Sommerleigh Pollonais – Horror Head Writer
Prequels and sequels. They’re the new norm whether the movies that started them deserved it or not (I’m looking at you Now You See Me). In a world full of hollow franchises and sequels it always sucks when the movies you enjoyed the most never seem to get the continuations they deserved.
Sadly horror is such a niche genre most of the movies we fans loved don’t make that much money, and all we’re left with is the satisfaction of saying “I told you so” when our favourites become cult classics.
But we can always dream though, and so, with a mild SPOILER ALERT, here are my TOP 5 HORROR MOVIES THAT DESERVE A SEQUEL:
#5 Dead Silence
Dolls are creepy. Throw in some evil mumbo jumbo and they’re the stuff of nightmares. Chucky has his sequels (and an upcoming television show to boot) and Annabelle, well, she’s been piggybacking on The Conjuring franchise like that friend who never pays for their own drinks, but that’s about it. Dead Silence (which was also created by James Wan and Leigh Whanell, the minds behind Conjuring) took the deadly doll trope and added a freaky spin to it by having them controlled by Mary Shaw, a bogeyman, sorry, bogeyWOman, who would have no trouble bringing the nightmare fuel all on her own.
Sadly the movie didn’t make that much of a splash at the box office, but it was a hit with audiences who saw it and if any group of deadly dolls deserved a sequel (try saying that ten times in a row), it’s these guys.
Just make sure and keep the screaming to a minimum, lest Mary adds your voice box to her collection.
#4 Deep Rising
No matter how many times I’ve seen this movie it never fails to put a smile on my face. Deep Rising was equal parts horror and action, and had a fun premise and a great cast of characters. This creature feature has also hit cult classic status with fans everywhere and has an ending that screams sequel.
With the resurgence of aquatic-based horror popping up on screens (I see you Underwater), maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see what happened after our heroes discovered that this sea monster has land-dwelling relatives. Let’s just pray it’s not on the SyFy channel. That would be bad for all of us.
#3 Lights Out
I’m a bit torn on this one. On one hand, I love a horror movie with a definitive ending (you can check out my Top 5 Horror Movies where The Hero Wins for more). But on the other hand, this movie was so much fun I wouldn’t mind a second go-around with the sinister shadow of Diana aka an entity that really hates when you leave the lights on. even more than my grandpa complaining about the electric bill.
David F. Sanberg’s YouTube short turned full length feature was a hit at the box office, unlike the other movies on this list. But the man has been pretty busy giving us Shazam!, working on the sequel, and not to mention giving us the only good Annabelle movie in the bunch (Annabelle: Creation). So chances of a sequel might be slim. One can only hope.
#2 Event Horizon
I never understood why this movie wasn’t more of a hit when it first dropped. I guess it was too much for some people. For myself and the fans who’ve made this into a, you guessed it, cult classic, Event Horizon is one of the best space-based horror movies out there (and made our list of Top 10 Sci Fi Horror Movies of All Time).
And with the vacuum (pun intended) created by the abysmal Prometheus and Alien Covenant movies, now would be the perfect time to jump back aboard this hell bound space ship. I would even be on board for a prequel following the event (damn, the puns write themselves for this one) that led to the first crew ending up in a hell dimension. Pack light though, it’s probably gonna be a one-way trip.
Honourable Mention – Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Everyone thinks Cabin in the Woods is the best satirical horror movie out there. Those people have never seen The Rise of Leslie Vernon, a brilliant mockumentary following our charismatic-‘till-he’s-crazy aspiring serial killer who wants to join Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers in the ranks of horror legend (did I mention in this world, these characters are real?!).
It’s a near perfect horror movie and the end credits leave the possibility of a sequel wide open. Sadly, the creators have been trying to get one off the ground for years but so far have been unsuccessful. Here’s hoping Leslie Vernon will rise once again in the near future.
#1 Trick ‘r Treat
If there has ever been a horror movie that epitomises Halloween, Trick ‘r Treat is it!
An instant hit with horror fans, it is almost required viewing on the holiday for fans of the genre. Every story told in this anthology is a good one, something I don’t think any other horror anthology can say. And Sam, the diminutive pumpkin-headed terror that links them all together, became an instant horror icon. With just one movie!
A follow-up to this flick isn’t just deserved, it should be damn well mandatory! So here’s hoping with all my horror loving heart that we get to add a sequel or three to this awesome movie sometime in the future.
So while we may never get sequels to our favorite movies, I can promise as long as my horror loving heart keeps beating, there’ll always be another Top 5 list in the future for you to enjoy. Stay tuned!
For my Top 5 Horror Remakes Actually Worth Watching you can click here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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