What were the best horror movie franchises of all time?
How do you determine what makes a horror movie franchise so successful? Certainly, box office numbers are a reasonable inclusion, but would you also consider the sheer cult following of the films? Would the number of sequels be a fair addition, or unfair because sometimes sequels never do the original franchise justice? Although there are many factors that need to be addressed in order to determine which horror franchises fans long for, the gruesome reality is that a successful horror movie should be based on one detrimental thing… the scarier the better!
Needless to say, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the top three bloodcurdling horror movie franchises are ones that emerged from the 70s and 80s and have since had multiple thrilling sequels.
#3: Nightmare on Elm Street
As a horror movie franchise that literally makes it impossible to fall asleep, or ever enter a dimly lit boiler room, it should come as no surprise that Wes Craven’s classic slasher made the list of top grossing horror franchises. Whether it’s because of the incredibly unique storyline behind the mysterious killings on Elm Street (one that has been changed to explain the depth of Freddy Krueger), or the enigma of the razor shape weaponry, this eerie-sistable horror movie franchise has earned a rightful place in our horror loving hearts. Needless to say, the series has been left open to ghoulish interpretation. What really happened to Freddy? How does his supernatural abilities expand into the realm of human dreams? Will directors be slashing the plot and eventually re-writing a new scripted tale? Only time will tell.
#2: Friday the 13th
Another cult classic that is fueled by a vengeful villain, Friday the 13th is everything horror fans want in a franchise — a devilish killer, lots of bloodcurdling screams and all the unanswered questions that makes us devour up horror movies. Featuring ten sequels since the original film in 1980, each more terrifying and gruesome than before, the hockey-masked Jason Voorhees has had no problems integrating his way into pop culture. After all, would it really be a dreadfully awesome Halloween party without someone dressed up as the slasher sociopath?
#1: Halloween
Especially after the alarming success of the latest addition to the Halloween franchise, it’s clear that fans of Michael Myers still want to peel back his many layers… and directors are fine with taking advantage of his fearsome story. This popular horror movie franchise consists of eleven films (spanning over a 40-year period), novels, comic books, insanely dead-icated merchandise and even a chilling video game. This supernatural bogeyman has always left us at the edge of our seats and personally, I feel that his ghostly shadow will be appearing on the big screens once again. After all, fans don’t seem to be getting tired of ruthless murders.
With so many horror movie franchises to choose from, which one would be your favorite? Tell us in the comments section below.