Prepare to Be Scared By These 10 Sequels and Forgotten Horrors

by Kyle Rupprecht | Published October 31, 2008

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Horror is perhaps one of the hardest genres to execute effectively; it has to have just the right balance of scares, just the right pacing, or the whole movie falls flat. Perhaps that’s why there seems to have been more truly horrendous horror movies made than actual good ones.

Horror sequels tend to be one of the most critically detested sub-genres, but we’ve scoured through the archives to find five actually worth seeing. We’ve also found five “forgotten horrors,” movies that were overlooked both critically and commercially in their initial release, but deserve to be praised. Prepare to be scared.

Take a second look...

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
directed by James Whale
The earliest sequel on the list was made more than seventy years ago. It was the last horror movie made by classic fright master James Whale, who also directed the 1931 original Frankenstein. Boris Karloff returns as Mary Shelley’s iconic, sympathetic monster who, along with his creator Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive), was thought to be dead at the end of the first movie. As this sequel quickly proves, they are both still alive and Dr. Frankenstein soon sets about creating what he promised in the original—building a mate (Elsa Lanchester) for his lonely, love-hungry monster. Bride of Frankenstein was an early example of a successful horror sequel—expanding upon the previous movie with a surprising blend of horror, humor and whimsy.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)
directed by George Romero
Writer-director George Romero’s follow-up to Night of the Living Dead takes place during an ever-growing zombie epidemic, in which four survivors take refuge in a shopping mall (the movie was shot at the real Monroeville Mall in Pennsylvania, which has since become a tourist attraction for Dead fans). While the movie is an exciting, blood-soaked zombie extravaganza (with creative, top-notch make-up effects by gore auteur Tom Savini), Romero’s script also has a darkly funny, thought-provoking element that adds unexpected, witty social satire to the mix. The movie can be seen as a tongue-in-cheek take on American consumerism—in Romero’s view, typical mall shoppers are not all that different from his “zombies.” With its ambitious scope and layered metaphorical meanings, Dawn of the Dead still stands as the The Godfather: Part II of horror sequels.

Aliens (1986)
directed by James Cameron
James Cameron took the Alien franchise in a new, exciting direction with this rousing sequel. While the first, Ridley Scott-directed movie was a haunted house set on a spaceship, the sequel amps up the action element considerably, with a larger scope and more pyrotechnics. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, the lone survivor from the first mission, who, in the interim 57 years, has been in a cryogenic sleep. When her ship is discovered, Ripley is brought up on serious criminal charges and, to regain her pilot’s license, must accompany a military team to the planet where the original crew discovered the alien. Will she, and the rest of the team, make it back alive, especially since the title is now plural? While The Terminator was Cameron’s breakthrough movie, Aliens solidified his reputation as an exciting, visceral moviemaker

Army of Darkness (1992)
directed by Sam Raimi
The third movie in the The Evil Dead trilogy starts exactly where the previous entry, Evil Dead II, left off—with lowly S-mart employee Ash (Bruce Campbell) teleported into a medieval world where goblins and witches actually exist. A live-action comic book come to life, Army of Darkness piles on the goofy humor more so than the previous movies, but also increases the number ghoulish nemeses for Ash to battle, including an evil doppelgänger of himself. It’s one of the most outrageously entertaining sequels ever made.

New Nightmare (1994)
directed by Wes Craven
Although New Nightmare is technically the seventh movie in the Freddy Krueger saga, it’s a much more rewarding viewing experience if you pretend this movie is the only follow-up to Wes Craven’s 1984 original thriller, A Nightmare on Elm Street. New Nightmare is an original, bold take on the horror sequel with Heather Langenkamp, star of the first Nightmare, playing herself this time around. Heather discovers she must take on the role of Nancy one last time to stop the evil, real-life spirit of Freddy Krueger from entering the world. The movie boasts supporting performances from cast and crew members of the original movie, all playing themselves: John Saxon, Robert Englund (playing both himself and Freddy), former New Line Cinema CEO Robert Shaye and even writer/director Craven himself, who, in the movie, is having recurring nightmares of the iconic slasher he gave life. New Nightmare is fascinating in that it deals with the concept that a cinematic creation can literally take on a life of its own. With its unique, self-reflexive approach, the movie breathed new life into the tired horror sequel.

28 Weeks Later (2007)
directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
This sequel to the 2002 sleeper hit 28 Days Later takes place six months after the original, in which the Rage virus swept through London, turning its victims into ravenous zombies. 28 Weeks Later follows a new group of characters, including Robert Carlyle, attempting to repopulate the city after the deadly outbreak. Of course, this being a zombie thriller, not everything goes according to plan. 28 Weeks Later amps up the intensity and action of the original, resulting in a raw, gritty sequel that stands on its own.

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