10 Horror Movie Sequels That Saved The Franchise

Sometimes all a bad franchise needs is a new director at the helm to revitalise its potential.

Yes, even a franchise so bad that its first instalment was already a disappointment.

Released in 2014, Ouija used the eponymous board game to anchor an unoriginal, scare-free story of some teens being hunted by a vengeful ghost. The film was a financial success, guaranteeing a sequel would be thrown together in short order, but the flat characters and over-reliance on jump scares left few horror fans excited for this second outing.

Despite an awful first film, the decision to hire horror wunderkind Mike Flanagan resulted in Ouija 2: Origin of Evil, a more mature and poignant sequel which proved a marked improvement on the original film. The Before I Wake director was no stranger to horror-fantasy mash-ups, and his moving story of a family torn apart by the titular cursed toy featured many creepy moments as well some strong central performances and great sixties period detail.

Was the ending still a little corny? Sure, but the film has Ouija in the title, so expectations should be set according-ly.