Editorials
Six More Well Overdue Horror Sequels!
A little while back I wrote an article on the top six long overdue horror sequels that I would personally like to see get made in the future, and you horror fans had quite the response. It seems that we all have our own favorite characters and stories that we think deserve another chance on the big screen, so I decided to make a follow-up of my own with another round of overdue sequels!
Many of these choices were inspired by your comments, while others are movies that just didn’t make the cut in the previous list. Either way, I feel like they all still have untapped storytelling potential. Again, no movie really needs a sequel, and we should always try to support up-and-coming filmmakers by valuing original ideas in Hollywood. However, if we’re going to have sequels, they might as well be good!
Like last time, some of these films are part of a franchise, having already been graced with another installment, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they (or we) wouldn’t benefit from a new movie. Others already have a sequel in the works, and production is just going through a period of development hell.
With that in mind, let’s begin!
The Crazies
This remake of a lesser-known George Romero movie had everything against it, and yet director Breck Eisner somehow managed to give us an incredibly entertaining look at a small-town apocalypse. I personally find this film to be better than Romero’s original, with loads of creative kills, a compelling cast and a great setting.
In a world filled with generic zombie/infection movies, it takes quite a bit of talent to make something this good. If the same team returned for a sequel, the result would almost certainly be worth a watch. Romero himself has actually claimed to be interested in producing a sequel, though it seems that the film simply isn’t popular enough to garner studio interest.
Bubba Ho-Tep
Another Don Coscarelli horror comedy, 2002’s Bubba Ho-Tep fits every definition of a cult classic. Starring Bruce Campbell as a senior Elvis Presley (or at least a confused impersonator of his), the film revolves around an ancient mummy terrorizing a retirement home as Elvis deals with his advanced age and the skepticism of those around him regarding his true identity.
This adaptation of a Joe R. Lansdale novella is incredibly entertaining, and everyone involved in the production has at one point expressed interest in making another one. In fact, the end credits even tease a sequel titled Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires. Sadly, due to a series of disagreements between Campbell and Coscarelli, not to mention the lack of funding, this sequel has yet to materialize.
That being said, fans of Bubba Ho-Tep can still pre-order Lansdale’s new prequel novel Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers!
The Cabin in the Woods
Who could have predicted that a love-letter to the horror genre penned by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard would have turned out to be a modern classic? Literally anyone familiar with their work, actually. Either way, Cabin in the Woods is a kick-ass horror comedy, and it’s a miracle that we got to see this film get made in the first place.
This loving satire was actually a sleeper hit, and back in 2015 Goddard actually claimed that the studio was clamoring for a sequel. Of course, he and Whedon would only make one if they felt they had an interesting enough idea, as they hadn’t planned for a sequel while making the film. That’s not surprising when you consider Cabin In The Woods’ jaw-dropping ending.
Nevertheless, this is a cinematic universe ripe for new and creative ideas, as there are practically no limits to what Whedon and Goddard could come up with. A possible sequel/prequel could go about subverting all sorts of horror sub-genres and tropes, and maybe even sequels themselves!
Splinter
Toby Wilkins’ simple yet elegant monster movie, Splinter, is proof that all you need is perseverance and a good idea to make a great horror film. With a terrifyingly original monster, likable characters and copious amounts of body horror, this is one of those rare horror flicks that even mainstream critics couldn’t help but love.
Although Splinter is a complete film in and of itself (despite teasing that there are still other infected corpses out there), it’s a real shame that we never saw more of those spiny little parasites. It seems that there are many more horrifying stories that could be told featuring these unique monsters.
With a decent budget and some new ideas, the sky is the limit to what Wilkins could do with a sequel. As long as it maintains the charm of the first film, I’d definitely love to watch it.
28 Days Later
At first, the award-winning Danny Boyle may seem like the kind of director who feels above returning for a sequel to one of his earlier films, but with Trainspotting 2, we now know that this far from the truth. This is great news, as if there’s one movie in Boyle’s filmography that truly deserves another installment, it’s 28 Days Later.
This chilling apocalyptic tale is one of my personal favorite films, and I feel that it’s one of Boyle’s most underappreciated projects. The stunning yet frighteningly realistic cinematography and lonely atmosphere easily make this one of the best zombie movies ever made. I even love the controversial third act, which a lot of people seem to have a problem with, for some reason.
Of course, we did get a sequel in 2007 with 28 Weeks Later, which was a good movie in its own right, but it wasn’t helmed by Boyle and had little to do with the original film other than the setting. However, Boyle has repeatedly expressed interest in making a new film set in this same universe, so hopefully this won’t be the last we see of a post-apocalyptic UK.
The Collector
It appears that every modern slasher film is attempting to recapture the glory of the 80s with their derivative killers and nostalgic aesthetics, but few have managed to produce characters as iconic as Jason Voorhees or Freddy Kruger. I believe Marcus Dunstan’s The Collector is one of the exceedingly rare exceptions.
A slasher movie with a compelling protagonist, memorable villain and legitimately scary kills is almost unheard of these days, and yet The Collector pulled it off so well. What was originally meant to be a Saw prequel turned into something new and fresh, and eventually did spawn a sequel entitled The Collection.
