Given that most horror franchises start with relatively tiny budgets, it’s no surprise that the movies tend to get more ambitious by the second or third instalments. Horror filmmakers (especially in the days of practical effects) have always been among the most creative and resourceful in the business, so it makes sense that a little more time and money occasionally result in something more expressive, adventurous, and hopefully more terrifying.
I’ve arranged the list of superior horror sequels below in no particular order and always with the greatest respect for the originator of each franchise. Read on to discover more about them and use the guide below to find them on platforms like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Growing up in the ‘90s, I used to assume that Wes Craven invented the idea of meta horror with movies like Scream and the later Elm Streets; so naturally, it came as a shock to learn that James Whale had done something similar six decades before.
In 1935, Whale followed up the huge success of Frankenstein with a kind of meta-sequel, Bride of Frankenstein—and if you appreciate the kind of horror that just seems to know it’s a horror (like the classics I just mentioned, but also movies like The Cabin in the Woods), or if you enjoy the more campy stuff, like Vincent Price’s House on Haunted Hill, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Beginning with a scene set on Lake Geneva, where Mary Shelley traded ghost stories with Byron before coming up with the idea for her legendary novel, this is a daringly modern movie that’s been inspiring horror filmmakers ever since.
Pearl (2022)
In 2022, Ti West followed up his well-received X with Pearl, a wonderfully inventive mish-mash of terror and technicolour homage that did for classic Hollywood and melodrama what X had done for ‘70s exploitation movies—imagine if The Wizard of Oz and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a baby, and you might have some idea of what to expect with Pearl.
This is a follow-up that trumped its predecessor less for outright scares (though there are plenty of them) and more for sheer, demented joy and originality, particularly thanks to Mia Goth’s astonishing—and immediately memed—performance as the titular star.
(P.S. Make sure to keep an eye out for future Superman David Corenswet, who appears dangerously suave here in a supporting role.)
Final Destination 3 (2006)
I think you can tell a lot about a person by their favourite Final Destination movie. The first one is a gem that, having been shot on film, still looks like a million bucks. The second boasts some iconic moments, no doubt, but it’s just a little gloomy for my tastes. Part Three, however, is the moment when the series really found its groove—and if you’re a fan of the more recent outings in the franchise, like this year’s Bloodlines, or appreciate mid-00s Mary Elisabeth Winstead, as in Scott Pilgrim or Deathproof, this is one you’ll want to check out.
Along with its iconic theme park opener, the movie is full of great noughties-era details, like a particularly consequential digital camera. It also has some of the best kills in the franchise—just be warned, it might stop you from ever going into a tanning bed again.
Scream 2 (1998)
Not for the first or last time on this list, we turn to the great Wes Craven. Now, I can’t argue that Scream 2, a movie that is even more self-aware than the original, had as much of a cultural footprint as Scream, but by doubling down on the meta-experimentation (that Stab opening scene!), it managed to be even more fun. If you like the other meta horrors we’ve mentioned on this list already, you’ll love it.
The last act lets it down a bit, but the switch to a college campus and the addition of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jerry O’Connell, and Laurie Metcalf to the cast make Scream 2 an iconic piece of late-‘90s pop culture. I mean, if you’re getting parodied in Scary Movie, you must be doing something right.
Aliens (1986)
This might be the most controversial choice on this list. Ridley Scott’s original Alien is an undisputed classic—a haunted house movie set in outer space where, famously, no one can hear you scream. If I had to take one Alien movie to the grave, however, I’d take James Cameron’s follow-up, Aliens—a movie that is solidly in the pantheon of great action sci-fi like The Terminator and Starship Troopers.
You could argue that Cameron’s effort is less horror-coded than Scott’s, but that’s beside the point. Building to a showdown between two unconventional mothers, one of whom is Sigourney Weaver in a bright yellow mech suit, this is a perfect movie and a masterclass in tension-building and design.
Smile 2 (2024)
As a huge admirer of the first Smile movie, I entered first-time director Parker Finn’s sequel with some apprehension. Needless to say, Smile 2 blew me away—a brilliant, funny and terrifying vision (fans of smart, inventive horror like It Follows and Weapons should try it out) that will haunt anyone who’s ever experienced sleep paralysis, and probably anyone who hasn’t.
The plot follows a pop star named Skye, which is a setup that allows for all kinds of creepy possibilities while allowing Finn to explore the smothering nature of fame. The scene in which Skye’s dancers follow her in one flowing, amoebic movement through her apartment was one of the best things I saw last year.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Again, we’re wading into controversial water here. George A Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is a stone-cold classic, a still provocative movie that basically invented a still thriving genre today. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, however, is just a lot more fun. If you’re a fan of The Last of Us or of Zack Snyder’s perfectly good 2004 remake, we’d recommend going back to experience the original.
The idea to set the story in an abandoned shopping mall was simply genius by Romero—a move that creates all kinds of possible scenarios for the characters while suggesting the zombifying nature of consumer capitalism in one foul swoop.
Evil Dead II (1987)
This one is slightly cheating, as Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II is more or less a remake of the first movie—but hey, there’s a “II” in the title. And whatever the case, Ash’s second round of misadventures with the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis is a classic example of the amazing things that can happen when an already inventive filmmaker is given access to a whole new box of tools. If you’re a fan of what Raimi did with the recent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s cool to see the same visual trickery on show here.
The plot is the archetypal cabin in the woods set up, where a haunted book is discovered and all sorts of hell is let loose. Fair warning: while Raimi tones it down significantly from the original, there is still a scene in the woods (in which Bobby Joe is attacked by the trees) here that will appear quite extreme by today’s standards.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Once again, we return to Wes Craven with the best movie in the Elm Street franchise, which is also, no surprise, the only movie of the original six that Craven was involved with after Part One. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is the movie where Freddy became the star, and also kind of funny—but without the awful self-parody of later instalments.
This is one for appreciators of creative kills (like in the Final Destination movies) but also of imaginative, hand-crafted horror movies—among Craven’s incredible team was director Chuck Russell, who would go on to make The Mask, and co-screenwriter Frank Darabont, who went on to make The Shawshank Redemption. Wes Craven would return with 1994’s excellent New Nightmare, but I think that movie feels more like a primer for Scream than a sequel for Freddy.
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Some people will say that Terrifier 2 is the obvious choice here, but I find that the switch to Christmastime and the establishment of recurring, legacy characters in Terrifier 3 make the movie, and Art the Clown’s demented sadism, just feel a bit more substantial.
Working with a larger budget, the movie also has some of the most creatively horrendous kills—just be warned, this one is not for the faint of heart. But if you’re a degenerate like me and occasionally appreciate horror that’s a little more on the extreme side (think Martyrs or Audition), it might be what you’re after.
