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What is Going on With These Long-Awaited Horror Sequels? (Part 1)

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Horror Sequels

When discussing horror franchises, there are a few names that immediately pop up. You’ve got your major players like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, plus some lesser entries like The Amityville Horror. There was a time where sequels in some of these major franchises would be released annually, as if on an assembly line. Unfortunately that is not the case anymore, as many of them have fallen victim to studio tampering or some other form of development hell. The seven franchises below have long-overdue sequels that fans are waiting for, so what’s the holdup? 


Child’s Play

Who knows why we haven’t been given a seventh installment in the Child’s Play franchise. After a severe misstep with 2005’s Seed of Chucky, series creator Don Mancini went back to the series’s horror roots in 2013 when he made the vastly superior Curse of Chucky. While it’s only been three years since the film’s release, fans (myself included) are itching for another installment. And how could they not after the Tiffany/Jennifer Tilly reveal and post-credits scene featured in the film?

STATUS: Mancini and Tilly seem to be on board for a sequel. Both them and Fiona Dourif (the lead from Cursealso the daughter of Brad Dourif) Tweeted about the film back in February, but Mancini has been occupied with the Syfy series Channel Zero. Now that that is done, I think an announcement on the next Chucky movie may be imminent.

Horror Sequels


The Strangers 2

How long have we been hearing about a sequel to Bryan Bertino’s masterful horror film, The Strangers? Probably since it became the sleeper hit of summer 2008. The sequel was confirmed in September of 2008 but was put on hold until 2011, when Rogue Pictures confirmed a sequel was in development. Again, nothing ever came of it, but actress Liv Tyler confirmed the sequel and said it would be released in 2014. Fans were once again given hope last year when the sequel was announced as being back on track, with distributor Relativity Media  even putting it on their schedule for a December 2, 2016 release. Unfortunately, it was taken off of the schedule again when Relativity Media declared bankruptcy in July of 2015. This also caused issues with the releases of Mike Flanagan’s Before I Wake and the upcoming Kate Beckinsale film The Disappointments Room.  They emerged from bankruptcy in March of this year.

STATUS: There are no plans (as of now) to move forward with a sequel to The Strangers. Relativity Media is still recovering from their bankruptcy and has more pressing matters to worry about.

Horror Sequels


Jeepers Creepers 3

The existence of Jeepers Creepers 3 is somewhat controversial due to writer/director Victor Salva’s criminal history, but it feels like we’ve been hearing about it for years. It’s hard to believe it’s been 13 years since Jeepers Creepers 2Jeepers Creepers 3 was officially announced in September 2015. Back in February some sales art was spotted at the European Film Market in Berlin, and Gina Phillips was said to have been reprising her role as Trish. Unfortunately, a casting call was cancelled back in March when details of Salva’s previous crimes re-surfaced. Since then, there has been little to no word on the film. It is still slated for release in 2017, but I wouldn’t hold out too much hope on that. In this case, no news is not good news.

STATUS: Unknown. There has been little to no word on the film since the casting call was cancelled, but producer Stan Spry did Tweet in April that the film was not cancelled.

Horror Sequels


Leatherface

Believe it or not, the abomination that is Texas Chainsaw 3D was a box office success. Production company Millennium Films announced a prequel film soon after that film’s release and eventually settled on calling the film Leatherface. The film will chronicle Jackson Sawyer’s teen years and show the events that lead to him becoming Leatherface. Inside directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo directed the film, which stars Stephen Dorff (Blade) and Lili Taylor (The Conjuring). It was filmed in Bulgaria, making it the first film in the series to be filmed outside the United States.

STATUS: Leatherface is currently going through test screenings. Assuming they go well, you can expect a release date announcement to come relatively soon. Filming ended last summer though, so one has to wonder what is taking so long…

Horror Sequels


Zombieland 2

After pulling in more than three times its production budget in 2009, a sequel Zombieland was inevitable. Be that as it may, it has been six years and we still have yet to see one. While everyone involved both in front of and behind the camera was game for a sequel, it wasn’t immediately rushed into production because writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were committed to other projects (2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation and this year’s Deadpool). In 2011 a television adaptation of the series was announced to be in production (without the original cast) and would be airing on CBS, but that fell through as well. A pilot was eventually filmed and released on Amazon Video in 2013, but the overwhelming negative response prevented it from being picked up to series.

STATUS: In Development. According to We Got This Covered, Reese and Wernick were doing press rounds for Deadpool back in February and gave this tidbit of information:

“It’s actually still in development at Sony, they’ve had a couple writers take a crack at it, we’re still exec producers and we’re guiding and helping where we can and I think there’s still very much talk about it, but I think it has to be right. I think all the actors and [original ‘Zombieland’ director] Ruben [Fleischer], all feel like there’s no reason to do it again if we’re not getting it exactly right.”

Horror Sequels


Scream 5

Because of Wes Craven’s unfortunate passing last year and the existence of a television adaptation on MTV, it’s unlikely that we will ever get a Scream 5. This is especially true considering Scream 4‘s lackluster box office performance and the behind-the-scenes drama with writer Kevin Williamson. Still, one can’t help but hope that we will one day get another sequel in the franchise that helped give the horror genre a much-needed kickstart back in 1996. Williamson did intend for Scream 4 to being a new trilogy after all, so there is hope, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

STATUS: Dead in the water. Since the MTV series started, all hope for a fourth sequel have all but evaporated.

Horror Sequels


Amityville: The Awakening

This last one is a bit of a joke since the film is completed, but it’s been pushed back so many times that it feels like we’ll never get to see it. Featuring a rather impressive cast including Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Bella Thorne (The DUFF), Cameron Monaghan (Shameless) and Jennifer Morrison (House, Once Upon a Time), the film was originally slated to be released on January 2, 2015 before being postponed until April 1, 2016. The 15-month delay was supposedly made to make time for re-shoots, but Monaghan’s schedule on Shameless prevented him from being available for a while.

STATUS: The film was postponed again and will be released on January 6, 2017 (this time because of poor responses at test screenings). Unless it gets postponed again, that will put its release at two years after it’s original date. Ouch.

Horror Sequels

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article where we look at the status at some of horror’s heavy hitters!

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Editorials

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

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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.

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