We’re fans of the folk over at Screen Junkies, who run the YouTube series “Honest Trailers“. Hell, just the other day we posted a few posters they created where they took classic kids films and gave them a horror twist. They’re good people, that’s for damn sure.

Today, they posted a video where they tried to determine which horror franchise reigns supreme above all others. It’s an interesting question and they approached it in a rather clever way. What they did was take the top 16 horror franchises by box office gross (adjusting for inflation) and then set a series of rules by which the franchises had to adhere to. Then Screen Junkies placed them in a bracket and let three guest judges weigh in with their thoughts on each bracket. The winner by majority would move on to the next round to face their next challenger. It’s not fool proof by any stretch of the imagination but it’s a fun enough concept.

What I decided to do while watching this is weigh in with my thoughts on each bracket. Now, I realize that I can’t change the outcomes of the video, so it’ll simply be whether or not I agree or disagree with the rulings made by the judges. Regardless of my decision with each bracket, I’ll honor theirs and then debate the merits of each competition along the way.

If that sounds confusing then I apologize. I’m a little under the weather while writing this, so I might be a little delirious. However, I think everyone will catch on rather quickly. So, without further ado, here we go!

Round 1: The Exorcist vs. Hellraiser

Alright, so this one is pretty tough right off the bat. I love me some Clive Barker and I recognize just how unique that series is. However, I also think that’s what kinda works against it. The Exorcist is more relatable to a great portion of the global population because they fall under some form of Christianity and the thought of demonic possession is very real and very scary to some of those people. Cenobites, while awesome, don’t have the same impact as the Devil itself. Plus, the Hellraiser films really took a nosedive in terms of quality pretty early in the franchise while The Exorcist, while not flawless, had some stellar moments throughout.

My winner is The Exorcist.
Screen Junkies chose Hellraiser.

Round 2: Poltergeist vs. Paranormal Activity

Another interesting fight here but I think I gotta agree with Screen Junkies and go with Poltertgeist. Without those films, I really wonder if we’d even have had films like Insidious or even the Paranormal Activity films. There’s something about the Freelings that feels more human and relatable than any family shown in the PA series. Plus, I’ll be that guy and say that Poltergeist 3 was fucking awesome.

My winner is Poltergeist.
Screen Junkies chose Poltergeist.

Round 3: Halloween vs. the Living Dead films

No question here. If it weren’t for Romero and his Living Dead films, I really believe the horror landscape would look far different today. Yes, Halloween was one of the most important slashers in horror history but Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead,, and Day of the Dead are such brilliant social commentaries that it wins hands down. Plus, the makeup and practical FX are fucking great.

My winner is Living Dead.
Screen Junkies chose Living Dead.

Round 4: Scream vs. Child’s Play

Gotta go with Scream on this one. While Child’s Play introduced a horror icon in the form of Chucky, it never really poked fun at the genre the same way it did with itself. Scream, on the other hand, knew flat out that it needed to poke fun at something more than itself and it did it brilliantly. The sequels were also damn solid and kept that meta attitude running throughout.

My winner is Scream.
Screen Junkies chose Scream.

Round 5: Friday the 13th vs. Evil Dead

Hooo boy, this one ain’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. Remember, they’re asking for the best horror franchise and Jason has a much longer and stronger legacy than Ash and the Evil Dead films. However, I find myself agreeing with the judges as they explain that the Evil Dead films are simply more memorable. Case in point: for most horror fans, I could bring up a Jason kill and they’d probably be hard-pressed to remember which film it came from. But if I told you about a scene from the Evil Dead films, you’d know right away.

My winner is Evil Dead.
Screen Junkies chose Evil Dead.

Round 6: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre vs. Saw

After several rounds of agreeing with Screen Junkies, here’s where our paths diverge once again. While I believe The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the greatest horror films of all time, the sequels don’t really do anything for me and I’m the rare guy that doesn’t like the reboots and its prequel. Now, while I also pretty much loathe the Saw series after the first film, I have to admit that they were such an iconic part of the horror genre and really pushed the idea of the story, and its twists, being the most interesting and fascinating aspect of the films. I simply didn’t like that the traps became such an integral part of the appeal. Perhaps this is something I’ll write about on a future date.

