Summary
Horror sequelscan be extremely difficult to get right and often fail to live up to the original, but during the 1990s, several sequel releases earned their status as beloved classics. The trouble with a horror sequel was that normally, the element of surprise had been removed, the villain had been revealed, and the shock value that categorized the best horror movies was no longer present. However, the best sequels often used these aspects to their advantage and added the lore of the series, which brought extra depth to its characters and proved this was a story that needed to be continued.
To speak about the very best horror sequels was always going to be subjective, and some may adamantly call some sequels disposable garage while others fervently assert that they deserve to stand alongside the original in terms of artistic recognition. Thebest horror sequelsincludedcult classics that built up their reputations over the years, box office smashes that helped birth exciting new franchises, or just campy, fun follow-ups that played into the sillier sides of the series. The 1990s had plenty of great horror sequels for viewers to check out.
Alien 3
Cast
Alien³ follows Ellen Ripley as she crash lands on Fiorina 161, a bleak prison planet housing a correctional facility. Stripped of weapons and facing a new alien threat, the inmates must unite with Ripley to survive while awaiting external assistance. Released in 1992, this film continues the iconic sci-fi horror saga.
WhileAlien 3has been discussed as a moment of wasted potential within the franchise, this failed to consider all that it did right, especially considering the revised,re-releasedAssembly Cutversionthat addressed many of its faults. WithDavid Fincher on direction duties for his debut featureand Sigourney Weaver back as Ellen Ripley,Alien 3took place on a prison planet, but a haphazard production meant that filming started before the final script was ready. Despite this, the visuals throughoutAlien 3were spectacular, and it was impossible not to recognize Fincher’s impeccable talent amid all the chaos.
Alien 3started with a bang as, in a controversial development, Hicks and Newt were killed, which showcased this as a film not afraid to take divisive risks. The true standout ofAlien 3was Weaver, who gave an extraordinary performance as Ripley through the devastation as she learned she had an embryo of an Alien Queen growing inside her.Alien 3was packed with great ideas, and although it can’t live up to the untouchable legacies of the first two films, it was still an interesting addition to the franchise.
Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice
A journalist and his son travel to Nebraska to investigate the mysterious town of Gatlin where, unbeknownst to them, a murderous cult of children are still waiting in the corn fields.
The originalChildren of the Cornfrom 1984 was a terrifying cult classic based on a short story by Stephen King and has since spawned a franchise that included 11 films, including a remake and a reboot. Of all these sequels, the best wasChildren of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice, which picked up two days after the original as the surviving Gatlin children were taken in by families in a neighboring town to start a new life. Of course, He Who Walks Behind the Rows could not be stopped that easily, and the series continued with frightening effect.
Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrificemaintained the eerie atmosphere of the originalwhile delivering new characters and challenges, and was a great example of what a good horror sequel should be. While the storytelling may have left a lot to be desired, in a way, that’s also part of its charm, and those looking for an enjoyable slasher film should look no further.Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrificewas the last film in the series to be released theatrically until 2023, as all the other sequels were direct-to-video releases.
Return of the Living Dead III
Having recently witnessed the horrific results of a top secret project to bring the dead back to life, a distraught youth performs the operation on his girlfriend after she’s killed in a motorcycle accident.
Screenwriting legend Dan O’Bannon made horror history with the release of his directional debut,Return of the Living Dead. This punk rock horror comedy introduced the concept of brain-eating zombies. The film alsopaid homage to George A. Romero’sNight of the Living Deadseries, leading to the development of an entirely new franchise. The first sequel leaned more heavily into the horror aspects of the series, butReturn of the Living Dead IIIreally tried something different and took the franchise in a whole new direction.
