(Photo by Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection. SMILE 2.)
Is it any wonder when filmmakers make it big with a horror movie original, we’d be naïve to not expect a wave of sequels? Perfect the ratio of budget costs to scary shocks, and studios will be rolling out profitable sequel after sequel like a hellbound factory on wheels. But passing critics inspection is another thing, so we’re presenting the best horror sequels ever, everything fit for consumption when going back in for bloody seconds and more.
To start, these are not movies that improved upon their predecessor’s Tomatometer scores. We wanted more than just three entries on this list. These are horror sequels that crossed the basic boo barrier of the 60% Tomatometer score.
And we play it loose defining sequels. We allowed entry for movies in vaguely connected or anthology series, including V/H/S/, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey, and ABCs of Death. And we chucked in prequel movies like A Quiet Place: Day One, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and Annabelle: Creation. To reiterate: Prequels is sequels, Finkle is Einhorn.
While long-shambling horror and especially slasher series may give the impression that creating a broadly appealing sequel is anything but child’s play, strong, even superior sequels have been found dating back to Bride of Frankenstein in 1935, Hammer’s own Frankenstein series and the Quatermass movies of the 1950s and 1960s, and Dawn of the Dead of the 1970s.
Some series are almost made up entirely of strong follow-ups, like the Scream movies which counts only the third movie as its Rotten stab at it. A Quiet Place and Evil Dead never got buried.
But other franchises can take decades. Michael Myers didn’t get Fresh with it again until 2018’s Halloween, 40 years after the original. 2023’s X marks the spot for Saw, the only widely critics-supported Jigsaw joint, including the 2004 original.
And now recently, we got Smile 2, Terrifier 3, and Alien: Romulus. With all of them on deck, continue on to discover the best horror sequels of all time!
#1
Adjusted Score: 108435%
Critics Consensus: An eccentric, campy, technically impressive, and frightening picture, James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein has aged remarkably well.
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#2
Adjusted Score: 109810%
Critics Consensus: The rare action thriller that spikes adrenaline without skimping on character development, Prey is a Predator prequel done right.
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#3
Adjusted Score: 109149%
Critics Consensus: While Alien was a marvel of slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs a much more visceral punch, and features a typically strong performance from Sigourney Weaver.
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#4
Adjusted Score: 104589%
Critics Consensus: Pearl finds Ti West squeezing fresh gore out of the world he created with X — and once again benefiting from a brilliant Mia Goth performance.
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#5
Adjusted Score: 109886%
Critics Consensus: A nerve-wracking continuation of its predecessor, A Quiet Place Part II expands the terrifying world of the franchise without losing track of its heart.
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#6
Adjusted Score: 96917%
Critics Consensus: One of the most compelling and entertaining zombie films ever, Dawn of the Dead perfectly blends pure horror and gore with social commentary on material society.
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#7
Adjusted Score: 105263%
Critics Consensus: Smart, solidly crafted, and palpably tense, 10 Cloverfield Lane makes the most of its confined setting and outstanding cast — and suggests a new frontier for franchise filmmaking.
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#8
Adjusted Score: 92719%
Critics Consensus: V/H/S/94 gets the franchise back on track with a gory buffet of shorts that should delight horror anthology fans.
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#9
Adjusted Score: 92637%
Critics Consensus: The V/H/S series shows no signs of the tape wearing out with this terrifying entry, boasting an assortment of shorts that’ll sate the appetite of horror and sci-fi aficionados alike.
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#10
Adjusted Score: 92389%
Critics Consensus: Fear Street Part Three: 1666 sends the slasher series back in time for a trilogy-concluding installment that caps things off on a screaming high note.
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#11
Adjusted Score: 95873%
Critics Consensus: Less a continuation than an outright reimagining, Sam Raimi transforms his horror tale into a comedy of terrors — and arguably even improves on the original formula.
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#12
Adjusted Score: 105755%
Critics Consensus: Grounded in raw humanity by Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, this sideways entry into A Quiet Place finds fresh notes of fright to play amid the silence.
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#13
Adjusted Score: 91874%
Critics Consensus: A smart and subversive twist on slasher horror, Fear Street Part II: 1978 shows that summer camp has never been scarier thanks to stellar performances from Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, and Ryan Simpkins.
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#14
Adjusted Score: 90803%
Critics Consensus: Terrifier 2 outdoes the original in every way — which makes it bad news for the squeamish, but a bloody good time for genre enthusiasts.
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#15
Adjusted Score: 90773%
Critics Consensus: Day of the Dead may arguably be the least haunting entry in George A. Romero’s undead trilogy, but it will give audiences’ plenty to chew on with its shocking gore and scathing view of society.
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#16
Adjusted Score: 89774%
Critics Consensus: Blessed with a nerve-jangling star turn by Naomi Scott, writer-director Parker Finn broadens Smile‘s conceit into a pop stardom nightmare that’ll leave a rictus grin on horror fans’ faces.
