20 Great Movie Franchises That Became Unwatchable

It can be truly said without hyperbole that Freddy Krueger may be one of the most instantly recognisable film characters ever. The scarred face, the bladed glove, the attitude, and even the jumper have made the villain famous.

While the idea of haunting children in their dreams is a terrifying one, it was Freddy (Robert Englund) who carried the original film in 1984. Without him or his cheesy one-liners, there would have been no franchise to speak of. However, this is something of a double-edged sword, because if all a franchise has is that one character, no matter how popular they are, it's going to wear thin eventually.

This undoubtedly happened with Freddy. Of course, Wes Craven leaving the franchise after the original didn't help, but even when he returned for Wes Craven's New Nightmare in 1994, the damage was done, and the writing was on the wall for both the character and the franchise.

An incredibly underwhelming crossover with Friday the 13th's Jason was soon followed by a 2010 remake that changed Freddy, changed the story, and was received so badly that it killed the franchise dead. Maybe 15 years is long enough to wait for another attempt, but the campy '80s feel was integral to making it so good, and without that, it feels like any more Nightmares that may come will fall flat.