5 Franchises That Would Be Better With Other Studios

The Predator and Alien franchises have been favorites among fans for over 30 years. The early efforts clearly bought plenty of goodwill, as both franchises have produced a bounty of mediocre films since the late-80's.

1979's Alien was one of the most inventive pieces of horror and science-fiction to date, one that was arguably topped with the release of its' sequel in '86. Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, however, are not exactly apples in anyone's eyes. The prequel films Prometheus and Alien: Covenant have their redeeming qualities, but felt forced and contrived.

Predator has even less to brag about. The first was a classic and Arnold Schwarzenegger's turn as Dutch is still one of his career-defining roles, Governor of California included. Ever since its' inaugural outing, however, the franchise has seen little substance, with the forgettable 2010 Predators being the best installment in three decades.

Then there is the crossover films, Aliens vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. Let's just not, okay?

Both franchises seem to suffer from the same problem: gimmicks. There is a line between natural escalation of a property and lazy ploys. Having the extraterrestrials fight in an underground pyramid in the artic was never a decision based in creative integrity.

Both properties need a return to basics. The Alien and Predator franchises need to forget the Engineers and Super-Predators, respectively, and embrace the purity that made them great.

Perhaps no studio is better for this purpose than Blumhouse, which have produced some of the best modern horror films and thrillers, including Get Out, Upgrade, and this year's Halloween reboot.

The studio keeps tight budgets, usually no more than $10 million, which would be a good change for both Alien and Predator. The smaller scale would encourage a more simple project - an approach which has been best for the franchises in the past.