Connect with us

Editorials

Five Horror Movies With Awesome Post-Credits Scenes!

Published

on

Why sit through the credits? Because there may be a little reward at the end.

In recent years, post-credits “stingers” have become synonymous with Marvel’s films, often used as a way to tease future installments in the company’s cinematic universe. But extra scenes at the very end of movies are not exclusive to superhero films, and they certainly weren’t created by Marvel. In fact, a handful of movies from the ’70s and ’80s, long before the superhero boom we’re currently in the midst of, gave viewers a reason to stick around through the end credits.

Horror movies are no exception. Here are five with awesome post-credits stingers!


THE LOST BOYS 2: THE TRIBE

Once upon a time, it was rumored that both Corey Feldman and Corey Haim would return for the decades-later sequel The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, though when the movie was released in 2008, Haim was nowhere to be seen. If you stuck through the end credits, however, you saw that Haim reprised the role of Sam Emerson for a brief scene that revealed he had become a vampire in the years since the events of the original film. The scene cuts to black just as Sam and Edgar Frog are about to engage in a battle-to-the-death, though it ended up being a fight we never got to actually see. The late Haim did not appear in the franchise’s third installment, but it was revealed that Edgar killed Sam in that battle.


ZOMBIELAND

Perhaps the best cameo in the history of cinema can be found in Zombieland, wherein Bill Murray pops up for an appearance as himself. Humorously, Murray disguises himself as a zombie so he can walk freely outside (and golf) without being attacked, and he of course ends up getting shot when Columbus mistakes him for a real zombie. The hilarious cameo reunited Murray with his Kingpin co-star Woody Harrelson, and in the post-credits scene, Murray and Harrelson’s Tallahassee together recite an iconic line from Caddyshack. Au revoir, gopher.


CURSE OF CHUCKY

Released in 2013, direct-to-video sequel Curse of Chucky brought the Child’s Play franchise back to its horror roots, successfully merging the continuities of both the original trilogy and the subsequent horror-comedy sequels. At the end of the film, a young girl finds herself in possession of Chucky, teasing that she will be the main character of the next installment. The post-credits scene, however, takes the franchise in an entirely different direction. In the stinger scene, Alex Vincent reprises the role of Andy Barclay for the first time since Child’s Play 2, telling his old friend to “play with this” before blasting him away with a shotgun. Now that’s what I call fan service!


EVIL DEAD

If you’re asking me, Fede Alvarez struck remake gold with 2013’s Evil Dead, an insanely gory franchise reboot that stayed true to the original films and introduced an ass-kicking female Ash (so to speak) in the form of actress Jane Levy’s Mia Allen. Of course, Bruce Campbell himself didn’t actually make an appearance in the remake, and while some fans weren’t too happy about that, he at least did pop up for a brief post-credits stinger that seemed to tease he would soon be returning to the series – and indeed he did just last year, courtesy of Starz series “Ash vs. Evil Dead.” After the credits, the remake comes to a close with Campbell reminding us just how groovy Ash Williams is.


THE THING (2011)

A companion piece to John Carpenter’s classic film, the 2011 version of The Thing is essentially both a prequel and a remake, telling the story of what happened at the ill-fated Norwegian outpost before MacReady and friends arrived to investigate. Loaded with poorly-realized CGI, the prequel is little more than a reminder that the horror genre just isn’t the same without the practical effects of the 1980s, but it does at least end on a satisfying and smile-inducing note. The end credits of The Thing 2011 lead directly into the events of Carpenter’s 1982 film, allowing for them to be seamlessly watched back-to-back. Pretty cool, even if the prequel was a computer-generated shell of Carpenter’s gruesome masterpiece.


Other horror movies with post-credits scenes include Dawn of the Dead (2004), House on Haunted Hill (1999), The Howling, Planet Terror, See No Evil, Slither, The Stuff, Texas Chainsaw 3D, and Wrong Turn.

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading