Top 10 Horror Movies that Deserve a Sequel
Horror fans often complain about sequels, due to the endless glut of them that have a tendency to decrease in quality with each new entry. However, every once in a while a movie comes along that calls for one, and they never come to be for various reasons.
Sometimes they don’t make enough money to justify a sequel; other times it’s because of legal reasons. Sometimes they’re neglected to the point they’re forgotten. It’s difficult to get a movie off the ground, and sometimes our wishes don’t come true because the people with the power to grant them don’t share our enthusiasm.
However, that doesn’t mean we can’t still dream, so here are a few movies that are calling for sequels, some of which still could happen if the stars align the right way.
Drive-Thru (2007)
Drive-Thru is a dumb teen slasher for the MTV generation. It “borrows’’ heavily from the classics of yesteryear, and the villain is a fast-food mascot named Horny the Clown. It’s not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a lot of dim-witted fun – and popcorn entertainment was built on such admirable ethos.
Drive-Thru, despite its many flaws, did have some franchise potential: In a world where Killjoy has sequels, is it such a terrible idea to give Horny at least one? In 2010 there was reportedly one in the works, but there hasn’t been any word of it since, meaning the chances of it happening are about as likely as Ronald McDonald becoming the next great horror icon.
Jack Brooks Monster Slayer (2007)
As a child, Jack Brooks (Trevor Matthews) witnessed his family being massacred by a monster, which leads to him growing up to become a troubled plumber with serious anger issues. In a bid to get his life on track, he takes night classes at a local community college and visits a therapist, but he just can’t find that peace of mind he needs in order to find a purpose in life. Beleaguered by his inner demons, his problems worsen when he unleashes a curse that turns his professor (played by Robert Englund) and peers into actual demons. Finally, Jack’s life has meaning – as a badass MONSTER SLAYER!
Unfortunately, we never got to see Jack embark on further monster-slaying adventures. Originally, this was supposed to be the first movie in a planned trilogy, but director Jon Knautz has chosen to pursue other projects since. Thankfully, they just happen to be as good as this gem. Maybe one day we’ll get to see Jack fulfill his destiny, but seeing Knautz fulfill his own as a brilliant filmmaker is more likely – and satisfying.
Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)
It was a city ruled by crime and polluted with corruption. It took a hobo and his shotgun to clean the streets of scum and filth. All he wanted to do was cut grass, but sexual deviants, crooked cops, demonic assassins, and psychotic killers provided too much of a distraction from garden maintenance.
Hobo With a Shotgun is a masterpiece of grindhouse entertainment and a lethal cocktail for genre fans thirsty for gore, action, depravity, and unhinged madness. It’s arguably the most entertaining starring vehicle of the legendary Rutger Hauer’s prolific career – which has included classics like The Hitcher, Blind Fury, and Split Second. Director Jason Eisener has stated his plans for a spin-off movie about The Plague in the past, along with possible sequels with Hauer reprising his role as The Hobo. Right now, though, it’d just be nice to see Eisener direct another feature. However, returning to the universe of Hobo With a Shotgun someday would be a treat for us genre fans.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsRbqpiqkKU
Remakes are a divisive topic among horror fans. While many hate to see their beloved classics for new generations, or have originality take a back seat to rebooting old properties, there have been enough good ones to warrant their existence – not to mention successful box office takings. My Bloody Valentine is one of the few that’s considered enjoyable by the majority of genre fans. It was also a financial success, grossing over $100 million on the back of a $14 million budget. Moreover, it ended with the killer presumed dead and escaping on the fly. All of the ingredients for a sequel were there, but it never transpired.
My Bloody Valentine is a fun retro-inspired slasher that should have produced a slew of sequels until the franchise imploded on itself. They could have provided annual Valentine’s Day entertainment for lovesick loners and couples tired of formulaic rom-coms, much like the Saw films did for Halloween cinemagoers. There was a sequel in the works, but it was rumored that Lionsgate wanted to cull its association with genre films at the time; therefore, it wasn’t to be.
Evil Dead (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHDJm1D2ELw
Yes, another remake – and one that just so happens to be a retelling of one of the greatest horror films ever made. When Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell hand-picked Fede Alvarez to re-adapt their seminal classic for modern audiences, few were expecting him to deliver something this formidable. Much like Raimi’s original, this was a confident debut by a young director looking to leave his mark on the horror genre, and he succeeded triumphantly.
Evil Dead is, by all accounts, a remake. It doesn’t stray far off the path treaded before it, but it does add enough unique nuances to leave its own giant footprint. That being said, it’s a remake that’s set in the same universe as the original, and there’s no reason why a sequel couldn’t live alongside its progenitors – or even intersect with them. The potential crossover appeal has been acknowledged, but with the success of TV series “Ash vs Evil Dead,” any sequels that were in the works have been put on hold for now.
