For those who were unaware and who are interested in an alternate universe continuation of Hellraiser where the no-hope cynicism was constrained to the narrative itself, Barker ultimately wrote a Hellraiser comic series for a happier world where nothing more than the first two movies existed (and which also continued the story from Lord of Illusions).
― Night Jorts (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 12:26 (seven years ago) link
Voted Friday the 13th, not because it's the 'best' but because it prob comes closest to my platonic ideal of 'horror movie franchise' (post-Universal or Hammer, anyway) - distinctive lead villain/anti-hero, obvious debt to giallo (in this case, Bava's Bay of Blood), and adherence to a formulaic narrative structure that grows more pleasing - or more cosily familiar - w/ repeated repetition. Somewhere in America, horny teenagers will always be going to summer camp to fuck, smoke dope, get slaughtered.
― Foster Twelvetrees (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 13:14 (seven years ago) link
oof Leprechaun series def an oversight (even if I doubt anyone would have voted for it). Had no idea there were more than a couple each of Ghoulies and Sleepaway Camp, or I would've included them too. Jaws doesn't really pass the horror-franchise test to me, seems more like old-school monster movie maybe...? Puppet Master didn't occur to me cuz I never actually saw any of those
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 15:33 (seven years ago) link
Somewhere in America, horny teenagers will always be going to summer camp to fuck, smoke dope, get slaughtered.
new rolling horror thread title
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 15:34 (seven years ago) link
Jaws doesn't really pass the horror-franchise test to me, seems more like old-school monster movie maybe...?
I mean this is splitting hairs, but I don't think there is a terribly significant different between the Jaws franchise and most of the stuff on here.
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 16:05 (seven years ago) link
certainly not by the time you get to jaws 2, which isn't far from a slasher flick. to say nothing of jaws 3-D...
― oculus lump (contenderizer), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 16:08 (seven years ago) link
figure anything even remotely horrorish that got an 80s-era part "3D" is by definition in the ballpark: amityville 3-D, friday the 13th part 3: 3D
― oculus lump (contenderizer), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 16:11 (seven years ago) link
hah fair enough
but I'm not doing this poll over just so Morbz can vote for Jaws
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 16:16 (seven years ago) link
LOL well the overall franchise is garbage. Even Exorcist is better than Jaws.
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 16:20 (seven years ago) link
morbs iirc thinks jaws isn't even top 5 spielberg
― nomar, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 17:37 (seven years ago) link
voted for Evil Dead based on consistency
Gooey?
― O, Barack: flaws (wins), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 17:46 (seven years ago) link
he would surely rank it above everything else here tho
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 17:46 (seven years ago) link
altho maybe not he likes the Exorcist right? catholic boys...
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 17:47 (seven years ago) link
was there a single decent horror movie in the era that didn't have a bunch of straight-to-video sequels??
― piscesx, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:05 (seven years ago) link
Killer Klowns From Outer Space was the first thing that popped into my mind. Not so much because it's good but because it's the type of thing you'd expect to have eight VHS-only sequels.
― Night Jorts (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:07 (seven years ago) link
the shining for one, but successful american horror flicks with no sequels were definitely rare
― oculus lump (contenderizer), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:08 (seven years ago) link
But, yeah. Carpenter's other stuff, Cohen's other stuff, Brain Damage...uhhh...they managed to hold off on American Werewolf for a decade+. I know there's a ton. Wish my horror DVDs were accessible.
― Night Jorts (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:09 (seven years ago) link
the greatest horror movie of the era: the Thing
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:12 (seven years ago) link
'70s & '80s also the era of the A+ horror reboot: The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Fly.
― Night Jorts (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:13 (seven years ago) link
a few more notable one-offs:
CarrieManiacNear DarkNight of the CreepsVideodromeMotel HellDead & BuriedHumanoids from the DeepThe HungerFrom Beyond
― oculus lump (contenderizer), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:23 (seven years ago) link
"was there a single decent horror movie in the era that didn't have a bunch of straight-to-video sequels??"
Yeah tons.
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:26 (seven years ago) link
Tourist Trap! The Funhouse!
― Night Jorts (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:28 (seven years ago) link
Probably more good ones that didn't have sequels.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:41 (seven years ago) link
― Foster Twelvetrees (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 14:14
Are you sure you didn't mean to say this is the opposite of ideal?
How about Piranha? One of the remakes was direct to tv, but there's the James Cameron sequel and the two newer remakes. All the Tremors sequels are for video or tv.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 18:44 (seven years ago) link
it only had one sequel in the timeframe specified though
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 21:01 (seven years ago) link
I thought only the original had to be in the specified timeframe...
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 22:38 (seven years ago) link
idk man Piranha 3D was in 2010, that's a totally different era
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 22:41 (seven years ago) link
Despite loving lots of individual films here I can't throw a vote to any of these franchises. I abstain, it's official.
