Geek Vibes Nation is a friend to the lists; many are about sequels and prequels, reboots, and retreads. We recently discovered the horror industry is full of the most egregious offenders. There are only a handful of horror movies that never got a sequel. Not all sultans of the scream are so desperate for a cash grab that they try to conceive inhuman methods to keep resurrecting the villain.
Horror franchises have gone the way of gory soap operas or schmaltzy telenovelas, you know?
How is he alive? We stuck hot pokers in his eye sockets and poured liquid nitrogen down his throat.
Well…it turns out the “Demon of Dwindling Lakes” was part of a family of quintuplets. And each of those sinister siblings had…(cue building eerie music)…twins! (bum! Bum! BUM!!!!)
That’s how it happens. Franchises like Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, and even William Shatner in a ring of fire pictured here are all in the double digits of movies to follow the original. And, outside of dedicated efforts to improve things, those regurgitated movies suck out loud!
Why can’t studios hearken back to the good ol’ days and recall what it meant to have an original idea? That’s when the slasher films were fresh, zombie films left us with an appetite, and home invasion films encouraged us to stay on the couch and watch another.
Among the rolling hills of Tinseltown are millions of terrible sequels and reboots buried deep. And far beneath those graves, past the shallow graves, clay and crust, and seeping into the asthenosphere (we’re talking way down), are some of the most B-list snuff films destined for sequel hell.
Let’s spend some time shining a light on a few isolated moments of twisted genius, considered so good that they don’t require help to extend their legacy. These horror movies that never got a sequel, reboot, or retread second act. An attempt at duplication will only create career ruination. A few films didn’t come from an adaptation or spawned a sequel. No similar plots or familiar villains. All one-offs, each fantastic. Got it?
These are the top 10 original horror movies that never got a sequel (and don’t need one, either).
10. It Follows (2014)
If you don’t know about this gingerly marketed film, rent it. Lights off. Sound up. The movie is creepy enough–imagine an STD becomes a demonic possessive spirit. Like John Carpenter and Wes Craven concocted Fifty Shades of Gray. The David Robert Mitchell film features the camerawork of Captain America after being dethawed, and a film score made with a 1980s Casio keyboard–and the triple-A batteries are dying.
But, there is this scene. No, really. This brilliant scene here. If you know, you know. The movie is teeming with creative turns that counteract most horror tropes. Whoever thought a horror movie could be refreshing, but here is It Follows. Oh yeah, this scene is one of the best among any horror movies that never got a sequel or one riddled with 19 sequels. Meet the Tall Man. Enjoy.
9. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Two words — Sam Raimi.
Think about horror movies originating from that dark imagination (i.e., Evil Dead, The Grudge). Although he isn’t shy away from a sequel or reboot (again, see Evil Dead), he has enough smarts to know when a film is good enough where it is. Even though Drag Me to Hell has enough campy scenes to send children away to camp, this parasitic mutilating movie stands on its own.
This is a movie that features a villain you can’t see, but good night, you feel it all through the movie! Namely, if you fear not being good enough to make it to Heaven when you die. This thing drags people to Hell, including a small child at the movie’s beginning.
Of course, if there is a sequel in the making, it will feature Bruce Campbell chopping those ghostly maggots with a chainsaw, but so far, no sequel. Thankfully.
8. Oculus (2013)
Okay, two more words–Mike Flanagan.
That’s all you need to know to see Oculus. The guy is gifted at freaking the hell out of people. And before he gave us The Haunting of Hill House, he created one of the horror movies that never got a sequel–thankfully! The movie revolves around the girl who would be Nebula (yes, that is Karen Gillan) hunted by a cursed mirror known as the Lasser Glass.
If you think having a mirror as the baddie in a horror movie is ridiculous, have a Coke and a smile to watch this film. Oculus is a thought-provoking and butt-clinching film that makes you think differently about the mirrors in your house. As well as Flanagan does with sequels (see Doctor Sleep), here’s to hoping he doesn’t touch this one. It’s that good.
7 Get Out (2017)
What happens when a horror movie weaves a script in and out of psychological befuddling and sociopolitical bemoaning? No one knew until Jordan Peele made a horror movie with a statement. Get Out is an evocative film that captures your attention and keeps a vice grip on your brain until it’s time to go. When you leave the theater, that’s when the real purpose of this film happens.
