The sequel (and its bastard cousin, the remake) is as much a part of horror movie culture as gore, gratuitous nudity, or fog machines. This makes good financial sense, given the built-in audience and marketing schemes and the fact that no genre is more conducive to low-budget production. During the Universal Studios horror heyday of the 1930s and '40s studios would routinely reuse sets, costumes, and actors to churn out inexpensive follow-ups. (A classic example of the studios' genre efficiency: when Dracula was being filmed in 1931, another crew would come in at night to work on the Spanish-language version, which many claim is superior to the Tod Browning classic.)
With the success of "mainstream" horror films in the late 1960s and '70s, even the sequels started to get a bit bloated. The ultimate example of this is Exorcist II: The Heretic, which holds the dubious honor of being the Golden Turkey runner-up for Worst Movie of All Time (behind Ed Wood's Plan Nine from Outer Space). Sequels to The Omen and The Amityville Horror turned out almost as bad. Everyone learned a valuable lesson: Godfather II notwithstanding, sequels to "arty" genre pictures are rarely a good idea. (This principle is reinforced by The Ring 2, which hurts just to think about.)
Then came the VHS (and now the DVD) era, and all hell broke loose. Once you cut out expenditures like advertising and distributing a film, the sky's the limit. For example, did you know that the Hellraiser franchise is already up to eight films? Yep, Hellraiser VIII: Hellworld came out in 2005. Boggles the mind. Some horror "franchises" have taken the practice to utterly ridiculous extremes (the Leprechaun movies, for example, have ventured into space and into tha 'hood...twice), while others have settled into a decent groove (The Alien and Evil Dead series come to mind). And then, of course, you have the all-time champ, Friday the 13th, which currently stands at eleven incarnations. In fact, can you name a character other than James Bond who has appeared more feature films than Jason Voorhees?
These days sequels are once again a mid-major, theatrical release affair. Scream, Resident Evil, The Hills Have Eyes, etc.; rumor has it that Saw parts V and VI are going to be filmed simultaneously. And while most of these films really are stinking piles of camel excrement, there's always a few gleaming jewels hidden amidst the offal. Just consider the following...
Fright Night Part II (1988, Tommy Lee Wallace)
German trailer (Das wampiren en rollerskatten!!)
Roddy MacDowell returns in this highly entertaining sequel. In addition to Eurotrashy dancing vampires on rollerskates, the film inexplicably features the amazing John Gries as a werewolf.
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995, Bill Condon)
Trailer
Relocated from the Chicago projects to the slums of New Orleans, Candyman redresses the evils of slavery by killing folklore professors and anyone dumb enough to gaze into a mirror and repeat his name.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988, Tony Randel)
Trailer
A spooky mute girl who's good at puzzles plays with the one puzzle you shouldn't play with. Hell-related nastiness ensues. Everyone says the words "hell" and "suffering" a lot. Also, there are lots of chains and meathooks and stuff.
Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later (1998, Steve Miner)
Trailer
Jamie Lee Curtis returns to finish the job on Michael Myers. Unfortunately so do sexy twentysomethings Josh Hartnett and Michelle Williams, but it's all good fun nonetheless. Rule number one in all genre films? Thou shalt not kill LL Cool J.
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972, Robert Fuest)
Trailer
The revenge-obsessed Dr. Phibes returns. This time, he attacks his victims with eagles and giant sausage grinders! Seriously, Vincent Price is just the man. He's even awesome on The Muppet Show.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984, Joseph Zito)
Trailer
Corey Feldman versus Jason! With Crispin Glover in a small role. Need I say more?
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987, Chuck Russell)
Trailer
A bunch of teens with similar "sleep disorders" (including a then-unknown Patricia Arquette) are locked in the loony bin, where Freddy Krueger starts bumping them off in spite of their deliciously lame "dream powers."
Bride of Re-Animator (1990, Brian Yuzna)
Trailer
"Date. Mate. Re-animate." What do you not do after barely surviving a zombie rampage caused by your bring-back-the-dead serum? Use the serum to bring back your dead girlfriend! Ah the folly of young lovers.
Quatermass 2 (1957, Val Guest)
Trailer, "episode 3" (The Brits cut up the film for TV presentations.)
Alien-made meteorites spread horrible space acne in this second installment of the Quatermass trilogy. Though little-known stateside, these films were (and still are) quite popular in their native UK.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986, Tobe Hooper)
Trailer
In addition to being utterly sick and oddly hilarious, this one co-stars Dennis Hopper.
Phantasm II (1988, Don Coscarelli)
Trailer
Angus Scrimm returns as the evil "tall man" in Coscarelli's sequel to/remake of his left-field horror classic. Flying silver death balls, druid midgets, and lots of spooky mausoleums are back as well.
28 Weeks Later (2007, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo)
Trailer
This film had no business being as good as it is. In fact, when it comes to ratcheting up the tension, 28 Weeks blows its predecessor out of the Thames. More of the same, but with fewer opportunities to catch your breath.
Aliens (1986, James Cameron)
Trailer
Directors usually choose between the spooky and the exciting, but Cameron's epic sci-fi/horror masterpiece has it both ways. The chilling tone of the original dominates the first half, only to give way to an explosive third act that's far superior even to the director's Terminator films.
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987, Sam Raimi)
Trailer
Vastly superior to its (deservedly) beloved predecessor, Evil Dead 2 provided the geek world with some of its most enduring catchphrases, from "swallow this" to the immortal "Groovy." Raimi and star Bruce Campbell would go on to greater fame, but neither has topped the sheer energy, inventiveness, and humor of their second collaboration.
Bride of Frankenstein (1935, James Whale)
Trailer
There is no question that many of the other Universal monster sequels (especially Son of Frankenstein and Dracula's Daughter) deserve to make this list. But there are two problems: 1. there were a lot of them (including three sequels to The Mummy in just four years and a bunch of Abbot and Costello Meet... flicks); and 2. I would then have felt obligated to get into the Hammer Dracula films as well. So this was a can of worms decision. That being said, James Whale topped his original Frankenstein in every way with this offbeat, almost campy sequel, a film that consistently rewards repeat viewings. It is the crowning jewel of the great Universal horror pictures.
Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero)
Trailer
Eviscerating political allegory, screaming terror, chilling gallows humor. Sounds like a George Romero film all right. The inventor of the contemporary zombie made his most enduring statement with Dawn of the Dead, a thinly veiled skewering of American racial politics and rampant consumerism that doubles as one of the most unsettling horror films ever made.
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