was perfect.

What do you think of the sequels? Did we miss any? Are there any fan theories about Thing? Turn off the sound in the comments below!