It’s a painful subject veiled in a horrible setting. Peele created an intervention for the horror genre, which is why Get Out should never get a sequel. This conversation doesn’t need more questions. Rather, it demands an immediate resolution. It’s horror moviemaking at its best, which is why all thoughts of sequels should get out as well.
6. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
It’s possible you haven’t seen this horror movie and love the old slasher movies, you may love Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon more than some of the goats in that genre. This film makes those slashers real, and Leslie Vernon becomes the urban legend from the deep who inspired them all.
Thanks to a clueless documentary crew, we’re learning about the ritualized mass murders and somehow know more than they do. And the dark comedy and serious horror follow your path every tiptoe of the way. This is a brilliant deconstruction of a genre you only think you know. No sequel needed.
5. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Here is why M. Night Shyamalan continues stealing money from horror enthusiasts everywhere. Once considered the savant of the surprise ending, the director hasn’t come close to the gravitas of this “I see dead people” film. For two decades, we have flocked to his releases hoping “he made it back.” Regretfully, we leave his movies now thinking about the two hours we’ll never get back.
That is why The Sixth Sense deserves a permanent spot on any singular horror movie lists. It was a plunge into the supernatural no one saw coming. Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis take us by the hand into a world we only thought there. By the end of the film and that moment, you are convinced it exists because you were a voyeur in a two-hour conversation in it. Few surprising endings come close to The Sixth Sense. Genius!
4. The VVitch (2015)
Among the top horror movies that never got a sequel–or should never get one–is Robert Eggers‘ mind-numbing inaugural effort, The VVitch. Instead of the heavy ecumenical vibe, you think you will get with a New England folk story from the 1800s, we get an excommunicated Puritan family on the brink of destruction. Not having a sense of faith isolates their feelings and gives sardonic forces a heyday.
Our focus rests on Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), the family’s eldest child, who gets the brunt of whatever is evil in this original film. While everyone in this sinister forest learns about demonic forces, Thomasin seems more at home with them. The horror movie is captivating, so much that you don’t realize the journey into the dark where Eggers is taking us.
And fortunately, Eggers knows this one never needs a sequel.
3. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
At first, The Cabin in the Woods seems like an overused horror trope–five people getting away for a staycation in some cabin in the woods. Yeah, yeah. The young adults go, do nasty things, and die. Scary, right? So, so wrong! Whatever cliche scene you thought you would encounter in this film; you got trucked by seeing what happened by these sinister forces.
Even a young Chris Hemsworth makes an appearance before he becomes the god of thunder. The best part of this film is the full stop–there will be no sequel to this cult classic. Ever. And we’re thankful for that and Drew Goddard‘s vision–something that isn’t said often in horror.
2. Hereditary (2018)
Something about Hereditary, if this movie is ever remade, rebooted, or reconsidered for a sequel, there is a warm place in that creepy-ass dollhouse for that individual. Among the horror movies that did not get a sequel is the Crock Pot of Shrill by Ari Aster. It’s a slow-burn discovery to learn what is plaguing this family. The creepiest thing is why.
Toni Colette deserved an Oscar for silent moments that terrify anyone. And then, there’s the tongue clicks from this girl?! Are you kidding? How would that scare anyone, but if gives you chills just reading this! It’s a menacing movie that moves so slowly that you doubt every simple scene out of terror because you know something will happen. It does and that’s why this is one of the horror movies that never got a sequel and never should.
Before you ask why staggeringly good movies like The Thing or The Ring aren’t on this list? The former came from a 1951 horror film, The Thing from Another Film, and the latter hailed from Japan originally in 1998 called Ringu. Go back a little. Surely Invasion of the Body Snatchers was original? That film broke the mold. Yeah, but in 1956, the same movie didn’t break anything. As we mentioned, each of these is an original idea, and stays that way today–one and done. The way they should be.
1. The Babadook (2014)
Jennifer Kent makes a disturbing and demented film that goes way past “scary” and ends up plopping itself on the couch of “horrifying.” We met a widowed mother and her young son. An idyllic setting full of children’s books and sweet flowers. And then came Mister Babadook. That sparked the genesis of this era of psychological horror films that capture today’s cinephile.
Tension builds, fear grows, sweat pours, and screams silence. By the time you should be yelping with sheer terror, it’s too late because you had to excuse yourself so you wouldn’t pee your pants. This stunningly original film is a master’s touch of horror and deserves to stay on the mantle undaunted. It’s just that good!
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.