Halloween, Scream, Alien, Conjuring— successful horror movies are prone to andeven notorious for spawning franchises. While some tend to go on for far too long, exhausting the topic and stretching the narrative, other remarkable standalone movies, while perfectly set up for a sequel or a spin-off, never get a chance to expand their story and reach their full potential.
Be it popular slashers, supernatural flicks, or monster films, franchises are common in the horror genre, with studios taking full advantage of the original installment’s success. However, sometimes their logic for choosing which movie gets to carry on can be elusive, and some hit films end up as standalone masterpieces, even if they end on a promising cliffhanger or feature exciting characters that fans long to see more of. Here are the top 5 horror movies that never got a franchise but certainly should have.
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Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Considered one of Sam Raimi’s best movies,Drag Me to Hellfollows the story of a loan officer, Christine (Alison Lohman), who refuses a loan to an old woman and gets cursed, facing a cheerful prospect of being sent to hell in three days. Unlike the typical horror happy ending where the protagonist discovers the truth behind the mystery and manages to escape the grim fate at the very last moment,Drag Me to Hellbrutally does the opposite — it actually drags the character to hell, just as promised.
The ending certainly leaves room for continuation. Christine’s partner, Clay (Justin Long), is still very much around, and his attempt to rescue her from eternal damnation, all the while trying to break the curse that she inadvertently passed on to him, can easily make up part 2. So the fans are somewhat puzzled with the absence of a sequel or afull-blown franchise, the likes ofEvil Dead. Surprisingly, Raimi is the one against the idea. The director believes that the movie had a perfect ending, and any sequel would spoil the intended shocking effect. But perhaps, it’s just the matter of the right script getting into his hands.
The Babadook (2014)
This excellent Australian psychological horror and a critically-acclaimed directorial debut of Jennifer Kent follows the story of Amelia Vakan (Essie Davis), an emotionally- and physically-drained widowed mother of a difficult six-year-old Sam, who becomes haunted by a malevolent spirit of The Babadook.Breaking the stereotype of a final girl, Amelia realizes that some monsters — not unlike depression or addiction that are often brought up as the movie’s allegories — can’t be defeated but instead accepted and integrated. The film ends with Amelia locking The Babadook in the basement and feeding it worms, leaving plenty of room for a sequel.
Unfortunately, similar to Raimi, Kent believes thatThe Babadook’sstory is complete and perfect as is. However, suppose the franchise was to explore other related but not directly connected storylines that follow the same concept (similar to theUnbreakabletrilogy) or even launch a prequel, showing the monster’s origins. In that case, the original story can remain intact while giving the fans more to explore.
Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil (2010)
A clever parody of the’hillbilly horror' likeThe Hills Have Eyesand the classicDeliverance,Tucker and Dale Vs. Evilfollows a group of college kids who set up a camp in the woods and encounter two socially-awkward country boys whom they, fueled by prejudice and stereotypes, perceive to be brutal hillbillies. But here’s where the movie turns the cliche on its head. Instead of being violent and dangerous, Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) really are what they seem: a pair of well-intentioned and harmless folks who are just trying to live a quiet life and work on their mountain home. The confusion and assumptions lead to some ridiculous moments and a growing death toll.
Tucker And Dale Vs. Evilwasn’t a box office success, but it earned a loyal following and a somewhat cult status thanks to its release on Blu-ray and Netflix. Fans have long rooted for a sequel and a potential franchise, and the second part was even said to be in the works in 2014. Unfortunately, as it was later revealed, the proposed script was simply not up to standards, and both the director and the actors didn’t want to follow the original movie’s success with anything less than amazing. Still, the movie’s crew is reportedly open to continuing the hilarious story if a fitting script and concept emerge.
Trick ‘R Treat (2007)
It’s honestly astounding that this remarkable horror-comedy anthology, created and directed by Michael Dougherty, never spawned a worthy franchise.Trick ‘r Treatfollows four intertwining Halloween stories, united by the character of Sam — a pumpkin-headed trick-or-treater who would severely punish anyone whodisrespects the holiday’s traditions or breaks the unspoken ruleslike extinguishing a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight.
The movie has undeniable franchise potential, and in 2013 Dougherty and Legendary Pictures announced thatTrick’ r Treat 2was officially in the works, much to the delight of the fans. Unfortunately, other projects likeGodzilla: King of the Monstersgot in the way, and the movie got stuck in development hell. On the upside, the studiocontinues the movie’s legacy with merchandiseand a long line of comic books, and the director Dougherty is open to the franchise possibility, pending the right timing and script.
The Cabin In The Woods (2011)
This irreverent horror-comedy from Drew Goddard and Joss Whedonthrows together several genre tropesand turns them upside-down. The seemingly over-familiar story centers around a group of friends made up of the painfully archetypical characters, who are going to a remote cabin, where they unleash a curse and have to fight for their lives. The intentionally cliched plot perfectly prepares the ground for a mind-boggling twist that introduces people ‘behind the scenes,’ who manipulate the events to satisfy the Ancient Ones (who many believe to be an allusion to the horror genre fans in general).
This fresh, self-aware masterpiecethat all but smashes the fourth walland is bursting with references to pretty much every haunted house, serial killer, zombie, and monster horror movie out there gained a massive following, and fans have been hoping for a sequel for years. While Whedon and Goddard reportedly brainstormed some crazy ideas for the movie’s continuation, nothing has been set in motion yet. Here’s hoping.
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