10 Movie Franchises That Never Got Better Than The First Film

7. Alien

The Franchise: When H.R. Giger designed his typically phallic creature for Alien he had no way of knowing where it would lead. Spawning a run of four films, the two Alien Vs. Predator flicks and a plethora of expanded material (even though they keep ending up disappointing, people get overly excited about a related video game), the xenomorphs have become one of the most iconic monsters in movie history. Described as a "perfect organism", they're found either individually stalking and picking off humans or hoarding groups of unprepared victims, depending on who's behind the camera. The series shifted a gear in 2012, when Ridley Scott returned with Prometheus, which probed the origins of xenomorphs and humanity, and now looks set to become its own offshoot. Why The First Was Best: The first Alien, produced before slashers rose to prominence, is less about jump scares and more about an overall sense of horror, which means even today it proves chilling. It's ironic that the sequel that most understood the original Alien was the one most distinct from it. Ridley Scott's original boasted a horrific sexual subtext and some incredibly grimy set design to create a unique horror experience. James Cameron's Aliens aside, which twisted the focus to make a war movie, all follow ons have gone for the generic monster in the shadows over any of the sensibilities that made the first film work.