10 Monster Movies No One Was Ready For

8. Prey

The law of diminishing returns almost always comes for film franchises that go on with multiple sequels. Of course, there are exceptions, but typically the more sequels that are released, the more the quality dips, and while it may take a while for it to kick in in some instances, for others it is more immediate.

Predator absolutely falls into the category of the latter. The original from 1987 is an instant classic, while Predator 2 was a huge letdown, as were Predators and The Predator in 2010 and 2018, respectively.

The franchise was clearly non-responsive, and when Prey was announced, there were almost inevitable groans. Was there any interest in another Predator disappointment? However, what Dan Trachtenberg created in 2022 was a refreshing burst of life, taking things back to basics in pitting the Yautja against its prey in a stripped-back natural environment not too dissimilar to the original.

Not only was Prey a surprise hit that nobody could have seen coming, it opened the door for Trachtenberg to follow up with two more outstanding efforts in Killer of Killers and Badlands. Hopefully there will be more of this to come, thanks to Prey's resurrection of a franchise from the ashes.