10 Worst Horror Prequels Ever Made

10. Red Dragon

Where to go next? Everybody loved The Silence of the Lambs, and we quite liked its sequel, but Hannibal wrote itself into a bit of a corner with the good doctor lopping off his hand and essentially retiring abroad (again). Thankfully, there was one book they hadn't adapted yet: Red Dragon.

Previously made as Manhunter with a different Doctor Lec(k)tor, Red Dragon is Silence of the Lambs-lite: all of the ingredients are there, but not of the finest quality. Lecter in a cage, serial killer on the loose, detective consulting. A miscast Ed Norton stars as Will Graham, on the case of a serial killer known as The Tooth Fairy. You know the story - we've seen it three times now.

In this case, director Brett Ratner finds himself unable to capture the lightning-in-a-bottle feel of The Silence of the Lambs, this prequel simply going through the motions to little purpose. Everyone looks as tired as they do old (much older than they did in Hannibal!) and poor Hopkins is terrible as Lecter, his screen time duly amped up to cater for audience demand. Were it the only adaptation of the story, Red Dragon would be serviceable enough. Unfortunately, it isn't, and it isn't.

Still, there'd be worse to come...