10 Horror Sequels That Are Better Than the Original
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More often than not sequels get a bad rap. It’s understandable; it’s not so often than one comes close to touching what made the original so special. With this year’s release of Cult of Chucky came a reminder, though, that sometimes sequels often allow a franchise to take bold new directions. After sixth films in the series, Cult of Chucky finally took the opportunity to explore a long-time goal of Chucky’s, and it opened up an insane world of possibilities. The year also brought a sequel to Annabelle, well, more accurately a prequel. Even still, the margin by which is surpassed its predecessor was pretty large. It’s not the first time, either, that a sequel managed to be superior to the original. Take Amityville II: The Possession, an also sort of prequel/sequel celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. In celebration of worthy horror sequels, let’s visit 10 horror sequels that managed to be better than the original:
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Ok, this one is pretty much a given, considering the 2014 film was pretty abysmal. So it wouldn’t take much for a sequel to succeed in improving upon its predecessor in this scenario. But with such a poorly received film, how do you turn that around? You hire Mike Flanagan for one, and then you further distance the film from the original by setting it in a time period decades removed from the previous setting. Flanagan snuck in sly nods to the time period, like adding cue marks to the frame, as well as Easter eggs from Oculus. The cast was also much more likeable this go ‘round, especially scene-stealing Lulu Wilson as creepy kid Doris. The script wisely only bothers to visually tie the prequel into the original with one small scene at the end featuring the always welcome Lin Shaye.
The Purge: Anarchy
James DeMonaco created a home invasion film in 2013 set around an interesting concept; for twelve hours each year, all crime is legal and all emergency services are unavailable. For the Sandin family, in their affluent Los Angeles house, it means a night of unwitting terror when intruders invade. Meaning, the very interesting concept presented remains relegated to plot justification than anything else. There’s a world of chaos happening outside of the Sandin family household and audiences saw none of it. Thankfully, DeMonaco gave us precisely what we wanted with follow up The Purge: Anarchy. He took it a step further by giving us something we didn’t know we wanted- Frank Grillo as anti-hero action badass The Sergeant. Thank you, DeMonaco, for a sequel far more entertaining that the first film.
Paranormal Activity 3
There’s a common theme in horror, or movies in general, where, once the current plot thread reaches a sort of dead end or conclusion, you jump to a time before the events of the first film so you still have wiggle room to continue what made the original so successful. See Ouija, Annabelle, and even Insidious 3 for examples. So it’s easy to see why, once Katie and Kristi’s stories closed out the previous two films, writer Christopher B. Landon opted to explore the mysterious nature behind the sisters’ childhood and their relationship with the demon that plagues them. Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman, of Catfish fame, take the ‘80s setting to clever directions. The oscillating fan rigged camera sets up some of the more ingenious scares, and the story expands in a way that’s feels fresh for the series, including a more thrilling conlusion.
Hostel: Part II
There’s a lot to like about Eli Roth’s Hostel. The visuals, the brutality, and the social critique embedded in the narrative makes for a worthwhile horror film on paper, but if you’re like me, you probably couldn’t stand any of the main characters. And Roth made you spend quite a while with them before dispatching them in gruesome ways. Which is why Hostel: Part II is so much better. Bigger budget, a tightened-up script with better execution, and buckets more blood. Most importantly, these characters were empathetic. Lauren German’s Paxton was far more interesting than Jay Hernandez’ Paxton as a lead protagonist, too.
The Woman
This sequel to 2009’s Offspring is so ridiculously strong, that most forget it’s a sequel in the first place. Pollyanna McIntosh reprises her role as The Woman, a feral woman from a clan of inbred cannibals inhabiting the Northeastern coast. A country lawyer stumbles upon her in the woods, and decides to capture her and keep her captive in his cellar in attempt to civilize her. Of course, the line gets uncomfortably blurred as to who the real monster of the film is, with The Woman subjected to a number of horrific acts in her “rehabilitation.” As both are based on Jack Ketchum’s novels, both films are extremely mean and brutal. Yet it’s Lucky McKee’s screenplay and direction that makes this so aggressively powerful. It’s the type of horror film with such an epic finale that it leaves you questioning your own morals. Also, can we please give McIntosh more work?
Return of the Living Dead 3
Growing up, I enjoyed the punk rock humor of Return of the Living Dead; I still do. But I love Return of the Living Dead 3 way more. It’s a sequel that drops most of the humor this series is known for and takes a more serious, gorier approach. Which isn’t surprising considering it’s helmed by Brian Yuzna (Society, Bride of Re-Animator). For anyone wondering why a director is so important, take this sequel as an example. There’s some campy dialogue and cheese here, but Yuzna elevates the material. As for plot, it centers on a romance, only one half of the star crossed lovers is slowly devolving into the brain eating undead. She just happens to self-mutilate to stave off hunger. Melinda Clarke owns this role, and the special effects team delivers some amazing work. The effects really are the best in the series.
Maniac Cop 2
Here’s the crazy thing; most horror sequels that easily surpass the original can easily manage when the first film isn’t so great. That’s not the case here. Maniac Cop is good (don’t tell me otherwise). Director William Lustig and writer/producer Larry Cohen team up again and actually manage to improve upon an already great film. That’s not an easy feat. Cohen and Lustig offer a rarity in sequels; continuity. The loose ends and characters from the previous entry receive follow ups, and some shocking deaths. Combine this with bigger, better action sequences and a Maniac Cop team up with stripper strangler Steven Turkell (Leo Rossi), and you’ve got everything that made Maniac Cop so entertaining plus more.
The Devil’s Rejects
Arguably Rob Zombie’s best film to date, this sequel feels less like a follow up and more like a complementary companion piece to House of 1000 Corpses. The first one was inspired by a haunted house attraction Zombie had designed, and was much more vivid in color and tone, painting the Firefly family in a sort of cartoonish light. The Devil’s Rejects, though, takes the grit of ‘70s grindhouse films against western road films like Bonnie and Clyde and manages to turn the Firefly clan into anti-heroes the audience actually empathizes with. There are a number of horror vets that make welcome additions to the supporting cast, like Michael Berryman and Ken Foree, but it’s the bond between Otis, Baby, and Captain Spaulding that makes this so memorable. The film also makes the best use of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird ever.
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II
I’ll just say it; Prom Night was boring. And that’s probably why Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II didn’t do as well as it should have, though it did eventually find success on home video. Originally titled The Haunting of Hamilton High, this wasn’t meant to be a sequel, but a stand-alone. It was later retitled to capitalize on the success of Prom Night, so it technically counts. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II had so much more life and personality than its predecessor, making it infinitely more enjoyable. The references to other notable horror directors and mainstays is overwhelming; all of the characters are named after horror masters like Carpenter, Romero, Craven, King, Henenlotter, and more. Mary Lou Maloney is one of the best horror villains of ever, and I’m not sure anything parallels the rocking horse scene. Seriously. It’s wacky.
Friday the 13th Part II
Likely to be the most controversial on this list, but Friday the 13th Part 2 surpasses the original. While the first film is a definitive classic, there’s just a lot more that works for the sequel that makes it a more entertaining watch. The pacing, for one. More importantly, though, is that it sets up the rest of the franchise with its introduction to Jason Voorhees. Let’s face it, Jason is a far more intimidating foe than Mrs. Voorhees, even if this sequel lacks the shocking twist reveal. Nothing against Alice Hardy, either, but she pales in comparison to Part II’s final girl Ginny Field. The first to pick up on Jason’s mommy issues, and the first to use his own machete against him, Ginny has more spunk and wit than most final girls.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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