― ewar woowar (or something), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 22:56 (seven years ago) link
certainly not by the time you get to jaws 2, which isn't far from a slasher flick.
Should be poll of Jaws rip-offs. Piranha, Alligator (both written by John Sayles!), Grizzly ...
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 23:00 (seven years ago) link
distinct memories for seeing tons of ads for this in late 70s comics:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca_(film)
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 23:03 (seven years ago) link
memories OF
The Swarm is awesome!
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 13 July 2016 23:08 (seven years ago) link
I might vote Amityville because I adored the first film when I first saw it. I was far too young and it really got to me. There are much better films in the list but are any other sequels as ridiculous as Amityville 4, which is about an evil, possessed floor lamp?
― kraudive, Wednesday, 13 July 2016 23:54 (seven years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Thursday, 14 July 2016 00:01 (seven years ago) link
Well there is a movie about an island filled with monstrous murderous babies who are detained there under court order...
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Thursday, 14 July 2016 00:24 (seven years ago) link
might be a subcategory for which of these had the strongest late-series entries (probably Child's Play)
Haven't seen those later CP movies, but in my case both Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th win this because of Freddy vs. Jason, which was pretty awesome. It's nothing more than what you'd expect, but it's just as fun as you'd expect.
If judging these as franchises instead of on the strength of individual entries, I think I'll have to go for NoES. It has an iconic-looking villain with a consistently good performer, the villain's MO is genuinely imaginative and creepy and allows the writers/directors to come up with innovative death scenes (instead of the "which household tool will Jason use to kill this particular teen?" variety in Ft13th), the first 3 sequels keep the quality higher than in most franchises which reach movie number 4, and there are a couple of suprisingly quality entries late in the series: New Nightmare presages all the meta stuff Craven would later return to in Scream, and Freddy vs. Jason, as said, is just loads of indulgent fun.
― Tuomas, Thursday, 14 July 2016 09:00 (seven years ago) link
People keep saying New Nightmare is good but New Nightmare is seriously not good. It's a shitty movie with a relatively clever premise. The worst part is that it's really boring.
― Night Jorts (Old Lunch), Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:27 (seven years ago) link
Well admittedly it's been 20 years since I last saw it, I guess it's time for a rewatch...
― Tuomas, Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:29 (seven years ago) link
But I stand by my opinion on Freddy vs. Jason.
People keep saying New Nightmare is good but New Nightmare is seriously not good.
^ requires special emphasis
― oculus lump (contenderizer), Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:39 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, it should be emphasized all around that not only are many of these aforementioned sequels not good, many of the original films in the series are not particularly good. I think this is a thread of relatives ...
And yeah, xpost, the Swarm is great, and Orca! And Frogs!!!
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:41 (seven years ago) link
And Squirm!!!!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rq676FJR2U
freddy vs jason is fun, though, i agree. not good, exactly, but recommended to anyone who thinks they might enjoy a freddy vs jason movie. directed by donnie yen, who also made bride of chucky, the one truly worthwhile child's play sequel*. and the bride with white hair.
* contested
― oculus lump (contenderizer), Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:48 (seven years ago) link
Freddy vs. Jason is much much more enjoyable than New Nightmare which beyond the meta-pretenses is very dull.
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:50 (seven years ago) link
Well, it's like...do I think any of the NOES movies are legitimately good movies? No, but the first four are entertaining and fun to watch. The first is probably the only one that works as a legit horror movie rather than a semi-campy romp with with imaginative death scenes. 5 has a few good scenes but it's aslog of a movie, Freddy's Dead is pretty much a total turd and doesn't even deliver on the death scenes (this is the one with the bizarro Roseanne and Tom Arnold cameo and which features probably the dumbest scene in the series)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeJnuP2_yb8
And then, yeah, New Nightmare, boring. The last third of the movie is a slow chase sequence involving Heather Langenkamp's "son".
Anyway, the bad installments really stand out here because the good ones hold up so well.
― Night Jorts (Old Lunch), Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:54 (seven years ago) link
Another notable one-off: The Gate
― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:55 (seven years ago) link
Haven't seen Freddy vs. Jason since it was in theaters. Will rectify if I survive watching the ten previous Friday the 13th movies this fall.
― Night Jorts (Old Lunch), Thursday, 14 July 2016 12:56 (seven years ago) link
Contenderizer- it would be truly bizarre if Donnie Yen directed those films but it was Ronny Yu.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 14 July 2016 13:30 (seven years ago) link
lol, i have no idea where that came from!
i thought "donnie yen" while writing that post, then instantly doubled back cuz i knew my brain was fritzing. but somehow wound up typing donnie yen anyway? wtf, early onset dementia?
― oculus lump (contenderizer), Thursday, 14 July 2016 13:35 (seven years ago) link
RONNIE YU
is what i meant to say
― oculus lump (contenderizer), Thursday, 14 July 2016 13:36 (seven years ago) link