Return of the Living Dead IIIwas directed by Brian Yuzna, who previously produced theRe-Animatorseries, and adopted a much more angsty 1990s tone than the other two films. The punk rock aesthetics of the original movie were replaced with moody grungers, and characters engaged in self-harm and body piercing to suppress their need for eating brains. WhileReturn of the Living Dead IIIdidn’t quite live up to the lofty standards of the original, it was packed with campy fun and was a worthy sequel.
The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
A group of teenagers get into a car crash in the Texas woods on prom night, and then wander into an old farmhouse that is home to Leatherface (Robert Jacks) and his insane family of cannibalistic psychopaths.
The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacrewas also known asTexas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generationand was a box office flop at its release but has since garnered a cult following. Boasting a cast that featured Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey before they became famous, the fourth installment in the series included elements of parody, self-referentialism, and even a secret society subplot. While it was easy to initially label this film as disposal trash, its sharp satirical edge meant that it aged better than manyother sequels in theTexas Chainsawfranchise.
With a subplot that connected Leatherface’s family to the Illuminati,The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacreadded context to his murderous ways as a plan to terrorize citizens to a level of transcendence. There were also some knowing references to the previous sequels, which can be viewed through the lens of being a parody and comment on the entire horror movie industry.The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacrewas a lot more nuanced than it was first given credit forand deserved to be remembered among the best horror sequels of the 1990s.
Bride of Re-Animator
Doctors Herbert West and Dan Cain discover the secret to creating human life and proceed to create a perfect woman from dead tissue.
The originalRe-Animatorwas one of thegreatest H.P. Lovecraft adaptationsever made, and the sequel,Bride of Re-Animator,continued its retelling of the short story “Herbert West–Reanimator.”Bride of Re-Animatorfollowed scientists' attempts to create a living woman from dead tissueand acted as an insightful Lovecraftian tale as well as an homage to the 1935 classic sequelBride of Frankenstein. With plenty of returning cast members,Bride of Re-Animatorfelt like a worthy follow-up to the 1980s cult favorite that was the original.
Depending on the viewer, the amount of over-the-top gore inBride of Re-Animatormay be either a positive or a negative, but one thing was certain: those who lovedRe-Animatorwould get a lot from this sequel. In many ways,Bride of Re-Animatorwas a little all over the place and suffered from a lack of coherent character motivation. However, the special effects and enjoyable score alone were enough to makeBride of Re-Animatorworth checking out.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Halloween: H20 is the seventh installment in the iconic horror franchise. H20 establishes a new timeline in the Halloween franchise, picking up after Halloween II and following Laurie Strode as she hides from her brother, Michael Myers. Having faked her death and working as a teacher in California, she and her son are brought back into danger when Myers finds her and slays his way through those around her.
The seventh installment of theHalloweenfranchise made the wise decision to ignore most previous sequels and act as a direct sequel toHalloween II, with Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode.Halloween H20: 20 Years Laterfeatured Laurie going through post-traumatic stress from her previous encounters with her murderous brother, Michael Myers, after having faked her death to live a new life. In an effective exploration of trauma, Laurie has become an alcoholic and consistently lives in fear that her brother will one day return to finish what he started.
Of course, theHalloweenfranchise has always had confusing lore with multiple timelines and conflicting character relationships, butHalloween H20earned points for addressing serious topics and delving into Laure’s character. Released shortly after the major success ofScream,Halloween H20took cues from that film with a script that added a more self-aware style than previous entries. With an ending that depicted Laurie seemingly killing Michael,Halloween H20would have been a fitting conclusion to the series, although the direct sequel,Halloween: Resurrection, revealed Michael had switched clothes with a paramedic and survived.
The Exorcist III
The Exorcist III is a supernatural horror film written and directed by William Peter Blatty. Set over a decade after the events of the original Exorcist film, The Exorcist III Follows Lieutenant Kinderman as he investigates a murder that shares similarities to a killer who was executed fifteen years earlier - and a patient at a local psychiatric ward claims to be that same man.
