10 Awesome Horror Movies With Disappointing Sequels

Granted, The Exorcist III (1990) has had a reappraisal in recent years, especially with the Blu-ray release of the extended cut which restored director and The Exorcist writer William Peter Blatty’s vision as much as possible. And like many effective horror sequels, it ignores the events of the far inferior Exorcist II: The Heretic, whose reputation as one of the worst movies ever made is as justified now as it was in 1977.

Still, even if the third movie ditched the second’s incomprehensible ridiculousness for a methodical slow-burn approach, it’s unlikely to ever be placed alongside the original as one of the greatest scariest movies ever made.

There will never be another movie like The Exorcist, which terrified unsuspecting audiences so much that there were reports of vomiting, fainting and even heart attacks at screenings, much of which is disputed. But what is rarely disputed is the film’s lasting power to horrify, with its depiction of 12-year-old Regan’s (Linda Blair) demonic possession and the efforts of two priests to expel the entity from her.

There is imagery and dialogue that is burned into the minds of traumatised moviegoers the world over, and no sequel, prequel, or pre-prequel since has had quite the same effect.