10 Horror Movie Sequels That Killed Franchises
4. Poltergeist III
1982's Poltergeist remains one of the most iconic horror films of all time and made an absolute killing at the box office, ensuring sequel Poltergeist II: The Other Side was released in 1986.
The sequel received mostly negative reviews and underperformed at the box office, though it still turned enough of a profit for a third film to be produced in 1988. But the threequel was a depressing state of affairs all around, primarily due to the tragic death of young star Heather O'Rourke during post-production at the mere age of 12.
This left director Gary Sherman despondent about completing the film, which required a new ending to be shot, resulting in a very obvious body double being used for the late O'Rourke.
Poltergeist III was critically panned and a financial disaster, grossing just $14.1 million - barely 10% of the original Poltergeist and less than 20% of the second film's $75 million.
That was enough for everyone to call time on the IP, then, and while a remake was eventually produced in 2015, it simply failed to strike much of a chord with audiences, prompting MGM to put it back on ice.