While it was always going to be a lofty challenge to top the masterpiece that was the originalExorcistmovie,The Exorcist IIIstood as the greatest sequel in the demonic horror franchise. Set 15 years after the original,The Exorcist IIIignored the events of the first sequel and was written and directed by William Peter Blatty, the novelist and screenwriter for the first installment. With this level of connection to the source material, it made sense that Blatty himself was the only one capable of delivering a worthy sequel that could effectively add to the franchise’s lore.
The Exorcist IIIfeatured the return of Lieutenant William F. Kinderman, a character from the original film, investigating a series of demonic murders that have plagued Georgetown. With slow-building scares, unnerving tension, and an eerie atmosphere,The Exorcist IIIwas an eccentric, horrifying, and at times extraordinarily funny sequel. The legacy ofThe Exorcist IIIhas only grown in the years since its release and proved that, despite so many other failed attempts, it was possible to make a good sequel in this franchise.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather Langenkamp play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?
For the seventh film in the franchise, the original director ofA Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven, returned for a stand-alone sequel that stood among the greatest horror sequels ever made. Instead of following the continuity of previous films, Craven made the unique decision to portray Freddy Kruger as a fictional movie villain who invaded the real world and haunted the cast and crew who were making a movie about him.New Nightmarewas a fantastic homage to the original movie and added a new meta-layer of meaning to the franchise.
In a way, the self-aware nature ofNew Nightmarecould be seen as a precursor to what was so effectively achieved in Craven’sScreamfranchiseas it similarly deconstructed horror movie tropes and cliches.New Nightmarewas a lot of campy fun that did not take itself too seriously but also achieved significant scares in the process.New Nightmarestood as one of Craven’s best movies and was the best release in the series since the original.
Child’s Play 2
Child’s Play 2 is the second installment in the Child’s Play horror franchise. Andy Barclay was placed into foster care after his mother was institutionalized for stating that a doll was responsible for the murders surrounding the two. Years later, Andy sits in foster care, seemingly far away from Chucky - until the killer doll shows up looking for revenge.
Child’s Play 2took the original movie’s outrageous concepts and turned them into hyperdrive for a sequel that actually lived up to the ethos that going bigger can be better. Set two years after the original, Andy Barclay had been placed into foster care, and his mother was institutionalized for backing up his claims that the Chucky doll was alive. Meanwhile, a power surge at the Play Pals Corporation manufacturing facility caused Chuck to be re-animated once again as he reestablished his pursuit of Barclay and planned to transfer his soul into the boy.
Child’s Play 2embraced the more comic side of this franchise, as its frantic energy and bombastic nature made for thrilling viewing. This filmprovedChild’s Play’spotential as an ongoing franchise, and as a box office success, which led to the development of even more sequels. While theChild’s Playfranchise has had many ups and downs over the years,Child’s Play 2was the best sequel and has earned its place among the best horror sequels of the 1990s.
Scream 2
Scream 2 continues the saga of Sidney Prescott, who faces a new series of murders while adjusting to college life. Released in 1997, the film follows her as a masked killer, donning the infamous Ghostface costume, resurfaces, reigniting fear and chaos among her and her friends.
The originalScreamacted as a meta-horror film that poked fun at genre conventions, and what was so effective aboutScream 2was that it carried this idea forward into the follow-up, but this time it aimed its satirical attack on sequels themselves. From the introduction of the in-universeStabfilm franchise to the appearance of a new copycat Ghostface,Scream 2was able to get away with its more outrageous aspects because they served a narrative point toward the film’s deconstruction of tropes and cliches. This madeScream 2not only feel like a worthy follow-up but a necessary one.
The most effective aspect ofScream 2was the way it managed to poke fun at the nature of terrible horror sequels without also falling victim to the same fate. Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley all returned, andthe success ofScream 2hinted at the series' potential as a major franchise.Scream 2felt like a natural evolution for the series, and, with its success, a third installment addressing the legacy of trilogies was not only possible but felt assured.