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#17
Adjusted Score: 101162%
Critics Consensus: Candyman takes an incisive, visually thrilling approach to deepening the franchise’s mythology — and terrifying audiences along the way.
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#18
Adjusted Score: 88495%
Critics Consensus: Ouija: Origin of Evil swerves its franchise’s planchette unexpectedly to YES with a surprisingly scary and dramatically satisfying follow-up to its lackluster predecessor.
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#19
Adjusted Score: 86549%
Critics Consensus: As with the first film, Scream 2 is a gleeful takedown of scary movie conventions that manages to poke fun at terrible horror sequels without falling victim to the same fate.
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#20
Adjusted Score: 106172%
Critics Consensus: Honoring its nightmarish predecessors while chestbursting at the seams with new frights of its own, Romulus injects some fresh acid blood into one of cinema’s great horror franchises.
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#21
Adjusted Score: 91991%
Critics Consensus: The Conjuring 2 can’t help but lose a bit of its predecessor’s chilly sting through familiarity, but what remains is still a superior ghost story told with spine-tingling skill.
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#22
Adjusted Score: 88015%
Critics Consensus: Led by a franchise-best performance from Tobin Bell, Saw X reinvigorates the series with an installment that has a surprising amount of heart to go with all the gore.
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#23
Adjusted Score: 100540%
Critics Consensus: Halloween largely wipes the slate clean after decades of disappointing sequels, ignoring increasingly elaborate mythology in favor of basic – yet still effective – ingredients.
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#24
Adjusted Score: 96929%
Critics Consensus: Doctor Sleep forsakes the elemental terror of its predecessor for a more contemplative sequel that balances poignant themes against spine-tingling chills.
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#25
Adjusted Score: 81576%
Critics Consensus: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare adds an unexpectedly satisfying – not to mention intelligent – meta layer to a horror franchise that had long since lost its way.
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#26
Adjusted Score: 100890%
Critics Consensus: Michael Keaton’s devious poltergeist still has plenty of juice left in this madcap return to form for Tim Burton, marrying charming practical effects and ghoulish gags to provide a fun fun time.
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#27
Adjusted Score: 93686%
Critics Consensus: Certain aspects of horror’s most murderously meta franchise may be going stale, but a change of setting and some inventive set pieces help keep Scream VI reasonably sharp.
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#28
Adjusted Score: 92630%
Critics Consensus: The fifth Scream finds the franchise working harder than ever to maintain its meta edge — and succeeding surprisingly often.
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#29
Adjusted Score: 78161%
Critics Consensus: Like most anthologies, V/H/S/99 has its ups and downs — but more often than not, this collection of shorts continues the franchise’s recent creative rebound.
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#30
Adjusted Score: 80597%
Critics Consensus: George A. Romero’s latest entry in his much-vaunted Dead series is not as fresh as his genre-inventing original, Night of the Living Dead. But Land of the Dead does deliver on the gore and zombies-feasting-on-flesh action.
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#31
Adjusted Score: 78704%
Critics Consensus: Taking an axe to yuletide cheer and everything else in its path, Terrifier 3 is a bloody fantastic stocking stuffer for the holiday season.
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#32
Adjusted Score: 88280%
Critics Consensus: Ridley Scott’s ambitious quasi-prequel to Alien may not answer all of its big questions, but it’s redeemed by its haunting visual grandeur and compelling performances — particularly Michael Fassbender as a fastidious android.
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#33
Adjusted Score: 90684%
Critics Consensus: Intoxicating with its maxxximal style, MaXXXine is an uneven but vibrant pastiche that drives a stiletto through Hollywood’s heart.
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#34
Adjusted Score: 100583%
Critics Consensus: Creep 2 has everything that made the original work and more — more laughs, more awkwardness, more unsettling terror.
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#35
Adjusted Score: 99506%
Critics Consensus: Boris Karloff’s final appearance as the Monster is a fitting farewell before the series descended into self-parody.
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#36
Adjusted Score: 89100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#37
Adjusted Score: 53360%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#38
Adjusted Score: 90727%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#39
Adjusted Score: 88422%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#40
Adjusted Score: 81645%
Critics Consensus: Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead expands the original’s canvas without sacrificing any of its bloody fun, adding up to a sequel that fans of the first are bound to enjoy.
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#41
Adjusted Score: 81524%
Critics Consensus: Old Dolls can learn new tricks: This little murderer with a facelift is sillier and better than ever thanks to Don Mancini’s Cult of Chucky.
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#42
Adjusted Score: 80593%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#43
Adjusted Score: 16606%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#44
Adjusted Score: 75527%
Critics Consensus: The franchise hex of disappointing sequels is broken by going back to basics in this chilling entry, restoring a sense of playfulness to the Chucky saga.
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#45
Adjusted Score: 76164%
Critics Consensus: One of the franchise’s stronger entries, V/H/S/85 largely avoids the quality control issues common to anthologies, with consistently creepy results.
