Posted by Matthew Byrd
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The Most Underrated Horror Movie Sequels
The world of horror sequels leaves the door wide open for new voices with something to prove.
By Matthew Byrd
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Published on October 31, 2025
I love horror movie sequels. Though rightfully maligned for their inherent cash-in status and the many, many lesser efforts those ATM withdraws resulted in, the worst horror movie sequels should not define the concept. Historically, horror sequels have been approved by studios who weren’t too concerned with the specifics so long as the movie was under budget, on time, and had a familiar name. The result is a legion of genuinely worthwhile projects made by young filmmakers out to make something of the biggest opportunity they’d likely ever get.
The names of the best horror movie sequels are as well known as their predecessor. Aliens, Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, and more are all rightfully considered genre classics. Even movies like Halloween 3, Hellraiser 2, and The Exorcist 3 have gotten more love in recent years. But beyond those films is another level of horror movie sequel. Some of these lesser known movies are just as good as the original. Some are even better. Others… well, they’re just too weird and wonderful to not know about.
Dracula’s Daughter (1936)
Following the success of Bride of Frankenstein, Universal Pictures decided to see how much juice that whole “horror movie sequel” idea had by greenlighting a sequel to 1931’s Dracula. History will tell you that Dracula’s Daughter proved to be a failure. It was plagued by production issues, ran over budget, got a lukewarm reception from critics and audiences, and was part of a variety of problems that led to Universal getting out of horror movie business entirely for a few years. What history won’t tell you is that Dracula’s Daughter is actually kind of incredible.
Though it was burdened by the strictly enforced production code censorship requirements of its era, Dracula’s Daughter could be considered the first major lesbian vampire movie and one of the earliest examples of erotic horror. Led by the incredible Gloria Holden, this movie looked at vampires as somewhat tragic victims rather than simple monsters. It doesn’t entirely hold up (few 90-year-old movies do), but it’s a notable early instance of a sequel going for broke by trying something entirely different.
The Brides of Dracula (1960)
Despite the success of 1958’s Horror of Dracula, Christopher Lee elected not to return as Dracula in Hammer Film Productions’ planned sequel. Fearing typecasting (a historically valid concern), he left the studio with nothing but some gorgeous gothic sets/costumes, Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, and director Terence Fisher’s gift for adventurous filmmaking. As it turned out, that’s really all they needed.
The Brides of Dracula features a new leading vampire (David Peel as Baron Meinster), but he doesn’t really try to replace Christopher Lee. Instead, the movie focuses on a clan of vampires (which includes the titular brides) who are slowly taking over a village. It’s a fine plot anchored by surprisingly good performances, but the star of this show is the movie’s dreamy, impeccable look. This is one of the most beautiful gothic horror films ever made. It’s a sequel defined by elaborate sets, vibrant colors, and, as Aretha Franklin once quipped about Taylor Swift, “Great gowns, beautiful gowns.”
Psycho 2 (1983)
Famously rational and notoriously chill film director Quentin Tarantino once argued that Psycho 2 is actually better than the 1960 original. It’s a mad hot take (we all go a little mad sometimes), but there’s a kernel of truth in it. Despite being arguably the least necessary sequel in the history of sequels, Psycho 2 may just be one of the best horror movie sequels ever.
Set 22 years after the events of the original movie, Psycho 2 sees Norman Bates return home following a lengthy stay at a mental hospital. Despite being rehabilitated, we soon learn that the locals are (perhaps understandably) hesitant to welcome Bates back with open arms. What follows is a surprisingly brilliant observation about the fallacies of our societal and cultural institutions (as well as one of Anthony Perkins’ best performances). Is rehabilitation possible if the world refuses to believe a person can change? Do we hold onto the sanctity of original stories so tightly that we sometimes deprive ourselves of worthwhile narratives only sequels to those stories can provide?
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
For years, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 was viewed as the undisputed oddity of the franchise. It earned that reputation via its bizarre body horror haunted house narrative that often feels closer to The Exorcist or Poltergeist than A Nightmare on Elm Street. In more recent years, it’s become better known for its themes of homosexuality and how they may have been related to then-closeted lead actor Mark Patton’s own sexuality (as told in the brilliant 2019 documentary Scream, Queen!).
