This weekend, the sequel to the hit 2021 horror film The Black Phone debuts in theaters, and critics are already calling it a fantastic expansion on the first film.
Horror films often end up producing giant franchises, like Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween. Of course, more sequels don’t necessarily mean they are better, and oftentimes, it doesn’t. But sometimes, magic strikes twice — occasionally, the sequel even surpasses the original.
In honor of The Black Phone 2, the Watch With Us team ranked the best horror film sequels of all time. Read on to see if your fave made the cut.
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5. ‘Ouija: Origin of Evil’ (2016)
Writer/director Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass) took the halfhearted starting point established by 2014’s middling Ouija and turned it into an emotional horror shocker that delivers scares that will keep you up at night. Ouija: Origin of Evil is an instance in which the second film (a prequel, in this case) handily over takes the original film, becoming far more than just a jump scare delivery machine but an affecting story with fleshed-out characters in addition to absolutely spine-chilling visuals and atmospheric horror.
Set almost fifty years before the events of Ouija, Ouija: Origin of Evil centers on single mother and widow Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser) and her two daughters: teenager Lina (Annalise Basso) and her younger sister Doris (Lulu Wilson), who together run a phony seance business. However, when the family decides to add an Ouija board into their routine, it invites a malevolent spirit that possesses Doris. Alice and Lina must confront the evil and send it back where it came from to save Doris.
4. ‘The Exorcist III’ (1990)
The Exorcist’s screenwriter and author of the original novel, William Peter Blatty, writes and directs this ambitious threequel that is technically a continuation of The Exorcist story. However, it was intended to be a fully standalone adaptation of Blatty’s sequel novel Legion, only loosely connected to The Exorcist by one character. While critics have remained mixed in their opinion, The Exorcist III has developed a passionate cult following online for its mesmerizing imagery, fantastic performances and unique vision.
Centered on The Exorcist’s detective character, Lieutenant William F. Kinderman (George C. Scott here, played by Lee J. Cobb in the original), Kinderman finds himself investigating a series of demonic murders in Georgetown that seem to bear hallmarks of the Gemini serial killer (Brad Dourif) — the only problem is, the Gemini killer has been dead for 15 years. Kinderman meets a mental patient who claims to be the dead killer yet bears a striking resemblance to also-deceased Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller). As bodies pile up, Kinderman searches for the crucial link between the two men.
3. ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’ (1982)
In the 1980s, Halloween director John Carpenter and producer Debra Hill felt that the franchise could be reimagined as an anthology series, with a different story and setting for each new film. They tried kicking it off with Halloween III: a non-slasher about a madman who wants to enact mass murder with the help of Halloween masks and TV commercials. Ultimately, Halloween III failed at the box office, but it’s developed a cult following and critical reappraisal as a successful, original standalone horror film with a distinct tone and a hilarious lead performance from Tom Atkins.
A hospital emergency room doctor (Atkins) and the daughter of a man who was mysteriously killed (Stacey Nelkin) together discover a plot to kill children through a Celtic ritual. Small-town mask maker Conal Cochran (Dan O’Herlihy) seems to run an innocuous costume factory, but is really utilizing his masks and a catchy television commercial to kill millions of kids on Halloween night. Can Cochran be stopped before his wide-reaching death machine enacts his evil plans?
2. ‘Evil Dead II’ (1987)
While The Evil Dead is certainly a deliriously gory splatter film, the low-budget B-movie charm has turned it into a camp classic. The second film leans all the way into that gonzo tone while amping up the comedy aspects, in a film that is less a direct sequel than a reimagining of the first film due to the requests of producer Dino De Laurentiis. With super kinetic camerawork, imaginative special effects and Bruce Campbell’s career-defining “chainsaw arm” moment, some believe The Evil Dead II outshines its iconic predecessor.
Ash Williams (Campbell) vacations with his girlfriend at a remote cabin in the woods, where he discovers an audio tape that holds recitations from the Necronomicon. Ash plays the recording and unknowingly unleashes malicious demons that arrive to torment the two young people. Ash’s girlfriend, Linda (Denise Bixler), becomes possessed by one of the demons, turning her into a deadite. Ash manages to kill her — or so he believes. In reality, Ash is in for a long night that’s only just beginning.
1. ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’ (1986)
Like The Evil Dead II, the sequel to the seminal slasher flick turns up the camp and humor for its story continuation that brings Leatherface back to the big screen along with more members of his wicked clan, like Chop-Top (Bill Moseley) and The Cook (Jim Siedow). Another film that initially debuted to mixed reactions, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 developed a strong cult following. Hilarious, goofy, gory and totally its own thing, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is a wildly revolting and absurd piece of pure manic horror entertainment.
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A disc jockey named Vanita Brock (Caroline Williams) is targeted and abducted by the psychopathic killer, Leatherface, who takes her to his horrific lair where the rest of his cannibalistic family resides. Meanwhile, lawman Lt. Boude “Lefty” Enright (Dennis Hopper) is tasked with hunting Leatherface down and saving Vanita, and he bears a familial connection to two of Leatherface’s previous victims. But both of them will have to battle with a gaggle of psychopathic characters if they’re going to get out alive.
