10 Horror Movie Sequels That Deserve A Second Chance

First impressions and rigid expectations can often lead to a movie being unfairly hated and written off, especially if it’s a sequel in a horror franchise. Far too frequently, certain audiences go into a film with a preconceived notion of what it should be, and if it doesn’t satisfy those demands, they’ll be irrevocably upset. Plus, if the film follows several prior installments, some people will dismiss it outright just because it comes so long after the series has presumably lost its edge.

In other words, it’s easier to chastise a movie for what it isn’t than to commend it for what it is, and that applies to the following ten scary sequels on this list.

Some of them were condemned because they didn’t match the greatness of their predecessors, whereas others either tried something boldly different (and understandably divisive) or merely arrived after audiences largely stopped caring about the franchise.

None of the picks on this list are flawless or even outstanding, and none of them are the best of their ilk. However, they’ve still been significantly underappreciated over the years and deserve a second chance to redeem themselves and garner the respect they should’ve always had.

The first two entries in the Alien saga became bona fide classics, whereas 1993’s Alien 3 was so mangled by studio interference that then-fledgling filmmaker David Fincher outright disowned it. That’s quite understandable given how much its bleak tone and offensive narrative choices also angered countless viewers.

Clearly, it was time for another stylistic revision, and for better and worse, 1997’s Alien: Resurrection was the palette cleanser cinemagoers received. In hindsight – and legitimate issues notwithstanding – the fourth Alien film should at least be applauded for being so brazenly and relentlessly strange and entertaining.

It’s directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children) and penned by the admittedly problematic Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Avengers), and both the former’s eccentricities and the latter’s quippy dialogue permeate the journey.

Therefore, Alien: Resurrection has an alluringly idiosyncratic essence that’s delightfully bewildering.

Part of that appeal is due to how badass heroine Ellen Ripley returns - well, Ripley 8, that is - and subsequently behaves, with curious turns from Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Brad Dourif, and various other performers enhancing what’s undeniably a one-of-a-kind ensemble cast.

By the end, Alien: Resurrection goes entirely off the rails, and while it doesn’t always succeed, it’s a routinely fascinating experiment.