My winner is Saw.
Screen Junkies chose The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Round 7: A Nightmare on Elm Street vs. Insidious

Okay, this is about as easy as they come. I don’t think anyone would have trouble saying that the A Nightmare on Elm Street series is the better, more influential franchise. The impact of Freddy and those films is simply undeniable. Yes, the Insidious films are really enjoyable but Freddy wins hands down.

My winner is A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Screen Junkies chose A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Round 8: Final Destination vs. Psycho

A brilliant point was brought up during this round where it was stated that Psycho didn’t need to be a franchise. I 100% agree with that statement, even though I don’t want to take a way from the sequels that came out. Meanwhile, the antagonist in Final Destination is Death, who is a universal character that can happily exist in any sequel you put it in.

My winner is Final Destination.
Screen Junkies chose Final Destination.

Round 9: Hellraiser vs. Poltergeist

I already made it clear that I believe The Exorcist should’ve beat Hellraiser but I also promised that I’d respond to each round as they stand, so let’s do this!

Poltergeist, easily. While Hellraiser has some great characters and really wonderful practical FX, the franchise just collapses with each new release. While the Poltergeist sequels didn’t reach the same level of greatness as the first, the second and third films had some really fantastic moments and I adore them. I’ll happily take Poltergeist 3 over any Hellraiser film after the second one.

My winner is Poltergeist.
Screen Junkies chose Hellraiser.

Round 10: The “Living Dead” films vs. Scream

Once again, while I love Craven and his brilliant work on the Scream series, I have to give it up to Romero and the Living Dead films. They are the clear winners in my opinion thanks to their influence and biting commentary.

My winner is Living Dead.
Screen Junkies chose Living Dead.

Round 11: Evil Dead vs. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Another round that I would’ve liked to see different, I’ll have to go with Evil Dead on this one. Once again, the former is far more entertaining and memorable while the latter simply became…weird. Gimme Ash over Leatherface any day of the week!

My winner is Evil Dead.
Screen Junkies chose Evil Dead.

Round 12: A Nightmare on Elm Street vs. Final Destination

Is there even a question here? A Nightmare on Elm Street wins. The Final Destination movies have FAR more clever and well thought out kills but Freddy is a tangible villain who is exciting and charismatic. I love watching him just as much as I love the rest of the films, something I can’t say about Death in Final Destination.

My winner is A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Screen Junkies chose A Nightmare on Elm Street, although it was close.

Round 13: Hellraiser vs. the “Living Dead” films

Clive, you’ve got a very special place in my heart but I’m sorry to say that I really do believe that the Living Dead films are more important and are a better franchise overall. Now I can only hope that I don’t get a Lament Configuration in the mail…

My winner is Living Dead.
Screen Junkies chose Living Dead.

Round 14: Evil Dead vs. A Nightmare on Elm Street

God dammit… Look, I love me some Ash Williams and the Evil Dead films are badass but Freddy and the A Nightmare on Elm Street series is what got me into horror. I’ve gotta agree with the Screen Junkies panel here and go with Mr. Krueger.

My winner is A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Screen Junkies chose A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Round 15: A Nightmare on Elm Street vs. the “Living Dead” films

This is beyond tough. How can you really try to decide between Freddy and Romero’s Living Dead films? Ultimately, it boiled down to me thinking about how many really good and solid entries there are in each franchise. For A Nightmare on Elm Street, there’s the first, third, and seventh films that really stand out as being great films. For Romero’s Living Dead series, there’s obviously the first three and then the remake of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead are both really damn good. By those numbers alone, I’m going to have to go with the Living Dead films.

My winner is Living Dead.
Screen Junkies chose Living Dead.

Conclusion:

So as you can see, the panelists and myself were pretty much in agreement over the majority of the decisions laid out. There were a few times where I disagreed and chose the option that didn’t end up winning but that’s what makes horror so awesome and fun. We each have our own opinions and they laid theirs out really well.

As you watch the video and read through my rebuttals, what are your thoughts? Which franchise would’ve ended up as your champion? Let us know in the comments!