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The Most Successful Horror Movie Sequels, Prequels, and Remakes According To Supercomputer Data Analysis

Image July 9, 2024 Patti PaulterGeist Leave a comment

Horror movie sequels, prequels, and remakes are a dime a dozen and in 2024, have become an overly saturated part of the genre. Sometimes it’s good, Sometimes, not so much. And sometimes the film even surpasses its predecessor in terms of quality. Recently, a local magazine in my hometown, Vegas Insider, ran a data analysis on a supercomputer on the extension films on approximately 361 horror movies including, Alien, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Jaws, Scream, Saw, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser just to name a few. And because it is Vegas after all, they were assigned points by the supercomputer based on their worldwide box office reported gross, user reviews score, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic score as well as the estimated return on investment. In the points analysis, 1 point was given to the sequel/prequel/remake/revival which had a higher performance than the first movie in the given franchises in the following categories: Rotten Tomatoes score, IMDb rating, Metacritic score, reported worldwide gross and an estimated ROI.

So who made it out on top? Let’s take a look!

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

The most successful franchise continuation when the estimated return on investment is considered is Paranormal Activity 2 (2010). On a budget of 3 million dollars, it grossed 177.5 million dollars, thus an ROI of, 5817%.

The top 5 of the most successful ROI franchise continuations are:

2. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) ROI 4040%, Paranormal Activity universe

3. Annabelle (2014) ROI 3862%, The Conjuring universe

4. Saw II (2005) ROI 3593%, Saw universe

5. Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) ROI 3138%, Insidious franchise

USER RATING

When looking strictly at the highest-rated continuations of horror franchises, the movie with the highest IMDb user rating is Aliens (1986), which has a user rating of 8.4/10, only 0.1 point lower score than the 1979 Alien.

The rest of the top 5 of the highest-rated horror continuations are:

2. Dawn of the Dead (1978) – 7.8 rating, George Romero’s Dead series

3. Evil Dead II (1987) – 7.7 rating, Evil Dead series

4. The Fly (1986) 7.6 rating – remake of The Fly

5. Army of Darkness (1992) 7.4 rating, Evil Dead Series

CRITIC REVIEWS

The top 5 horror continuations with the highest Rotten Tomatoes score are:

Creep 2 (2017) – 100% score, sequel of Creep (2014)
Slumber Party Massacre (2021) – 100% score, remake of the 1982 version
Aliens (1986) – 98% score, sequel of Alien (1979)
Prey (2022) – 94% score, prequel of Predator (1987)
The Fly (1986) – 93% score, remake of the 1958 version

On Metacritic, the top 5 horror continuations with the highest score are:

Aliens (1986) – 84 score, sequel of Alien (1979)
The Fly (1986) – 81 score, remake of the 1958 version
28 Weeks Later (2007) – 78 score, sequel of 28 Days Later (2002)
Pearl (2022) – 76 score, prequel of X (2022)
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) – 76 score, second movie in the Cloverfield franchise

WORLDWIDE GROSS

Even though the budget and gross of the 1990 TV Mini-Series “IT” is not known, as it was a television event, it can be safe to say that the 2017 remake of “IT” surpassed the success of the first adaptation, grossing over 704 million dollars and becoming the highest-grossing horror movie of all time. It is also the highest-grossing horror remake ever.

When only the total worldwide gross is considered, the remaining highest-grossing franchise continuations that make up the top 4 are:

It Chapter 2 (2019, gross: 473 million dollars, IT franchise),

Prometheus (2012, gross: 403 million dollars, Alien franchise)

The Nun (2018, gross: 366 million dollars, Conjuring universe).

However, when looking strictly at the difference in total worldwide gross of a franchise’s first movie and its continuations where box office numbers are known (since it was not known for 1990’s It), the most successful franchise continuation is the 2012 prequel to the legendary Alien – Prometheus (2012).

Alien (1979) was a box office success of its own, grossing 108.5 million dollars on a budget of 11 million dollars, however, Prometheus reportedly grossed over 403 million dollars, thus grossing 294.5 million more than the first movie in the Alien franchise. Its worldwide gross of over 400 million also makes it the most successful horror prequel ever made.

OVERALL POINTS

According to the results of a points-based system, which was assigning 1 point to the movies that performed better than the first movie in their respective horror franchises, the supercomputer determined that the most successful horror sequels / prequels / remakes / reboots / spin-offs ever are:

DRUMROLL PLEASE!

Evil Dead II (1987) and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)!

