10 Hit Horror Movies That DIDN'T Get Sequels

John Carpenter's Lovecraftian cosmic horror is so sequel-worthy that the fact that it has no sequel barely seems possible. There is a follow-up, but it actually ended up being a prequel.

On an isolated research lab in the Antarctic, Kurt Russell and a group of other scientists are under siege from a shape-shifting alien that assimilates and imitates other organisms. What follows is an hour and a half of paranoia, mistrust, and outrageously gory body-horror special effects.

It's perfect franchise material because not only does the film end on a massive cliffhanger where even we viewers don't know who is human or Thing, but the shape-shifting nature of the alien means that it can look like anyone or any-Thing. It's a gift for filmmakers because it gives them license to tell any sort of story they like, and then fill it with whatever fantastically gruesome special effects they can imagine.

And just think of the scope that could be covered in a franchise. How many of these Things have already infiltrated our society? In sequels do we find out that the Things have covertly taken over the upper echelons of society like in They Live? Can we trust any Antarctic dogs??

Despite making a $4.6 million box office profit, initial critical response was negative, perhaps explaining its lack of sequel. Such a shame considering it is nowadays rightfully regarded as a horror classic.