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#46
Adjusted Score: 73696%
Critics Consensus: ABCs of Death 2 delivers some inventively gory thrills, offering a surprising (albeit still somewhat uneven) upgrade over its predecessor.
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#47
Adjusted Score: 73820%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#48
Adjusted Score: 79870%
Critics Consensus: While 28 Weeks Later lacks the humanism that made 28 Days Later a classic, it’s made up with fantastic atmosphere and punchy direction.
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#49
Adjusted Score: 81859%
Critics Consensus: A funnier follow-up with a sci-fi bent, Happy Death Day 2U isn’t as fiendishly fresh as its predecessor, but fans of the original may still find this a sequel worth celebrating.
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#50
Adjusted Score: 73472%
Critics Consensus: It’s as scattershot as its predecessor, but V/H/S/2 rounds up enough horror filmmaking talent to deliver a satisfyingly nasty — albeit uneven — dose of gore.
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#51
Adjusted Score: 76207%
Critics Consensus: Gremlins 2 trades the spiky thrills of its predecessor for looney satire, yielding a succession of sporadically clever gags that add some flavor to a recycled plot.
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#52
Adjusted Score: 80196%
Critics Consensus: Annabelle: Creation adds another strong chapter to the Conjuring franchise – and offers further proof that freaky-looking dolls remain reliably terrifying.
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#53
Adjusted Score: 31200%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#54
Adjusted Score: 70567%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#55
Adjusted Score: 75463%
Critics Consensus: Competently made, but everything is a bit too familiar.
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#56
Adjusted Score: 76796%
Critics Consensus: Some of the evil magic is gone as this trilogy capper dispenses with most of the scares, but Bruce Campbell’s hammy charm and Sam Raimi’s homage to classic visual effects make for a fun enough adventure.
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#57
Adjusted Score: 81475%
Critics Consensus: Zombieland: Double Tap makes up for a lack of fresh brains with an enjoyable reunion that recaptures the spirit of the original and adds a few fun twists.
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#58
Adjusted Score: 72368%
Critics Consensus: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors offers an imaginative and surprisingly satisfying rebound for a franchise already starting to succumb to sequelitis.
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#59
Adjusted Score: 67079%
Critics Consensus: After a lackluster third entry, [REC] 4 gets the series back on track, at least to the level of the first sequel.
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#60
Adjusted Score: 17737%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#61
Adjusted Score: 70559%
Critics Consensus: While the jolts and thrills are undeniably subject to the diminishing returns that plague most horror sequels, Paranormal Activity 3 is a surprisingly spine-tingling treat.
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#62
Adjusted Score: 68176%
Critics Consensus: It lacks the surprising jolt of the first installment, but [REC] 2 almost maintains the original’s chilling momentum — and proves not all horror sequels were made equal.
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#63
Adjusted Score: 87915%
Critics Consensus: Alien: Covenant delivers another satisfying round of close-quarters deep-space terror, even if it doesn’t take the saga in any new directions.
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#64
Adjusted Score: 74744%
Critics Consensus: Fun for fans even if it isn’t as frightening as some of its predecessors, Annabelle Comes Home suggests there’s still some life left in the Conjuring franchise.
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#65
Adjusted Score: 67881%
Critics Consensus: Dracula’s Daughter extends the Universal horror myth in an interesting direction, but the talky script and mild atmosphere undermine its ambition.
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#66
Adjusted Score: 56143%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#67
Adjusted Score: 68001%
Critics Consensus: It’s still only for the gore-thirsty faithful, but Final Destination 5 represents a surprising return to form for the franchise.
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#68
Adjusted Score: 62676%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#69
Adjusted Score: 82261%
Critics Consensus: It: Chapter Two proves bigger doesn’t always mean scarier for horror sequels, but a fine cast and faithful approach to the source material keep this follow-up afloat.
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#70
Adjusted Score: 65311%
Critics Consensus: Although it can’t hold a cleaver to the classic original, Psycho II succeeds well enough on its own merits to satisfy horror fans.
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#71
Adjusted Score: 62706%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#72
Adjusted Score: 62296%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#73
Adjusted Score: 62304%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#74
Adjusted Score: 65839%
Critics Consensus: As Diary of the Dead proves, time hasn’t subdued George A. Romero’s affection for mixing politics with gore, nor has it given him cinematic grace or subtlety.
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#75
Adjusted Score: 61593%
Critics Consensus: The schlock factor for Sharknado 2: The Second One is not as entertaining as its predecessor’s, though fans of the brand will likely enjoy it.
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#76
Adjusted Score: 67383%
Critics Consensus: The franchise is showing its age, but Scream 4 is undeniably an improvement over its predecessor, with just enough meta humor and clever kills.
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#77
Adjusted Score: 66084%
Critics Consensus: Unfriended: Dark Web is more interested in chills than an exploration of its timely themes, but horror fans should still find this sequel to be steadily, undeniably effective.
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#78
Adjusted Score: 24909%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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