When it comes to Evil Dead 2, it performed better than The Evil Dead (1981) in 4 areas: total worldwide gross, Metacritic score, Rotten Tomatoes score, and IMDb rating score, thus gaining 4 points in total.

Hail to the king, baby. I’m not going to argue with that!

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) also outperformed Cloverfield (2008) on 4 metrics, thus gaining 4 points: Metacritic score, Rotten Tomatoes score, IMDb ratings score, and Estimated return on investment.

Also, all hail the John Goodman.

For more data on these films along with a visual table, head on over to Vegas Insider by clicking here!

Horror Nostalgia

That One Time Horror Icons Got Together For A People Magazine Photoshoot in 1988

Image June 29, 2024 Patti PaulterGeist Leave a comment

To be a horror fan, and what’s more, a horror slasher fanatic in the year 1988 was probably peak orgasms for genre enthusiasts, and we had more than material in that year alone to make every one of us cream our jeans. Classics like THEY LIVE, CHILD’S PLAY, and KILLER KLOWNS IN OUTER SPACE touched just the tip of the iceberg in the massive slew of horror films we got this year; including sequels to the unholy trinity of the horror slashers-Jason, Freddy, and Michael. So it was only appropriate, and damn right of them, for People Magazine to give these guys their due credit with a special spread and photoshoot honoring horror’s greatest icons.

Bringing together for the first time Robert Englund (Freddy), Kane Hodder (Jason), George P. Wilbur (Michael- HALLOWEEN 4), and Bob Elmore (Leatherface- TCM 2) like this is not something we’ve seen before, and never will again in the light of Wilbur’s passing in 2023; and it’s just beautiful.

The article in People that banded together the foursome of fear was unleashed on newsstands on November 7th, 1988, with a cute picture of Baby Jessica on the cover (remember that debacle)? That kid went through more trauma than any of these bad boys could give her so why not, eh? And with the releases of HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER, and FRIDAY THE 13th PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD dominating the horror game in 1988, it was time for horror fans to truly celebrate as these homicidal maniacs were finally to be taken seriously as major influences in the genre and pop culture fandom as a whole. It really was a major win for us as only a few years prior, the MSM ran countless stories, and news pieces about how horror films were trash and led to violent teenagers. Just another arm of the whole Satanic Panic bullshit that needed to be laid to rest. And the fact these iconic characters and their legacies are even stronger today than it was over 35 years ago, is a testament of the power the four horsemen of the slasher films have on our dark, corroded hearts.

So let’s take a look at what PEOPLE had to say about our boys, huh?!

They’re the reason that Hollywood accountants sleep well at night and American teens don’t. Averaging 20 victims per outing, these Hollywood horror hounds have laid a trail of death over a quarter-mile long (assuming a 5-foot skull-to-toe-tag span per corpse). The box office take from their combined 17 monstrous flicks has topped a bloody $500 million. So, for Halloween, it seemed ghoulishly appropriate that Jason, Freddy, Michael and Leather-face, the peerless princes of the pathological, gather to compare notes.

Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder, 33), the hockey-masked murderer of the Friday the 13th movies, which have grossed $172.5 million to date, groans about his teenage telekinetic adversary in Friday Part VII. “I chase her out onto the porch, and she causes the entire front of the house and the roof to collapse. About 700 pounds fell right on my head,” he moans. “Kind of rang my bell.”

George P. Wilbur, 46, the new endoskeleton beneath the other masked maniac, Michael Myers of the Halloween series ($168 million), is not to be outdone. Myers has just emerged from a 10-year coma to launch more mayhem in the new Halloween 4, and Wilbur is trying to number his latest cache of victims. “Oh, it’s countless,” he says despairingly. “A minimum of 15. I’ve got a massive body count on this one.”

Resting on the 45-inch blade of his insatiable chainsaw, Leatherface (Bob Elmore, 35) reminisces about filming the first sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre($100 million) in 1986. “It was 170°,” he moans. “But I destroyed a Mercedes, killed lots of people and cut a guy’s head off. So that was real nice.”

Freddy Krueger (the recently wed Robert Englund), 39, is the only actor here to have played his fiendish character in every sequel of A Nightmare on Elm Street I through 4, which have grossed $148 million. Now star of the new TV series Freddy’s Nightmares, he looks undead on his feet per usual. The char-grilled “bastard son of a hundred maniacs” is lazily skewering apple slices on his razor fingers. Sneering in perfect Freddy fashion and baring his rotting fangs, he raises his wineglass and hisses a toast: “This blood’s for you, sucker.”

Uh, thanks, Freddy, and Happy Halloween, guys.

I’m pretty sure we won’t ever see something that fucking cool again.

