Top 5 Horror Movie Franchises

As is the case with many people, I don’t do very well with horror. It isn’t that I don’t like horror films, I just scare a little too easily. Unfortunately for me, I also happen to be a huge fan of the genre — some of my favourite movies are the ones that explore the darker side of the human condition. So whenever I see a horror flick I’m interested in, I tell myself to “suck it up; it’ll be worth it.” And most of the time? It is.

Over the years, I’ve seen many a scary film, a lot of which have been sequels to already-beloved films. It’s difficult, I think, to make any kind of lasting impression in the world of horror, especially in this day and age where they’re being churned out faster than ever and horror stories are having to get increasingly creative. It’s even harder to build the kind of foundation that can support multiple installments and keep a good level of quality, but that feat definitely isn’t unheard of. The following is a list of five horror franchises that have done just that:

5. Scream

Back in 1996, the first Scream film wowed audiences with its solid scares and all-encompassing sarcasm akin to Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, where Freddy Krueger terrorizes the “real” cast of a fictional A Nightmare on Elm Street sequel. The idea of sardonically analyzing horror movie clichés as they unfolded, mocking familiar tropes and creating a new kind of meta-horror, is what managed to revitalize the genre in a new way after a wave of 80s slasher flicks had saturated the market. Three sequels and an MTV series later, the cultural noise Scream made at its moment of impact may have faded, but there is no denying its legacy.

4. Halloween

I believe the first Halloween film is John Carpenter’s masterpiece. It created the “unstoppable, voiceless killer” trope that would go on to inspire a long line of slasher films, while also delivering a great horror movie and one of the eeriest film scores of all time. Its sequels expanded the story and universe around Michael Myers, the unstoppable, voiceless killer in question, but confusing, forcefully-elaborate plotlines led to unfortunate dips in quality as the years went on. With another sequel currently in the works with Carpenter consulting and scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her starring role, it seems the Halloween franchise intends to keep going — only time will tell whether this was a good idea, or if it’s better to just let sleeping dogs lie.

3. The Conjuring

While the Conjuring series is relatively young compared to the rest of the list — the first film was released just four years ago — the creepy Annabelle doll should be a testament to its already-apparent staying power. Horror aficionado James Wan was in the director’s chair for the two main films focusing on some of Ed and Lorraine Warren’s most terrifying cases. While he didn’t do anything new with the genre, his success is all in the execution; good sound design, tight cinematography, and solid performances are what keep audiences coming back. With two spin-offs already out and even more to come, along with Wan confirming a third main film in development, it doesn’t seem like this budding franchise is anywhere near done.

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven and Robert Englund created a decidedly different slasher movie villain with Freddy Krueger and the A Nightmare on Elm Street films. Freddy, with his supernatural dream-invading powers and metal-clawed brown leather glove, was exploring uncharted territory early on. The franchise eventually injected a dose of humour into the original film’s later sequels, which was met with mixed results. Some fans and critics liked the added laughs and camp, but others thought it got in the way of the story a little too much. Despite that, the Elm Street series did well in the box office and created a very memorable, unsettling character, which is no small task.

1. Friday the 13th

Who doesn’t recognize Jason Voorhees? He’s the best example of a simple, effective movie monster design; his ubiquitous machete/hockey mask combo terrified an entire generation. With dozens of products under his belt, including spinoffs, reboots, crossovers, novels, video games, and a whopping nine main film entries, this crazed serial killer has carved his way into the hearts and minds of millions of moviegoers over the years, almost single-handedly carrying the slasher genre on his shoulders. As with most older film franchises, its best moments may be long past, but the fact that people are still buying fake machetes and vintage hockey masks on Halloween speaks volumes about Friday the 13th and the mark it’s left on the horror world.

Many of these franchises are marred with sub-par sequels, cancelled reboots and troubled modern productions, but their significance on the genre cannot be overstated. And if the past few years are any indication, the horror movie genre is still in good hands. There are still many filmmakers in the industry who are willing to create spectacular scares that linger in audiences’ mind. The fact that this past year has been the most successful in horror movie history is absolute proof of that. So I have no doubt that I’ll be back in the theatre sometime soon, reluctantly and excitedly going back to revisit some of my favourite horror franchises.

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