Friday, October 24, 2014

Top Ten Horror Movie Franchises

The following list is what I believe are some of the best horror movie franchises out there. Some horror movies are great because they're scary; others are great because the villain out to get everyone is so incredibly bad-ass. Some are clever, some are just entertaining. I always say give me blood and breasts in a horror movie and I'm satisfied. Note: these are my personal favorites. I am not pretending to be an expert on the matter. Anyway...


1.      Scream
      - Scream is a clever spoof of horror movies. It points out all the overused, expected horror devices and the various rules of the genre (via the film geek, Randy, my favorite character). While Scream spoofs these movies, it falls into the very stereotypes it pokes fun at. It's funny, clever, and scary. They are the perfect whodunits. So if you love trying to guess who the killer is, this is the horror franchise for you. And, while the killer changes in each film, the costume and method of killing is consistent.

2.      Nightmare on Elm Street
      - While all of its sequels pale in comparison to the original, the original is such a strong, creative story that it can’t be forgotten. Freddy Kruegger is terrifying because he attacks you in your sleep; and, no matter how hard you try, eventually you'll fall asleep. He is also one of the most iconic Horror villains – and he’s a riot! "Help yourself, fucker!"

3.      Halloween
      - Again, the original stands as the strongest one in the franchise, but the sequels are entertaining enough to keep you wanting more. Michael Myers is a classic horror villain – he walks slower than a crippled old man yet somehow always catches up to his victims. The franchise is brought back to life with Halloween H20 and concluded with the equally entertaining Halloween: Resurrection. What better way to end the franchise than to have Busta Rhymes karate kick the shit out of Michael Myers.
(Rob Zombie's Halloween reboot is not included as part of this franchise and should maybe just be forgotten altogether).

4.      Friday the 13th
      - Consistence. In my opinion, none of these films are great in the sense that it's a very basic story and not very well-written. That being said, it’s the perfect slasher. Watch teens get drunk and frisky and then watch them get cut up into little pieces. The cheesy dialogue makes the movies even better.

5.      Child’s Play
       - While the latest installments haven’t been anything to be proud of, the killer Chucky is consistently crude and hilarious throughout the entire series.

6.      Saw
      - The acting is atrocious in all of the films, but the original film is very creative. It becomes the same thing with every new sequel, but there are lots of innovative traps and it's fun to see how the characters are going to die. The characters are often forced to make tough decisions so it's interesting to see how they handle it. Jigsaw is a classic villain, despite being dead half the franchise. And that little clown guy is creepy.

7.      Texas Chainsaw Massacre
       - Teens are lured into a big creepy house and tortured. There’s usually a bit of backstory which is always changing or evolving, but one thing is for sure; there’s always gorgeous babes to look at: Jessica Biel, Alexandra Daddario, and Jordana Brewster, to name a few. The intense and intimidating R. Lee Ermey helped bring the franchise back to life.

8.      Final Destination
      - The original film was and probably still is one of my favorite movies. I love the concept of the film, in how everything you do ultimately leads to your death. Great cast. The sequels are pretty much just lesser copycats of the first film. But they are entertaining in that we get to see all the exaggerated, unbelievable ways in which they die. Also, Tony Todd as the mortician, or rather Death, makes the series that much better.

9.      Candyman
       - The first film is really good; I can't say the same for the sequels. But Tony Todd as the creepy Candyman is such a classic villain that it has to make the list. Tony Todd makes any horror movie all the better.

10.  The “Dead” series 
      - It’s hard to say which of these should count, as there are so many sequels (land of the dead, day of the dead, etc.). But having seen the original, Night of the Living Dead, and the remake Dawn of the Dead, I have no doubt in my mind that this deserves a spot on the top 10. If I had seen more of the older films, it may be higher, but alas, I have not.

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