While the sequel was a decent flick, it didn’t quite carry the same simple charm as the original. Luckily for us, however, a second sequel is rumored to be on the way, and I couldn’t be more excited to see my favorite modern slasher villain return to the big screen after all this time.
Having grown up in a religious family, Christian movie night was something that happened a lot more often than I care to admit. However, back when I was a teenager, my parents showed up one night with an unusually cool-looking DVD of a movie that had been recommended to them by a church leader. Curious to see what new kind of evangelical propaganda my parents had rented this time, I proceeded to watch the film with them expecting a heavy-handed snoozefest.
To my surprise, I was a few minutes in when Denzel Washington proceeded to dismember a band of cannibal raiders when I realized that this was in fact a real movie. My mom was horrified by the flick’s extreme violence and dark subject matter, but I instantly became a fan of the Hughes Brothers’ faith-based 2010 thriller, The Book of Eli. And with the film’s atomic apocalypse having apparently taken place in 2024, I think this is the perfect time to dive into why this grim parable might also be entertaining for horror fans.
Originally penned by gaming journalist and The Walking Dead: The Game co-writer Gary Whitta, the spec script for The Book of Eli was already making waves back in 2007 when it appeared on the coveted Blacklist. It wasn’t long before Columbia and Warner Bros. snatched up the rights to the project, hiring From Hell directors Albert and Allen Hughes while also garnering attention from industry heavyweights like Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.
After a series of revisions by Anthony Peckham meant to make the story more consumer-friendly, the picture was finally released in January of 2010, with the finished film following Denzel as a mysterious wanderer making his way across a post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book. Along the way, he encounters a run-down settlement controlled by Bill Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a man desperate to get his hands on Eli’s book so he can motivate his underlings to expand his empire. Unwilling to let this power fall into the wrong hands, Eli embarks on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of his faith.
SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?
Judging by the film’s box-office success, mainstream audiences appear to have enjoyed the Hughes’ bleak vision of a future where everything went wrong, but critics were left divided by the flick’s trope-heavy narrative and unapologetic religious elements. And while I’ll be the first to admit that The Book of Eli isn’t particularly subtle or original, I appreciate the film’s earnest execution of familiar ideas.
For starters, I’d like to address the religious elephant in the room, as I understand the hesitation that some folks (myself included) might have about watching something that sounds like Christian propaganda. Faith does indeed play a huge part in the narrative here, but I’d argue that the film is more about the power of stories than a specific religion. The entire point of Oldman’s character is that he needs a unifying narrative that he can take advantage of in order to manipulate others, while Eli ultimately chooses to deliver his gift to a community of scholars. In fact, the movie even makes a point of placing the Bible in between equally culturally important books like the Torah and Quran, which I think is pretty poignant for a flick inspired by exploitation cinema.
Sure, the film has its fair share of logical inconsistencies (ranging from the extent of Eli’s Daredevil superpowers to his impossibly small Braille Bible), but I think the film more than makes up for these nitpicks with a genuine passion for classic post-apocalyptic cinema. Several critics accused the film of being a knockoff of superior productions, but I’d argue that both Whitta and the Hughes knowingly crafted a loving pastiche of genre influences like Mad Max and A Boy and His Dog.
Lastly, it’s no surprise that the cast here absolutely kicks ass. Denzel plays the title role of a stoic badass perfectly (going so far as to train with Bruce Lee’s protégée in order to perform his own stunts) while Oldman effortlessly assumes a surprisingly subdued yet incredibly intimidating persona. Even Mila Kunis is remarkably charming here, though I wish the script had taken the time to develop these secondary characters a little further. And hey, did I mention that Tom Waits is in this?
AND WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?
Denzel’s very first interaction with another human being in this movie results in a gory fight scene culminating in a face-off against a masked brute wielding a chainsaw (which he presumably uses to butcher travelers before eating them), so I think it’s safe to say that this dog-eat-dog vision of America will likely appeal to horror fans.
From diseased cannibals to hyper-violent motorcycle gangs roaming the wasteland, there’s plenty of disturbing R-rated material here – which is even more impressive when you remember that this story revolves around the bible. And while there are a few too many references to sexual assault for my taste, even if it does make sense in-universe, the flick does a great job of immersing you in this post-nuclear nightmare.
The excessively depressing color palette and obvious green screen effects may take some viewers out of the experience, but the beat-up and lived-in sets and costume design do their best to bring this dead world to life – which might just be the scariest part of the experience.
Ultimately, I believe your enjoyment of The Book of Eli will largely depend on how willing you are to overlook some ham-fisted biblical references in order to enjoy some brutal post-apocalyptic shenanigans. And while I can’t really blame folks who’d rather not deal with that, I think it would be a shame to miss out on a genuinely engaging thrill-ride because of one minor detail.
With that in mind, I’m incredibly curious to see what Whitta and the Hughes Brothers have planned for the upcoming prequel series starring John Boyega…
There’s no understating the importance of a balanced media diet, and since bloody and disgusting entertainment isn’t exclusive to the horror genre, we’ve come up with Horror Adjacent – a recurring column where we recommend non-horror movies that horror fans might enjoy.
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