10 Movie Franchises That Embarrassed Their Creators

3. The Hills Have Eyes

Wes Craven's 1977 horror classic The Hills Have Eyes was a critical and commercial hit, and the director was finally convinced to make a sequel in 1984 - the same year as Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street hit screens - because he desperately needed some cash.

Despite feeling that the story concluded within a single, self-contained movie, Craven quickly threw together the sequel for a fast turnaround, and to make matters worse, production was reportedly halted roughly two-thirds of the way through shooting due to limited funds.

Craven cut the film together as best possible, though ended up disowning it upon release.

He did return to produce the surprisingly decent 2006 Alexandre Aja remake, however, and also co-wrote the sequel to the remake released the very next year (to terrible reviews, admittedly).

Craven's legacy will always be best-defined by the Elm Street and Scream franchises, while The Hills Have Eyes endures as a messy curio that probably should've never been more than a standalone movie (and a remake, if you want to be generous), a fact Craven seemed plainly aware of.