Creature Features

[Creature Features] ‘JAWS’ – The Birth of the Blockbuster and Galeophobia

Image June 20, 2024 Patti PaulterGeist 1 Comment

In the banner year of 1985, 10 years after the initial blockbuster smash release of the holiest of shark films JAWS, I had seen thine shining light they call Bruce for the first time in my tiny life.

I was three.

THREE-FUCKING-YEARS-OLD.

One could argue my Dad was a sadistic fuck in showing me what I absolutely consider, one of the top three scariest films of ALL TIME. Especially given the fact I wouldn’t even set a pair of feet on any beach for close to seven years after. True story: Having family in the Long Island area, Summer Beach days were very much a thing. However, I would make my Dad carry me across the sandy threshold to a spot where I felt comfortable and far enough away from the water. The answer is yes: In my youthful way of thinking, I had concluded that JAWS was smart enough to get me even in the sand. But as long as I was on a towel and far enough away from the shore, all was ok. The answer here is also YES: It makes zero sense, I realize, but hey, I was a kid so don’t judge too harshly!

Now that being said, my story is just one of thousands that were scared absolutely shitless after seeing the film, inducing GALEOPHOBIA into the minds of many. Proving without a shadow of a doubt, that JAWS is, indeed, one of the scariest films of all time. We define horror as something that scares us. It’s a very versatile genre as what scares one, may not necessarily frighten another. Collectively, JAWS pretty much hit the nail on the head and caused quite a bit of both panic and interest in the beautiful monsters of the deep.

The following vintage clip from NBC NEWS uploaded by YouTube user COW MISSING showcases a little snippet of what ‘The Summer of JAWS’ looked like as far as the cultural impact the film had on its audiences.

Now on the other side of the coin, JAWS ultimately caused an almost global catastrophe for the creatures of the deep in the form of fear and panic; something humanity is very much guilty of with the most recent example given is the 2020 shortage of toilet paper. We are very much guilty of acting out in emotions first, and logic later. And these poor animals have suffered immensely for it. Mind you, I don’t place this blame on the book or film itself as that’s complete BULLSHIT. Every one of us is responsible for our own actions, thoughts, and doings. I only place blame on those who have chosen to use their own fears as an excuse to execute these wonderful animals for either sport, food, or pleasure. As a matter of fact, Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel shadows the event dubbed “The Twelve Days of Terror”, that served as inspiration for what we know as Bruce today.

In 1916, a series of shark attacks were recorded over on the New Jersey coastline, killing four people and injuring five others. Also, interestingly enough, during a Polio Epidemic. So of course, under the duress of a record-breaking heatwave and pandemic, the media then fueled an already stressed populous into panic mode. Reports and analysis also suggest that the nature of the attacks were by a lone shark. Later, a Great White was caught during a shark hunt that was found to have human remains in its stomach. Was this shark the culprit? Possibly. I mean, hard to argue if there’s a human limb hanging out inside the belly of the thing.

Anyway, the release of JAWS just helped to reignite a surging fear and interest in the mysterious beast. As time heals all things, however, the humanoids have become much more sympathetic and educated about our friends of the deep. Regardless of how many horribly cheesy SY-FY shark attack movies have been churned out year after year, piggybacking off the back of the ultimate shark movie…. 45 years later and counting.

Now, I can’t simply talk about JAWS without mentioning the John Williams score. It is one of the most recognizable tones in cinematic history that Goddess forbid, you ever hear that shit playing somewhere on the beach while your legs are dangling in the water, I’ll place a hefty bet you’re gonna crap your swim shorts. Per the Film Music Society, Williams described the malicious two-tone theme as “so simple, insistent and driving, that it seems unstoppable, like the attack of the shark. The music could be loud and fast if he was attacking, soft and slow if he was lurking, but always menacing in tone.”

Goddamn right, Mr. Williams. I mean, every time I have an anxiety/panic attack, that fucking theme song pops into my anxious mind as the perfect accompaniment as an indication of a roller coaster of impending doom.

[JAWS theme] John Williams with the Boston Pops Orchestra

While I, and many other 80s’ babies’ grew up in the JAWS VHS era, we were terrified as kids but evolved into adults with a healthy understanding of the nature of the beast with education along with a healthy dose of lovely Shark Week programming provided by the Discovery Channel. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I didn’t still ’til this day go to the ocean, dip in, and the thought crosses my mind, “Is today the day my leg gets bit off by Sir Great White of Shark?” All thanks to one of the most horrifying scenes of all time.

Thanks for the memories and the trauma Bruce.