Movie sequels in the horror world often don’t live up to the original: Jeepers Creepers 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legends: Final Cut. You get the point. But what really makes a sequel great or even good? I’ll tell you. It’s the story that follows the original.
As fans, we want to know the backstory of how or why everything happened. Also, great sequels have great storylines that continue into the next film. These 13 horror movie sequels are my top list that I feel have given us horror fans what we needed. Most of the movies listed below have gone on to carry a huge fan following and led to subsequent sequels throughout the years.
1. Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981)
After a camp counselor beheaded Mrs. Voorhees in the first film, we needed more of these movies to be made. But how could you make another film without Mrs. Voorhees? Friday The 13th Part 2 gave us what we still love to this very day, Jason Voorhees. One year after Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) took revenge on all the camp counselors at Camp Crystal Lake for letting her son Jason drown, he returns to finish her work. Even though Jason doesn’t get his famous mask till part three we know that Jason lived. Friday The 13th Part 2 made $21.7 million with a filming budget of $1.25 million. Not bad, I must say.
2. Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Camper (1988)
As great as the first Sleepaway Camp was you can’t help but love part two. Pamela Springsteen now playing the psychotic transsexual Angela, heads back to summer camp, this time as a camp counselor where nobody knows what she has done. All she wants is happy campers but soon realizes there’s no hope for these sex-crazed misbehaving campers, so she begins to kill them all off. This movie is everything you want in an ‘80s horror film. The budget for this was $465,000.
3. Final Destination 2 (2003)
Death always gets what it wants and will stop at nothing. Final Destination 2 takes us on a whole new road when it comes to death. The death toll in this movie is great. Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) comes back to try and beat death one more time after all her high school friends were killed, but little does she and the other victims know that it’s only the beginning for them. Final Destination 2 had a budget of $26 million and made $90,426,405.
4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
It’s been 13 years since Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns RIP) and her friends were attacked by Leatherface. Things have been quiet, but when two rowdy high school kids awaken the evil from within, there will be no stopping him this time. Fans from around the world were happy to learn that there was going to be a part two. The budget to make this film was $4.7 million and grossed $8 million in the U.S. Keep in mind, this was the ‘80s. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre gained a huge cult following after this film. Even to this day.
5. The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
The movie follows Rachel Lang, Carrie White’s half-sister who, like Carrie, is the outcast at her high school. Rachel’s best friend commits suicide after being used for sex by a football player at school. Rachel seeks answers, but things don’t go her way. Rachel finds herself at her high school party where the popular kids play a very mean game on her. Little do they know that she has the power to make them pay for what they did. Yes, this movie was a disappointment in ticket sales; grossing $17.8 million with a $21 million budget. Sometimes it isn’t about the money. It’s about the writing and the art behind the movie that makes it great.
6. Scream 2 (1997)
When Scream premiered in 1996 the horror genre was forever changed. There weren’t many horror movies being made at the time. In other words: horror was dead. Scream made $173 million worldwide and become the highest-grossing slasher film in the U.S. Writer Kevin Williamson knew what he had on his hands and started writing Scream 2.
Scream 2 gave us everything we wanted to see and more: great cast, hot college guys and girls, drinking and of course—Ghostface. The twist of this movie was outstanding that no one at the time saw coming. And please let’s not forget the amazing death scene from Cici Cooper (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Don’t forget to set the alarm. Scream 2 had a budget of $24 million and made $172.3 million at the box office, paving the way for Scream 3 & 4.
7. When A Stranger Calls Back (1993)
Having been in a very similar situation years before, Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) is back to help a young college student who’s going through the same thing. Jill once again must come to face a killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Kane makes this movie. It’s everything we fear when we’re alone. The movie premiered on Showtime.
8. The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
God bless our New Founding Fathers of America for yet another great sequel. The Purge movies sure have made a name for themselves in Hollywood. This is a very thought out and well written movie by James DeMonaco. I love this movie because it’s set in my city—Los Angeles. One night a year for 12 hours from 7:00 p.m., to 7:00 a.m., all crime is legal.
This movie puts you in the hot seat with a crazy amount of killings and the fight to survive the night. With a working budget of only $11 million it went on to make over $111.9 million in the box office. Watching these movies we always think…what if? And now with The Purge 3: Election Year and Trump running for office, you just never know what could really happen. It’s your vote, America.
9. Halloween 2 (1981)
Picking up right where the first Halloween ended on October 31, 1978 Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is still left to fight Michael Myers who, we learn in this movie, is her brother. Yeah, crazy. Once Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) finds out that Laurie and Michael are brother and sister he rushes to her side once again to save her. Halloween 2 made $25.5 million with a budget of $2.5 million.
10. Saw 2 (2005)
What do we as fans love about all the Saw movies? Well of course it’s the way Jigsaw kills, or doesn’t kill for that matter. The man behind the doll. We love his games and his creative mind. When eight people wake up from something they can’t remember and are now trapped in a house, they have to work together to find their way out, or kill each other trying. This movie only had a budget of $4 million and made over $147.7 million in the box office. It’s no wonder why they keep making the Saw movies.
11. Hostel: Part 2 (2007)
Face it, after watching this movie, every time you walked by a hostel you had a flashback to this movie and said, fuck that, and kept walking. Hostel 2 made us scared to go anywhere outside of our comfort zone. You’ll think twice before backpacking with friends. Eli Roth did a great job giving us what we wanted. The bloodbath scene in this film shows us the sick and twisted ways others think and what they might want to do to us. The budget for this film was $10.2 million and made $35.6 million in box office.
12. Child’s Play 2 (1990)
We all wanted a Good Guy doll in the ‘90s. It was the thing to have. It may be a doll that kills and wants to take over a little boy’s body but we don’t care. We’re willing to look past that. It’s Chucky! And Chucky is back two years after trying to take over Andy’s (Alex Vincent) body. I’ve seen this movie well over 300 times and still love everything about it. The storyline, cast, acting and who could forget the awesome murders and Chucky’s humor. This movie was no let down to horror fans bringing in $32.7-$35.7 million with a film budget of $13 million. Child’s Play 2 opened at number one.
13. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (1988)
The puzzle box that opens the doors to hell is back, this time Pinhead isn’t alone; he brought a few new friends from Hell to play with him. After Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) is sent to a mental hospital she must find a way to save her dead father from Hell after he reached out to her from the other side. Hellraiser is one of those movies that a lot of people still can’t watch. His face and the words he speaks are that of true evil and terror. This movie is filled with some of the bloodiest, goriest death scenes I’ve seen. The film brought in $12,090,735 in box office sales. 
