Hi everyone! Frank here and I want to talk about horror movie sequels. Lauren and Rob already did an excellent job talking about sequels they like (here and here), but they left out some of my personal favorites.
So, here I am, ready to show you another 10 horror sequels that are just as good or better than the originals!
Although Return of the Living Dead Part II is one of my all-time favorite horror sequels, I’ve already covered it extensively. I wanted to use this time to focus on other sequels that I haven’t written about as much. From the suspenseful and gory Wrong Turn 2 to the darkly comedic Cabin Fever 2, I hope you enjoy reading about these sequels as much as I enjoyed watching them!
Pet Sematary II (1992)
I don’t know about you, but the first Pet Sematary movie freaked me out! I was around 12-13 years old the first time I had the pleasure of watching this dark Stephen King adaptation.
Imagine my surprise when I found out there was a sequel that’s actually more unsettling than the first movie!
What I find interesting is how I seem to be an outlier. According to Metacritic, Pet Sematary Two has a critic score of 35 out of 100 and a user score of 2.8 out of 10 – OUCH! I don’t think it deserves this score, just like I don’t think the original Pet Semetary deserves a 38!
Between the feelings of suspense and dread, especially when Sheriff Gus (Clancy Brown) is on the screen, as well as the chain of events that occur during the thrilling conclusion, this sequel is a winner in my book.
Childs Play 2 (1990)
Child’s Play is one of the first “true” horror movies I remember watching as a young Frank. I wasn’t too much older than the six-year-old protagonist, Andy. So, as you can imagine, it has stuck with me!
The first Child’s Play (1988) is amazing; there’s no doubt about it. The way they made Chucky move on-screen, the kills, the suspense, it’s all there and so well done!
In my mind, Child’s Play and its sequel come together like a single long movie – and, in this case, that’s a good thing! This feels true even though the second movie takes place two years after the first one.
In Child’s Play 2, Andy, now eight, is in foster care. At the same time, the toy company Play Pals Corporation decides to recreate the Good Guy dolls and, in the process, reanimate a very annoyed Chucky. It’s not long before the serial killer trapped in a doll’s body goes after Andy, his foster family, and basically anyone who comes into contact with him.
It all adds up to a totally awesome final act inside the toy company, where there are Good Guy dolls stacked from floor to ceiling. One of my favorite parts is watching Chucky essentially get turned into a final boss from Resident Evil (eyeball showing and all!).
Both Child’s Play and Child’s Play 2 are relatively short movies and make for an excellent double feature!
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The first Invisible Man movie is my favorite core Universal Monsters movie so, in my mind, the sequel, The Invisible Man Returns, had a lot to live up to. I was surprised to find that I might like The Invisible Man Returns a little more than the original!
It’s a little more exciting, moves quickly, and features Vincent Price as the Invisible Man – what’s not to love? The sequel tells the story of Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe (Price), who is wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Instead of accepting his fate, he works with the brother of the original Invisible Man, who just so happens to have access to the invisibility serum from the first movie, to sneak out of prison and clear his name.
If you love the original Invisible Man or just can’t get enough of Vincent Price, I highly recommend this sequel.
Return of the Fly (1959)
Speaking of Vincent Price, the next horror movie sequel on my list is Return of the Fly.
The first movie, The Fly, was released in 1958 and is an interesting mix of mystery, suspense, and horror. Return of the Fly leans heavier into the horror aspect with just a little bit more tension and more Vincent Price.
Return of the Fly tells the story of the original Fly’s son, Philippe Delambre. He’s an adult now and wants to show his father was on the right track by completing his work – what a terrible idea! Things, as you can imagine, don’t go according to plan. What I find interesting is that things didn’t go wrong in quite the way most of us would imagine. Without spoiling too much, instead of an unfortunate accident, this is a story of betrayal.
It’s far more aggressive than the first film, and you get to really see the matter transporter machine in action. Overall, it’s a well-made, interesting sequel that everyone should check out.
Saw II (2005)
I still remember when my uncle came over to our house with the Blockbuster case (yes, I’m that old) that contained the first Saw movie. I took it up to my room and watched with a mix of curiosity and suspense.
The second movie came out a year later. I watched it at the time and thought it was great! I had no idea at the time that Saw II was going to kick off basically the rest of the series. Some characters and situations occurred in the second movie that are still relevant in the most recent film, Saw X!
I recently sat through all of the Saw movies from beginning to end and truly appreciate the second one more than I did when I was a teenager. The character development, devious traps, nail-biting suspense, and shocking plot twists are all here; except now, there are way more people involved.
While not for everyone, if you liked the first Saw movie, you’ll love the second film in the series!
Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996)
Tremors is a horror/comedy series that has more than doubled in entries since the last time I checked in. There are currently seven – yes, SEVEN movies and a short-lived TV show.
I can’t speak for 4-7, but I can definitely say that Tremors 2: Aftershocks is an excellent movie and a fitting sequel to the first film. This flick follows Earl Basset and Burt Gummer from the original 1990 Tremors along with a few new people.
