5 Horror Franchises that Should Have Never Been Franchises
It’s easy to forget middling genre franchises with all the amazing horror series in existence. We all love our A Nightmare on Elm Streets, Friday the 13ths, and Halloweens; and our attention is often so wrapped up in franchises like that that we tend to forget some quality collections.
This article, however, isn’t about the quality collections we’ve missed… it’s about the stinkers of the genre that virtually no one would miss if they didn’t exist.
Yet, they do exist. And in some cases they’ve existed a very long time and produced a staggering amount of sequels. Sadly, these five picks just aren’t the franchises we want to saturate our brains with.
Where’s Will Smith and that memory wiper when you need him?
Children of the Corn
Beyond the inaugural Stephen King adaptation, these films took a sharp turn for the worst. To date nine sequels/reboots have been made (with another on the way), and having only seen six of them, I’m still confident that not a single sequel impressed or won over new fans.
Take a look at the Rotten Tomatoes scores for each installment post franchise opener:
Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice: 22%;
Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest: 22% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering: 26% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror: 0%
Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return: 0%
Children of the Corn: Revelation: 23% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Children of the Corn: (No rating available)
Children of the Corn: Genesis: 10% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Hellraiser
To date nine Hellraiser films have been made with another installment heading our way soon. While the first two pictures in the franchise are bloody impressive and work surprisingly well together, the franchise quickly took an enormous plummet. No longer was story a necessity; the future installments rely on Cenobite revulsion, and that’s about it. That’s not a fact that slipped by viewers.
Here’s a look at the franchise’s scores according to Rotten Tomatoes, first film omitted, obviously:
Hellbound: Hellraiser II: 48%
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth: 23%
Hellraiser: Bloodline: 31%
Hellraiser: Inferno: 35% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Hellraiser: Hellseeker: 34% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Hellraiser: Deader: (no score available)
Hellraiser: Hellworld: 20%
Hellraiser: Revelations: 6% (audience score, no RT rating available)
The Amityville Horror
For a film as terrifying as The Amityville Horror, you’d think a few filmmakers would manage to pump out at least a small handful of kick-ass follow-ups. Alas, it was not to be so. Not that that is a surprise; when the remake draws more attention than the staggering amount of sequels this franchise produced, something went very wrong.
Amazingly, this franchise has 16 films on the market with another two headed our way soon. Yeah, we know – that’s hard to wrap your head around.
Here’s a look at the Rotten Tomato scores of the second flick through the 16th.
Amityville II: The Possession: 7%
Amityville 3-D: (no score available)
Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes: (no score available)
The Amityville Curse: 20%
Amityville 1992: It’s About Time: 14%
Amityville: A New Generation: 30% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Amityville Dollhouse: 26% (audience score, no RT rating available)
The Amityville Horror (Remake): 24%
The Amityville Haunting: 10% (audience score, no RT rating available)
The Amityville Asylum: 2% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Amityville Death House: 0%
The Amityville Playhouse: 25% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Amityville: Vanishing Point: 0%
The Amityville Legacy: 0%
The Amityville Terror: 10% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Amityville: No Escape: 0%
Leprechaun
That crazy bastard Leprechaun has been slaughtering those in possession of gold for what feels like eternity. In truth, the series has produced seven films, with one serving as something of a prequel… not that it matters; beyond the first film (which itself was a bit sketchy) the Leprechaun flicks have been abysmal at absolute best.
Here’s a look at the entire lineup of sequels.
Leprechaun 2: 0%
Leprechaun 3: 0%
Leprechaun 4: In Space: 0%
Leprechaun in the Hood: 33%
Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood: 25%
Leprechaun: Origins: 10% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Prom Night
Prom Night was one of those silly little ‘80s slashers that accomplished all it could accomplish within the provided framework. It’s a fun but predictable film, and it features the lovely Jamie Lee Curtis, which is always a definite plus. What is not a definite plus is releasing a handful of pointless sequels that did little to empower the first film and little to impress viewers.
Take a peek at the Rotten Tomatoes reception of the three sequels and the dreadful reboot.
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II: 30%
Prom Night III: The Last Kiss: 16% (audience score, no RT rating available)
Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil: 0%
Prom Night Remake: 8%
