They say that doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results, is insanity.
And then, after you’ve gone insane, you think of horror movie sequels like the ones below.
The five films you see below are obviously created with a spark of insanity behind them.
You might call them deeper than the rest of the entries in their respective franchises, or say that they took risks, and you might be right.
Then again, you might be wrong.
Or, you might be insane.
Was your next idea one where Chucky decides to run for president while Re-Animator fights Dracula?
Called it.
The Friday The 13th series is the archetype when it comes to slasher cinema. The un-killable killer stalks teens until he is (momentarily) stopped, only to return again in the sequel.
Yeah, I know. It rules.
But the makers of Jason Goes To Hell had had enough of all this hockey mask tomfoolery and decided to make a movie that had Jason in it just enough to credit him in the title.
You see, they had this genius plan that Jason could pass on his power from person to person. I don’t understand how this makes any sense, but one magic dagger later and I’ll assume that the movie wasn’t meant to make any sense at all, and that it’s an avant garde attempt at creating something a fan base will hate.
To get this plotline going, they had Jason stalk an FBI agent and then get blown apart by FBI fire power.
That’s right. Jason was part of a sting operation. This sort of thing would make an awesome end to the movie as Jason gets absolutely shredded with bullets. However, it happens in the start, leaving every audience member to wonder Why?
Why not have Jason just kill off the people like he normally does?
Oh, wait. Nevermind. This one HAD to be different. Mission accomplished, Jason Goes To Hell. I hope that somehow, somewhere, someone is throwing rocks at your head.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
Remember when I said that some people would call these insane entries “deep”?
Well, this was the one I was most referring to.
Action be damned, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare was here to let you know everything that it wanted you know, every theme on sequels, horror films and dreams that it could shove into its running time.
This would be explained to the viewer without subtlety, often by Wes Craven himself, who played himself in the movie, directing entries in the same franchise that this movie is a part of.
Sorry, sentence structure. I would expand on that concept, but the dream is collapsing on itself and Mr. Saito has been shot.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
I can only assume that this film was inspired by the famous review that ran in the Village Voice, entitled “What The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise Doesn’t Need At All.”
I hated Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. Good God, I loathed that movie. It’s style of cinematography and dark humor are so far removed from the classic original that I wouldn’t hesitate to call it a completely other series. However, I have some plans to improve the franchise. But, before I start to list the first two of these ideas, I’d like to remind you that I’m utterly crazy. Seriously, don’t pay attention to me. Sheila, is the backyard still warm? I will form a blanket of our favorite newspapers and dig a pit beside you! Sheila?!
First of all, Leatherface wears human skin. Why not make him a complete transvestite? Like, put him in fake boobs and this weird Monica Lewinsky mask. Put him in a dress. The audiences will go crazy for it! Sheila, I’m talking to the people now. Hush! The voice that screams is mine and mine alone!
Second, and firstly, the best way to recreate the mood of the original is to not do anything that they did. Not anything at all. No scares, no suspense, no ingenious set design. It’ll be so different that it’ll be the same. Because if you dig to China, you can dig straight back, no? 1 +1 = 1 again! I have angel’s wings! Lowly Icarus, judge me if you dare!
Halloween III: Season Of The Witch
Originally, the plan was to have a different Halloween themed story for every Halloween film.
This would be a cool idea if every other film in the series wasn’t about Michael Myers.
Thus, Season Of The Witch sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s not a bad film at all, and is better than about half of the other entries in the franchise.
However, it was a box office bomb, which is unsurprising. The viewers came to see Michael Myers somehow escaping death by explosion, and were treated to silver shamrocks, android copies and masks that kill on cue from a television commercial.
Oh, and it has Tom Atkins, bad ass extraordinaire (I hesitate to call him an actor, considering that at this point in his career, he’s more cyborg now than man).
This makes dropping Michael Myers from the movie seem like all the more plausible of an idea. You can’t put two unstoppable creations in the same movie, especially if one can’t die in real life, either.
Godzilla VS The Smog Monster
On one hand, I could give you an explanation of how it’s different.
However, I think I’ll just leave this here:
