Some horror sequels are vastly underrated. They might not be as good as the original (although this has been known to happen on occasion), but they offer up their own fiendish delights. This list contains a selection of spooky sequels that deserve to be reappraised, from faithful follow-ups to crazy left-turns.
10 Dracula A.D. 1972
Hammer Studios decided to move away from the archaic settings of their earlier output, bringing their most infamous boogeyman into the 1970’s with their seventh Dracula movie.
It’s both unusual and visually arresting, watching Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing battling it out in the London of the 1970’s. The guest cast are all excellent, in particular the eccentrically suave Christopher Neame, and the funky soundtrack brings a different sort of atmosphere to the proceedings. Panned at the time, Dracula A.D. 1972’s reputation has improved with age.
9 Jason X
Jason X (legal rights forbade the production team from using the Friday 13th tag) is every bit as ridiculous as you might expect. Jason Voorhees, an infamous campsite slasher (now undead killing machine) in space. Somehow, it makes sense.
After the excellent Part IV, the Friday 13th franchise slowly got sillier and cheesier. Jason X is the logical conclusion, turning Voorhees into a Terminator-esque cyborg. It’s a fun, knowing script and, despite the lack of gore, features some inventive kills. Watch out for the David Cronenberg cameo!
8 Leprechaun 3
The Leprechaun franchise is immense fun, toeing the line nicely between horror and humor. Later sequels would send the little green ghoul into space and the ghetto, but Leprechaun 3 lands him in Las Vegas.
It’s a logical location for the greedy Leprechaun to wind up in, and introduces some fun new concepts to the franchise. Scott, the handsome young lead, starts to turn into a leprechaun himself, whilst a host of unsavory times make wishes that come true….in the ghastliest of ways. A highlight of the franchise.
7 A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is an interesting sequel, taking the franchise into a slightly different direction. It wasn’t popular with critics at the time, but is now revered as a cult classic.
Freddy’s Revenge sees the gloved maniac haunting a teenage boy called Jesse, in a bid to get the youngster to kill for him. Aside from having a male lead in a slasher film (unusual for the time), the sequel also explores homoerotic themes and has some great sequences of body horror.
6 Seed Of Chucky
Seed of Chucky built upon the vibe of Bride, and took the franchise into ever-more ridiculous territory. While this caused the series to grind to a halt (a soft-reboot occurring years later) but Seed is actually highly entertaining!
Giving Chucky a genderfluid son, Seed of Chucky explores LGBTQ themes (much like the recent TV series), and has a surprising amount of heart. It’s also good, violent fun and is hilarious at times. It might not be the best entry in the franchise, but it’s better than you remember.
5 Halloween II (1981)
Now retconned to avoid the brother/sister subplot, Halloween II was a direct continuation of the iconic original. Taking place mere moments after the first one ended, it sees Michael Myers on the hunt for his sister Laurie throughout the corridors of a hospital.
Halloween II ups the gore factor in order to compete with the contemporary slashers of the time (ironically all influenced by the near-bloodless Halloween), but loses none of the atmosphere. While it’s a shame to see Laurie’s role diminished, having Dr Loomis face up against The Shape is never less than thrilling.
4 Halloween III: The Season Of The Witch
Initially hated for not featuring Michael Myers, time has been kind to Halloween III: Season of the Witch. It is an atmospheric, creepy affair with flawed characters and a truly nasty villain.
Halloween III works because the cast sell the slightly bananas plot of “mad man wanting to kill all the children in the world using Halloween masks and ancient Celtic magic”. It’s played dead straight, and has at least one truly shocking moment. Absolutely worth revisiting!
3 Gremlins 2
Gremlins was a hugely successful comedy horror, which combined humor and darkness beautifully. Gremlins 2 definitely leans more towards the comedy, eschewing almost all of the horror elements in favor of something more slapstick.
This works, because Gremlins 2 is essentially a spoof of the original. It even has a cameo from film critic Leonard Maltin, who is openly slating the 1984 original while a bunch of Gremlins mock him. It’s cleverer than you’d expect, and still manages to tip its hat to the horror classics of yore.
2 Poltergeist 2: The Other Side
Following on from the successful 1982 original, Poltergeist 2 continues the story of the Freeling family, this time up against the ghost of a cult leader.
The first film had a host of memorable images, from the infamous face-peeling sequence to THAT clown toy. Poltergeist 2 has its own nightmare fuel in the form of Kane, a disturbing spirit who consumes the souls of others in order to increase his power. His rictus grin alone is enough to send shivers down the spine.
1 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
Doing away with the gritty, nail-biting realism of the original, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is a much more colorful, camper affair that works just as well as a standalone entry. In fact, it probably fares better when viewed in isolation from the others.
Bill Moseley steals the show as the truly grotesque Chop-Top, and his relationship with Leatherface makes for an amusing double-act. Dennis Hopper hams it up as a chainsaw-wielding Lieutenant hell-bent on revenge, and Caroline Williams is the perfect final girl. Excellent fun!
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