10 Best Horror Sequels Ever Made, Ranked: The Follow-Ups That Deliver

Sequels With A New Edge

Horror sequels often have a difficult task: recreating the impact of a successful original. The standout follow-ups in this ranking instead match or improve on their predecessors, ranging from horror-comedy to slasher films.

The list counts any movie released after a franchise’s first film as a sequel. That means a later entry can qualify even when several installments came before it.

Scream 2 Turns The Knife

Wes Craven’s Scream blended slasher scares with parody, and its sequel carried that approach forward. Scream 2 satirizes sequel conventions while delivering suspense and knife attacks. Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, is again targeted by Ghostface. Other returning characters include Dewey Riley, played by David Arquette, and Gale Weathers, played by Courteney Cox. Kevin Williamson wrote the film.

A Different Cloverfield Story

10 Cloverfield Lane takes a more confined approach than Cloverfield, which used found-footage filmmaking. Michelle, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Emmett, played by John Gallagher Jr., are held by Howard, played by John Goodman.

Howard believes a nuclear meltdown or an alien invasion has made the surface unsafe. Michelle and Emmett doubt him and try to escape. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, the film reveals the truth in its finale and offers a distinct story connected by its title and unsettling atmosphere.

Terrifier’s Graphic Appeal

The Terrifier films are aimed at viewers who enjoy extreme gore and grotesque clown horror. The first movie introduced Art the Clown, while writer-director Damien Leone used a special technique to give the digital image the look of older, grainy B-horror films.

The series is described as a splatter-fest trilogy, though its graphic style will not appeal to everyone. Terrifier 2 is among the sequels featured in the ranking.