10 Movie Franchises Saved From Extinction By Sequels

Unlike most slasher series, the Child’s Play franchise is notable for being written by one man from start to finish, despite wildly varying tones between its many instalments. As if that weren’t impressive enough (good for you, Don Mancini), the series is also one of the only franchises which has managed to salvage itself from jumping the shark not once, but twice in its seven-film run.

The first two flicks have pretty similar plots, following a killer doll and his unsuspecting owner whilst maintaining a dark, surprisingly serious tone (you know, given the context). The third instalment sticks to this formula, producing a movie notable for being briefly banned in Britain and precisely nothing else. Then the fourth, Bride of Chucky, won back the crowd with a hilariously meta take on the material, reinvigorating the series with a funnier, looser approach than its predecessors.

Then Seed of Chucky took this comedy too far, killing off the franchise until 2013’s Curse of Chucky returned to the serious, scary tone of the first films and once again won critical acclaim for making this transformative move, even if it was technically sort of a backwards step.