10 Horror Movie Franchises That Wasted Their Perfect Ending

One of the main points of Wes Craven's original Scream movie was that it poked fun at the tried and tired tropes of horror, and in particularly the slasher subgenre. As such, the film was loud 'n' proud of showcasing certain clichés as it winked along with its audience.

Of course, that 1996 picture wrapped up by revealing Sidney Prescott's boyfriend Billy Loomis and his best pal Stu as being the ones causing so much carnage in Woodsboro. Irked that Sid's mother had an affair with his dad which drove his own mom to leave, Billy sought twisted revenge and roped his buddy in for the ride.

For Scream 2, the now-in-college Prescott is once more tormented by Ghostface, with that sequel's big reveal having Billy's ma and impressionable film student Mickey positioned as its 'big bads'. Mrs. Loomis looking for some sort of skewed justice for her deceased boy? That makes sense and works well in culminating the Scream series as a two-entry offering.

By the time of Scream 3, it was a little too out there to have that film conclude with the revelation that the killer of the piece was Sidney's long lost half-brother who had masterminded the entire events of Scream and Scream 2. Similarly, it felt lacklustre that Sid's fame-hungry cousin was the main villain of Scream 4, and that irate fans of the in-universe Stab movies were behind the bloodshed of the latest Scream offering.