10 Horror Movie Series Where the First Film Isn’t the Best

For true horror fans, there’s only one thing better than their favorite horror movie, and that’s when their favorite horror movie turns into a franchise. Endless entries with similar storylines, all portraying the same villain, indulging in some good old killing, and being creative when finding new ways to entertain. Needless to say, it’s one of the reasons why the genre is so popular and why studios keep having faith in it. Horror will never die.

But it’s never as ideal as it happens with the most notable franchises. Halloween, Psycho, and A Nightmare on Elm Street are great examples of one film spawning into a franchise, but it’s not always the case. Sometimes it takes more than just one try or two. Sometimes the franchise becomes a decent powerhouse of horror when, in sequels, new concepts are explored and the target is hit with the sharpness required. Those cases are not very common, but they exist.

Which brings us to the following list. A compilation of franchises where the film isn’t the best one and a sequel has more potential than the original film. We know it’s a pretty subjective approach, and there will be takes you won’t agree on, but that’s what’s beautiful about horror. Everyone gets their fix at some point, and everyone’s allowed to like anything or even be anything.

The following list may contain minor spoilers.

10 Evil Dead

Best Film in the Franchise: Army of Darkness (1992)

The Evil Dead franchise is Sam Raimi’s creation of comedy horror, slapstick humor, gore, and the wildest camera moves you can imagine. It always featured Ash Williams as the star of the show. Bruce Campbell’s portrayal is one of the best in horror history, and he always stayed in tone with the films’ themes of possession, with a pinch of zombie culture. While The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn are prime entries in the franchise, we can’t say they’re the best in the universe of deadites.

Army of Darkness, the third film in the franchise, is undoubtedly the most ambitious in the bunch and the best film of all. It took Ash to the Middle Ages by accident, where he had to fight the undead who ruled Earth at the time to return to the present. It’s still based on the franchise’s horror background, but the fantasy theme is added to the equation. The special effects and makeup are impressive and some of the best in horror. It’s curiously the lightest film in the Evil Dead franchise. You can rent Army of Darkness on Prime Video

Watch a trailer for Army of Darkness here.

9 Paranormal Activity

Best Film in the Franchise: Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Paranormal Activity is the most successful franchise in found footage horror, and part of that has to do with the fact that they’re really cheap to make, considering how much their peers cost. The films revolve around the possession of Katie Featherston (at least in the first four entries) by a demonic entity known as Tobi. Parts 1 and 2 are very good horror movies, constantly relying on jump scares and the usual tropes of found footage horror. But then the continuation managed to shake the rules a bit.

Infinitely superior to the previous films, Paranormal Activity 3 felt innovative in a franchise that’s not known for incorporating changes. Nevertheless, in part 3, there’s the fact of children entering the picture, making the victim much more vulnerable to Tobi. It’s actually a prequel, showing Katie and Kristi growing up in a house where spooky stuff starts happening. As it turns out, it all started when they were children, and the film has a conclusion that’s subtle in content but revealing enough to provide information in a franchise that up until now had been cryptic. The special effects in this one are impressive. You can stream Paranormal Activity 3 on Max.

Watch a trailer for Paranormal Activity 3 here.

Related: 15 Great Horror Slashers to Watch If You Love the Scream Franchise

8 Creepshow

Best Film in the Franchise: Creepshow 2 (1987)

The original Creepshow was directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, and it’s undeniably, a classic of the genre. The film is actually an anthology with stories that pay tribute to horror comics of the 1950s. It consists of five scary stories, that all have a hint of comedy in them in various levels. But five years after its release, it would be followed by a sequel that’s better in every way.

The 1987 sequel Creepshow 2 lowers its comedy element and goes heavy on the horror. All the stories are written by Romero and directed by Michael Gornick, and they all work. The first film contained They’re Creeping Up on You!, the one people call the best segment in the franchise, but in part 2, there’s The Raft.

Like the other two, The Raft is inspired by a story King wrote, and it tells the story of a group of dumb vacationers who go swimming in a lake where a glob-like creature lives, and it likes human flesh. It’s much better than a story about an old man being eaten by bugs, right? You can stream Creepshow 2 on Prime Video.

Watch a trailer for Creepshow 2 here.

7 Gremlins

Best Film in the Franchise: Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Gremlins, by Joe Dante, takes place in a world where mogwai creatures live. There are rules you have to consider when taking care of the mogwai: a) Don’t feed them after midnight; b) Don’t expose them to bright lights; and c) Don’t get them wet. The first film narrates the story of Billy Peltzer, a teenager whose father gives him a mogwai for Christmas, but he doesn’t follow the rules. The result is an infestation of mischievous creatures during Christmastime that will change how you feel about the holidays.

And then Gremlins 2: The New Batch was released. Dante’s follow-up is a wild shift from a movie that takes everyone to New York to a high-rise building where the gremlins wreak havoc. However, the stakes are raised in regards to everything.

The film goes meta at some point, with the gremlins interrupting the movie literally because they mess with the projector, it’s filled with cameos, and it completely shows the middle finger to the traditional side of the horror industry. There’s nothing like the film, and there probably never will be. You can rent Gremlins 2: The New Batch on Prime Video.

Watch a trailer for Gremlins 2: The New Batch here.

6 X

Best Film in the Franchise (So Far): Pearl (2022)

In Ti West’s X, a film crew is looking for their next location in 1970s Texas. They find the rural countryside could work, so they take their shenanigans to a farm that looks good. The thing is, their movies aren’t quite traditional. They shoot porn films, and their next shoot seems to go great on the farm where an elderly couple lives. However, this isn’t your typical naive couple of old people.

