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.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
You must be logged in to post a comment.