I like how Early initially gets back on the saddle, so to speak. He blows all of the reward money from his first encounter with the giant worms on an ostrich farm (lol), and now he’s broke. The boss at an oil company in Mexico comes by and tells him about an infestation of graboids that’s causing trouble for his workers. Then he offers Earl $50,000 for each graboid he kills, and that’s an offer Earl can’t refuse.
I also really like how they managed to evolve the already creepy graboids into something even more menacing. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen this one yet. 😉
There’s no doubt this sequel lives up to the first movie, so check it out! Though I have to say it’s surprising that it went straight to video cassette and Laserdisc instead of getting a theatrical release.
Predator 2 (1990)
This may be shocking to most of you, but I hadn’t seen any of the Predator movies until this year. I had the basic gist but never got around to giving them a watch.
Now that I have, I’ve got to say that Predator 2 is a sequel that shines even more than the first movie. Don’t get me wrong – Predator is a fine movie and has plenty of action and iconic scenes, including the origin of the epic handshake meme. But I have to admit I prefer Predator 2.
The reason why I feel this way boils down to location. It was neat to see the sporty killer alien stalk in the jungle, but it’s even cooler to see him in the urban jungle (Los Angeles).
The setting is something you can see if you live in a major city and look out the window. There’s something extra chilling and special about watching him hunt down gang members who are already in the middle of a deadly war amongst themselves.
If you’re like me and waited forever to watch the first couple of Predator movies, stop delaying and check them out!
Jeepers Creepers II (2003)
Jeepers Creepers is a movie series that I forget about for years at a time. But every time something reminds me, I get excited. This time, it was when we were brainstorming for a post on horror movies that feature cornfields… which reminded me of the next level scary cornfield scenes in Jeepers Creepers 2! (If you know, you know).
I wouldn’t say Jeepers Creepers 2 is better than the first one, but it’s pretty darn close! My absolute favorite thing about the second movie is the setting. As I mentioned, it’s in a wide-open cornfield. But the twist is a bunch of students are trapped on a school bus in the middle of the field while the Creeper hunts. In this way, it’s both open and claustrophobic at the same time, which is pretty darn impressive!
I also really like the ending. I can say the same for the first movie, but for different reasons, sort of. If you’ve seen both, you probably know what they have in common. If you don’t, you should plan a double feature and watch both of these suspenseful and spooky movies.
Wrong Turn 2 (2007)
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is a sequel that truly caught me off-guard with how much better it is than the original. In my mind, Wrong Turn 2 was always the better of the two movies, but after watching them back-to-back today, I have to say the second one is more suspenseful, entertaining, gory, and basically better in every way.
Within the first three minutes of Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, it’s clear that they had a bigger budget and were more than happy to go over the top with crazy cool special effects. Throughout the movie, mutants explode, people get chopped in half (Vertically!), and there are some cringe-worthy moments involving cannibalism. In short, this movie is NOT for children. (But these movies are!)
Instead of following a group of lost teenagers, Wrong Turn 2 follows a group of people working on a survival reality show in the backwoods of West Virginia. Most of the actors do a good job, but Henry Rollins shines as Dale Murphy, the badass former marine who hosts The Apocalypse: Ultimate Survivalist.
The bottom line is if you’re into creepy cannibal movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes, you should check out Wrong Turn 2: Dead End.
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009)
Number one on my list is Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever! I always thought the first Cabin Fever movie was okay. I liked the idea of a flesh-eating virus that travels through the water, and the general plot is fine. It’s worth watching at least once.
But Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever is terrific. It’s so over-the-top, hilarious, and plain messed up that I can’t help but love it.
I’ll keep the plot synopsis short and sweet: the virus from last time gets into the water supply. A local school unknowingly gets infected water for their prom. Most of the movie takes place during the dance while everything is going to hell.
Meanwhile, a military operation is in place to quarantine the school mid-event to prevent further infection. They’re so desperate to accomplish their mission that they -will- kill anyone who tries to leave or question them.
Simply put, the situation is grim. But there’s still so much humor in this movie that it’s actually impressive. Giuseppe Andrews, as Deputy Winston, makes me laugh every time he shows up and has some lines that still make me laugh out loud to this day.
The soundtrack is also great, with the two standouts in my mind being “Dancing On Our Graves,” which is performed by The Cave Singers, and a cover of “Somebody Put Something in My Drink,” performed by The Rawönes.
I can’t recommend this horror movie sequel enough. It’s a truly unique film that, in my opinion, far surpasses the original movie.
Can You Think of More Great Horror Movie Sequels?
Can you think of any more horror movie sequels that are just as good or better than the original films? Maybe you can be the one to write Part IV of this fun series! HorrorFam.com is always looking for guest posts from horror fans.
At this point, we’ve shared our thoughts on 32 great horror film sequels… Which one is YOUR favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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