In all that time, though, too few people have talked about how effective A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 is as its own thing. Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger has arguably never been scarier than he is in this story of a young man who is being mentally and physically haunted and taunted by an entity he cannot quite comprehend. Undeniably fascinating from a narrative and metatextual standpoint, this movie paved new paths for the films that followed. Though future sequels would follow some of those roads, others were tragically soon abandoned.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
While this movie has gotten a lot more love in recent years, it really must be said that this is arguably the best Friday the 13th movie and, given the eternally bizarre state of the franchise’s rights, likely as good as that series will ever get.
At its core, Jason Lives is a rather unlikely meta-horror film that touches upon both the history of the genre and the other movies in this series. While many of those references are simply parodies (such as a few side characters wearing headbands that read “Dead” moments before they are unsurprisingly murdered), others are far more substantial and clever. This film’s fog-blanketed graveyards are a welcome nod to the Universal horror movies of the ‘30s, while its characters are quick to remind us that the events of the previous movie not only happened but have left a mark on this town and its people. Strangely, this is also the only Friday the 13th movie that shows children at a children’s summer camp.
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)
Prom Night II opens with a young woman telling a priest that she has disobeyed her parents, taken the lord’s name in vain, engaged in sinful relations with boys, and loved every minute of it. She then carves her name and number into the confessional booth. In a better world, Mary Lou would have also carved her name into horror history in that moment.
Prom Night II is almost undeniably better than its largely forgettable predecessor. That alone makes it one of the great horror sequels, yet it still doesn’t convey just how great this movie often is. It’s a sleazy variation on the Nightmare on Elm Street formula that still delivers some compellingly surreal sequences despite its meager budget. More impressively, it also stars a surprisingly robust cast of characters navigating a shockingly compelling series of plot twists (including an abortion subplot that is actually handled with more humanity and maturity than what many dramas at the time offered).
Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)
The original Slumber Party Massacre sadly bears little resemblance to the feminist parody of the genre that screenwriter Rita Mae Brown (yes, that Rita Mae Brown) intended for it to be. Still, it’s a fun slasher that kicked off what proved to be a tragically rare example of an all-female-directed horror franchise. It also paved the way for one of the wildest, weirdest, and most overlooked horror movie sequels ever.
Slumber Party Massacre II trades what subtext remained in the original movie for a ‘50s greaser slasher villain who wields an electric guitar with a drill attached to it. That would normally be the strangest part of most lesser movies, but in Slumber Party Massacre II, that honor is reserved for either the numerous inexplicable dream/vision sequences or perhaps the totally necessary mid-movie musical number. This is one of the campiest and most fundamentally inexplicable horror movies of the ‘80s, sequels or otherwise.
Phantasm II (1988)
In the late ‘80s, Universal Pictures made director Don Coscarelli an unusual offer. They would give him the biggest production budget he’s ever had to develop a sequel to his cult classic horror movie Phantasm, but only if he cut out most of the surrealism, dream sequences, and many of the other things that made that movie so noteworthy in the first place. The result of that deal should have been a disaster.
Instead, Phantasm II is closer to an exceptional cover song (albeit one done by the original artist). What the movie loses in weirdness (which isn’t as much as you might think) it mostly makes up for with an emphasis on the kind of horror action we never really seem to get enough of. Indeed, this story of two people who embark upon a cross-country road trip to hunt what is essentially the boogeyman is almost certainly one of the biggest influences on the Supernatural TV series. It also features the most insane exploding house sequence that will likely ever be put on film.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Now that Halloween 3: Season of the Witch has been forgiven for its lack of Michael Myers and has rightfully been reclaimed as its own thing, it’s time to acknowledge that the Halloween movie that made such a big deal of bringing the slasher star back is, itself, also kind of brilliant.
Despite featuring the worst-looking Michael Myers mask in the franchise (it’s a genuinely embarrassing prop), pretty much everything else in this movie just works. Incredible opening shots of a Midwest town at dusk on the eve of Halloween give way to a story of a community that has been absolutely rocked by the events of the first two movies. As an advocate for the “defund the horror movie police” movement, I’m always shocked to watch this horror movie in which the police actually believe that the masked killer is back, because they bothered to remember what happened not long ago. Granted, they go on to do as much harm as good in this breakneck story that leads to one of the most shocking endings in a major horror movie, but all of that is really a testament to this sequel’s surprisingly subversive nature.
