10 Horror Sequels That Are Actually Worth Watching

Another bold genre switch up, Gremlins 2 shaved away the darkest edges of its predecessor (while retaining just enough scare to still be horror), amped up the comedy elements and transplanted the action from the small town to the big city.

Billy (Zach Galligan) and Gizmo are reunited at Billy’s new corporate job, many years after the events of the first film, and it should go without saying that things kick off pretty much immediately. Once the evil mogwai spawn, they run rampant around the high-tech building where Billy works, getting into Christopher Lee’s laboratory and bumping themselves up, down and across the evolutionary ladder, producing gremlins with brains, wings, spider legs, some made from vegetables and electricity, and even a lady one.

Given a Gremlins sequel basically had to retread the same territory (gremlin gets wet, exposed to light, eat after midnight; chaos ensues), Joe Dante correctly recognised that the only way to keep things fresh was to change the environment around them, going big or going home. Needless to say, this strategy paid off, with the film bouncing from scene to scene with glee, dishing up hilarious comedy sequences, bombastic set-pieces, a whole host of fun cameos, and even a musical number.

Now let’s hope they get that threequel going before Gizmo’s too old to star in it.