10 Horror Movie Franchises That Went Out With A Whimper
5. Basket Case
You know things are bad for a movie when its writer/director describes it as the biggest disappointment of his career, and when that writer/director is so upset by the end result that he doesn't helm another picture for a whole 17 years.
That problematic film would be Basket Case 3: The Progeny, and the person involved would be cult favourite Frank Henenlotter.
Now, it's not to say that Henenlotter's previous two Basket Case movies are all-time classics, but they were solid enough, introducing the world to Duane Bradley and his mischievous, murderous, conjoined-but-now-separated twin Belial.
Arriving in 1982 and 1990, Basket Case and Basket Case 2 had a sense of fun, an underbelly of sinister, plentiful inventive, gory kills, and had wider themes of acceptance and equality. With Basket Case 3: The Progeny, though, the threequel struggled to capture that fun, had several lame kills - though one excellent face-tear demise - had its gore stripped back due to studio insistence, and was all just a bit bland.
Even more frustrating for franchise fans, Basket Case 3 didn't give a glimpse of Belial until over 30 minutes in. Instead, the focus was on Granny Ruth and her vast collection of "unique" individuals, Belial's pregnant partner Eve, and ultimately the birth of 12 mini-Belials.
Henenlotter has since admitted he had no idea for a story when this third film was fast-tracked, and the final product was just a case of throwing everything at a wall and hoping something would stick.