Maniac Cop 2 (1990)
I’ve found it to be understandably difficult to get anyone to watch a movie called Maniac Cop, much less its sequel. The basic pitch goes like this, though. The original Maniac Cop is actually a shockingly clever thriller written by one of horror’s greatest satirists, Larry Cohen. It sees cops reckon with the consequences of a world in which their actions have caused citizens to view them as killers rather than protectors. This sequel is less heady, but it also happens to be one the best action horror movies ever made.
There are sequences in Maniac Cop 2 that would make Fury Road blush. This movie is closer to being a showcase for stunt performers than a horror film, but you’ll have a hard time complaining when you’re watching a stuntwoman weave in and out of traffic while she’s handcuffed to the hood of a car. It’s one of those movies that will make you ask, “How does this possibly exist?”
When a Stranger Calls Back (1993)
The original When a Stranger Calls is really little more than the “Babysitter and the Man Upstairs” urban legend that is effectively covered in the movie’s opening 20 minutes. While this movie also features an opening based on a similar urban legend, what happens after that makes it a superior sequel.
When a Stranger Calls Back is a mystery thriller that deals with the ways we do (and often do not) deal with devastating events in our lives. Though the mystery elements in the middle of the film sometimes play closer to a Lifetime movie (well, a Lifetime movie with a ventriloquist-based plot point), it’s the fallout of the movie’s incredible opening that makes this made-for-television sequel so much more than the sum of its production parts.
Memento Mori (1999)
Memento Mori is technically the sequel to 1998’s Whispering Corridors, though the two movies are very different in nearly every respect but their setting (an all-girls high school in South Korea). Still, its sequel status is all the reason I need to talk about this absolutely incredible film.Mike Flannigan
Memento Mori is about two girls who fall in love at that school only for one of them to commit suicide when the relationship falls apart. Soon thereafter, other students are haunted by what certainly seems to be the supernatural spirit of the dead lover. That is, admittedly, an incredibly simplified summary of this nonlinear film that brilliantly portrays the terror of both forbidden love and learning more about the people we fall in love with.
Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
Yes, this is technically a prequel, though Ouija: Origin of Evil has to be one of the greatest examples of a pretty terrible movie getting a follow-up that outclasses it in every conceivable respect.
Directed by the great Mike Flanagan (whose later film Doctor Sleep is also one of the best horror sequels ever made), Origin of Evil follows a family of grifters who put on fake seances for a little extra cash. After introducing a new prop to the show, they are thrust into a nightmare scenario that forces them to confront the ghosts of the past. Yes, that means there’s a little “it’s about trauma” in there, but the movie’s real strength is its ability to use likeable characters and unnerving environments to setup surprising scares that are rarely true jump scares. To be very clear, you absolutely do not need to watch the original movie to appreciate this creepy atmospheric ghost story with immaculate ‘60s vibes.
Seoul Station (2016)
You probably know about Train to Busan: the 2016 zombie horror film that is widely considered one of the best South Korean horror movies ever made. What you may not know is that Train to Busan actually got an animated sequel (again, technically a prequel) that was released the same year. Believe it or not, Seoul Station is every bit as good as its far more famous live-action counterpart.
Seoul Station is a bit more sweeping in scope than Train to Busan as it covers the fate and lives of multiple characters across Seoul who navigate the early days of the zombie outbreak. It is a heartfelt and heart-pounding take on the zombie genre that focuses on those at the margins of society who find themselves caught up in the first wave of the chaos. Unless you are strictly opposed to animated movies, it’s a necessary watch for any Train to Busan fan.
Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)
The original Unfriended is a supernatural story about a group of friends who encounter a ghost while participating in a Skype conversation. It’s… fine. Best known for its screenlife presentation gimmick, it felt like more of a proof of concept than a complete film. Unfriended: Dark Web is much closer to that complete film.
Interestingly, Dark Web is not a supernatural story. This time around, the Skyping friends explore an abandoned MacBook that one of them found at a coffee shop that they soon learn is connected to the fabled “dark web.” What follows is actually a bit closer to Hostel than Paranormal Activity, as the friends are soon physically and digitally harassed by a nefarious hacker who wants their computer back. Though it’s certainly over-the-top in many places, the ways Dark Web addresses the real-life terrors of identity theft, cyber fraud, and even doxxing makes it the far more interesting example of this subgenre.[end-mark]
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