Pearl is the prequel to X that expands on the character revealed in the first film. Starring Mia Goth (who also plays the old lady and Maxine in X) in her very best role to date, at least in horror, Pearl isn’t the regular horror film where a girl goes nuts and starts killing people. There is a reason for her breakdown, and it’s well-rendered in a storyline about the abuse she’s subjected to and her shattered dreams of being a movie star. The consequences? A ruthless killer you’ll never forget. You can stream Pearl on fuboTV.

Watch a trailer for Pearl here.

5 Annabelle

Best Film in the Franchise: Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Annabelle is an offshoot of The Conjuring Universe that focuses on a very creepy doll that manages to be deadly and is never shown moving. The first film, simply called Annabelle, showed her as a gimmick that scared people out of their wits. Audiences were terrified, but it was mostly due to the fact that it’s supposedly based on a true case (the real Annabelle isn’t the porcelain doll but a Raggedy Ann doll that looks safe), like all cases reported by the Warrens.

Directed by horror movie connoisseur David F. Sandberg, Annabelle: Creation also takes the prequel route and builds a story that will further serve the first film of the franchise. However, Annabelle as a character is part of The Conjuring universe, and she had already been featured in other movies as a scare tactic and nothing else. Fortunately, Annabelle: Creation goes elsewhere with its story and features a compelling story with engaging characters, very well directed by a master of the craft. You can rent Annabelle: Creation on Apple TV.

Watch a trailer for Annabelle: Creation here.

4 V/H/S

Best Films in the Franchise: V/H/S/2 (2013) and V/H/S/94 (2021)

V/H/S is the found footage horror anthology that features stories mostly based on analog horror. The nature of the stories heavily varies, as it’s become one of the havens for new horror filmmakers trying to enter the industry. The V/H/S frequently features an arc story that revolves around someone finding the tapes, though that’s a feature that’s been changing with the progression of the latest films. If you’re a fan of found footage horror, this franchise is a must.

The first film is great, and it has two of the greatest segments ever. But V/H/S/2 and V/H/S/94 feature better executions of the concept altogether, with better written stories, better performances, and improved special effects. Part 2 contains the segment Safe Haven, directed by Timo Tjahjanto and Gareth Evans, which is often considered the best in the entire universe. V/H/S/94 includes segments like Terror, The Subject, and Storm Drain that are among the best found footage features ever made. You can stream V/H/S/94 on Shudder.

Watch a trailer for V/H/S/94 here.

3 The Conjuring

Best Film in the Franchise: The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring is one of the most successful franchises in modern horror. The main branch of the universe revolves around Lorraine and Ed Warren, the specialists in the paranormal who were supposedly the pioneers of fighting demonic threats, possessions, and more. The first film was their introduction, and it’s a very good film. But it was a more traditional ghost film released during a time when there weren’t many of those.

In The Conjuring 2, the Warrens head over to England, where they decide to assist the Hodgson family. The year is 1977, and the Hodgson family is experiencing a violent poltergeist entity in their house in Enfield. The case in question is known as the Enfield Poltergeist. The film features better performances, even by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, who reprise their roles of Lorraine and Ed Warren, and its cinematography helps by adding a claustrophobic element to the story that will chill your blood.

In the sea of scary films that is The Conjuring Universe, The Conjuring 2 should be easily placed in the top spot. You can rent The Conjuring 2 on Prime Video.

Watch a trailer for The Conjuring 2 here.

2 Child’s Play

Best Film in the Franchise: Child’s Play 2

Child’s Play, by Tom Holland, tells the story of Andy, a boy who wants to get a Good Guy doll for his birthday more than anything. His mother doesn’t have the time to purchase one, so he gets one from a bum in the street. At least, it looks OK on the box. What Andy and his mother don’t know is that the doll is possessed by the spirit of Charles Lee Ray, a serial killer who transported his soul to the doll before being killed and who will stop at nothing before reclaiming another human body.

Yes, we’re aware it’s the first Chucky movie. But hear us out. If you like Chucky as a vile character, a foul-mouthed doll with inexplicable force, then Child’s Play 2 has to be your thing. It just features more attitude by the doll and more violence, and it’s actually more pertinent to the TV series Chucky. In the sequel, Andy is put in foster care, but this doesn’t stop the killer doll from looking for him. Chucky’s resurrection scene is a masterpiece on its own. You can rent Child’s Play 2 on Prime Video.

Watch a trailer for Child’s Play 2 here.

Related: 8 Horror Franchises That Should Get Scream’s Reboot Treatment

1 Ouija

Best Film in the Franchise: Ouija: Origin of Evil

Ask yourself this: Do you remember the first Ouija film? The 2014 film by Stiles White was panned by critics because it wasn’t very well-written, and the performers were terrible. Almost nobody does, and it seems to have vanished from people’s memories because it wasn’t very good, it was anything but scary, and it almost buried what was potentially a franchise after its release. Luckily, horror visionary Mike Flanagan would come to the rescue.

Directed by one of the best modern horror directors, Ouija: Origin of Evil takes the possession route very early on, with stronger characters that we actually care for. It tells the story of the Zanders, a family of three led by their mother, who is a phony psychic. When Elizabeth decides they will add a Ouija board to the hoax, the smallest one, Doris, gets possessed. It also features performances by Flanagan’s regular actors: Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas, and Kate Siegel, among others. You can stream Ouija: Origin of Evil on Netflix.

Watch a trailer for Ouija: Origin of Evil here.

While we’re on the subject of horror franchises and sequels, here’s a video about some ’80s horror movies that could really use a remake: