10 Status Updates On Iconic Horror Movie Franchises
Exploring the present status of Leatherface, Freddy, Jason, Pinhead and plenty other horror icons.
Few corners of cinema lend themselves as much to franchise potential as the horror genre does.
To so many filmmakers, writers and actors, they're eagerly hoping that their next standalone horror picture will receive enough plaudits (and financial returns!) to be spun into an entire franchise all of its own.
You have to remember, films like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Child's Play and Saw were never purpose built to be the launching point of a multi-movie series - but clearly that has ultimately become the reality.
When a film gets a sequel, a threequel, whatever, it gives the chance for a world, a lore and a set of characters to be expanded on and have added depth brought to them.
Also, a franchise brings with it a built-in core fanbase who will forever champion each and every picture. For example, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday was a bit naff? No worries, those same fans will be chomping at the bit for Jason X.
There are so many great horror franchises out there, and that fandom means that a certain audience are always going to have a major interest in keeping up to date with any and all latest developments for these properties.
On that front, you're all covered here, as it's time for a status update on ten of the most beloved franchises in all of horror!
10. Final Destination
Last Film Entry: Final Destination 5 (2011)
What's Going On? One could be forgiven for thinking that the Final Destination franchise had gone full circle and had nothing else to offer. After all, 2011's Final Destination 5 ended up cheekily serving as a prequel affair whose final moments dovetailed into the opening scene of the airplane explosion of the 2000 film that started the series.
Here we are, though, ten years after that fifth picture, with a Final Destination 6 pegged for a release at some point in 2022.
A director has yet to be announced for this sixth movie, although Warner Bros. and New Line have currently got the Saw franchise's Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan working on a script for the film. Producer Craig Perry has suggested that Final Destination 6 will centre on a group of EMTs, police officers and firefighters who find themselves stalked by the Grim Reaper.
Initially described as a "reimagining" of the property, it's since been clarified that Final Destination 6 will exist within the same continuity as its five predecessors.