10 More Horror Movie Sequels That Had No Right To Be This Good
Those horror sequels that had us all fearing the worst, but that were a pleasant surprise.
Horror fans don't always go into a movie expecting the worst, but when it comes to sequels, there's so many examples of why caution and low expectations should be applied. While we may have been wowed by a prior entry in a franchise, there's been plenty of times when we've been left burned by an absolute turd of a follow-up. Here's looking at you Halloween Ends, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Candyman: Day of the Dead, and yes, definitely A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child...
Still, there have been some horror sequels that have been simply fantastic, and at times the quality of those pictures has come as a pleasant surprise. Whether it's down to a poor previous film, a change of personnel, a switch of tone, or simply having waited for a painful amount of time to arrive, certain sequels had us needlessly fearing the worst.
Having already covered 10 Horror Movie Sequels That Had No Right To Be This Good back in 2022, it's time to shine a spotlight on ten other stunning sequels that caught us all a little off-guard with just how great they were.
10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
There were so many things that could've caused The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 to be rejected by fans of Tobe Hooper's 1974 original movie.
Firstly, following up the iconic, industry-changing Texas Chain Saw Massacre was always going to be an uphill battle. After all, how can you ever match what was served up in that first film? Secondly, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was released a mammoth 12 years after its predecessor, which is quite the wait. And thirdly, Hooper boldly returned with a sequel that was vastly different tonally to what had come before.
Taking all of that into account, the odds were firmly stacked against TCM 2.
With this 1986 offering, Hooper served up something that was far more than 'just' gutterral horror. Instead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was laced with black comedy and a sense of playfulness in addition to its more terrifying moments.
As part of that playfulness, Leatherface and his pops Drayton are joined by a new family member in the form of Chop Top, played brilliantly by genre fave Bill Moseley. And on the other side of the coin, there's fresh protagonists in the shape of Dennis Hopper's Lt. Lefty Enright - the uncle of the original film's Sally and Franklin - and Caroline Williams' local radio DJ, Stretch.
It may have received a somewhat mixed response upon its initial release, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is nowadays viewed as a much loved classic.