10 Incredible Follow-Ups To Iconic Movies (That Nobody Saw)

Just because you made one masterpiece, doesn't mean that people will watch the next one.

The Game Michael Douglas
Propaganda Films

The film industry is full of all manner of visionaries, auteurs and madmen who proudly stamp their names all over their work. These talented so-and-sos often find their names entering the public consciousness, leading to repeat business and enthusiasm from fans.

Directors often like to reuse the same actors too, adding a familial element to the films that's inviting on the surface. After all, certain tropes, tones and stylistic flourishes feel more cohesive when there's synchronicity within the creative team.

However, just because a director's previous film made mad bank at the box-office, that doesn't ensure that they are promised that same level of acclaim with whatever comes next. Big financial success often leads directors to indulge themselves in passion projects or films that are huge departures from the material that got their name out there in the first place, which can often turn audiences away.

The films featured here today are all worthy follow-ups to their iconic originals but for some reason or another, never managed to catch on. So let's look through archives and give these ten films the love and attention they so desperately deserve.

10. Blow Out

The Game Michael Douglas
Filmways Pictures

Brian De-Palma stormed into the eighties with the erotic, slice-and-dice thriller Dressed to Kill, a highly controversial but successful ode to Hitchcock. In spite of its overly explicit content, the film was well received by critics and made a handsome sum at the box-office.

De-Palma quickly followed it up with Blow Out, a high stakes, neo-noir, political thriller that sadly failed to find an audience upon release. Telling the story of sound-effects artist Jack Terry (Played by a top of his game John Travolta) who inadvertently captures the audio of a tire blow out that is part of an assassination attempt upon a presidential candidate.

Jack then rescues a high-class call girl from the man's car and is immediately accosted by secret service who tell him to forget what he saw. Not being the quitting type, Jack digs deeper into what transpired, only to find himself and anyone around him in the firing line.

Blow Out is undoubtedly one of De Palma's best works, standing tall alongside the likes of Sisters, Carrie and Phantom of the Paradise. The tension is slowly built-up over time, leading to a shocking climax that will make your blood run cold.

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Contributor

UK based screenwriter, actor and one-half of the always-irreverent Kino Inferno podcast. Purveyor of cult cinema, survival horror games and low-rent slasher films.