Horror Sequels That Make Great Standalone Films

The genius lies in turning Predator into a franchise. The formula works: drop an alien into a new time or situation in each movie, and you can keep making them.PredatorThe formula works: drop one of the eponymous aliens into a different time period or situation in each movie, and you can keep making them forever—at least, in theory.

Studios never figured this out, even after the 1990s.Predator 2The series's later films got stuck in too much world-building.

EnterPreyThe 2022 prequel remembers that bulletproof formula. It places an extraterrestrial hunter in the American frontier, where he fights a young Comanche woman.

The horror genre has a history of making films that are only sequels in name. These films share a title with their predecessor but little else. These films aren't common now, but they still exist.10 Cloverfield LaneThis film is a prime example.

The film started as a non-CloverfieldThe pitch calledThe CellarThis became a spiritual successor to 2008'sCloverfieldIn pre-production, the film was this. You can watch its story—a young woman trapped in a bunker with two men who claim a disaster made the surface unlivable—without knowing aboutCloverfield.

That way might even be better.

Often shown as an example of a sequel better than the original isDawn of the DeadGeorge Romero's classicDawn of the DeadThis can be watched entirely by itself.

Each film in Romero'sDeadseries—starting withNight of the Living Deadand continuing throughDawn, andDay, andLand, etc., builds on earlier films. It moves deeper into the zombie apocalypse. Each film stands alone without using characters or plot points from the previous ones.

Dawn of the DeadDawn of the Dead is widely considered the best. It established the zombie apocalypse genre as it exists today.

In 2013, Stephen King releasedDoctor SleepThis follows a novel from one of his acclaimed tales, 1977'sThe ShiningIn 2019, Mike Flanagan adapted King's novel and made a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film ofIn 2019, Mike Flanagan adapted King's novel for the screen and made a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film ofThe Shining

This film adapts King's novel and sequels Kubrick's film. It is set long after the events ofThe ShiningHowever, it follows adult Dan Torrance as he fights a group of vampire psychics called the True Knot, who feed on people with the “shining”—Flanagan'sDoctor SleepThis can stand pretty well on its own.

Rob Zombie made his first feature directorial effort with 2003'sHouse of 1000 CorpsesMany consider his follow-up film, 2005'sThe Devil's Rejectssuperior. A major change in focus causes this.

HouseThis movie is unusual, but it follows a simple horror plot.Devil's RejectsThe film flips the script. It turns the villainous Firefly clan from the prior film into the main characters, showing no lessening of their sadism.

This shifts the movie from horror to a crime story. It puts the audience in the villains' shoes from the previous film. A revenge-driven lawman, just as vicious as they are, pursues them.

When Ti West'sXpremiered March 2022. It included a surprise: an after-credits trailer for a prequel detailing the origin story ofX's aged antagonist, played by Mia Goth.Pearlhit screens later that year. Like most prequels, it stands alone without needing knowledge ofX.

Goth plays Pearl as a young woman. Her home life on an isolated farm stifles her, and she craves stardom. However, her sadistic streak, mixed with fantasies of a better life, causes tragedy for those around her.

PearlGoth earned praise for her performance. Critics also liked the film's visual references to Hollywood's Golden Age.

A direct sequel to neither Sam Raimi's originalEvil Deadnor Fede Alvarez's 2013 remake or 2023'sEvil Dead RiseInstead, this film borrows from both to make a standalone sequel. It builds on the established mythology, though it could happen in either timeline.

The result is a gory, gruesome ride through an almost empty apartment building. This transports the franchise's violence to the city for the first time.

The film has many Easter eggs for series fans. People do not need to have seen earlier parts to follow what happens in this bloody standalone.

Today, it is hard to picture Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro making a follow-up to another comic book action horror movie. That is exactly what happened withBlade II, which del Toro released in 2002.

Del Toro takes very little from the original movie. He even changes the death of a main character. Instead, he uses the chance to explore his own pet obsessions, like a new type of vampire that looks a lot like the ones who later dominated his TV series.The Strain.

The film stands on its own better than a sequel. It uses del Toro's signature style and visual focus.

At one point, it was a known outlier in theHalloweenfranchiseHalloween IIIHalloween III has recently gained its cult status as a great film on its own, even though it is an odd third installment.

To graspHalloween III, you first need to know the original 1978HalloweenThe film never intended to be a Michael Myers franchise. When the original succeeded, a sequel seemed certain. However, director John Carpenter and producer Debra Hill both planned the series as a series of seasonal films linked only by the holiday, not by characters or plot.

Thus, afterHalloween IIwrapped up Myers's exploits,Halloween IIIwent someplace new. It featured a script from legendary British sci-fi writer Nigel Kneale (whose name the finished project dropped) and brought cursed Halloween masks, Stonehenge, and robots.

Audiences disliked the film's lack of Myers then. Years later, horror fans now love it as a very strange standalone.

This is a plot point in the originalScream, so most people now know Jason's mother, not Jason, is the villain of the firstFriday the 13thfilm. Jason does not appear as the main villain untilPart 2, so the sequel stands on its own well.

The film includes nods to the original that add layers for viewers watching both films together.

Even asPart 2introduces Jason as the main series villain. However, his full group is not shown untilPart 3, when he gets his hockey mask. Throughout this film, he only wears a bag on his head.

Released in 2013,The Purgeis a “proof of concept” for what the filmmakers really wanted. This idea appeared in the 2014 follow-up,The Purge: Anarchy.

Though set in the same future as its first film,The Purge: Anarchyshares no characters or main plot points with the first film. Instead, it expands the setting from one home during the annual Purge—a night when all crime is legal—to an entire city.Anarchyalso shows the themes the franchise relies on. These themes appear more in later sequels, likeElection YearandThe First Purge.

If you want to see what aPurgemovie is about, tryAnarchyfirst. It needs no knowledge of the previous film.

Dan O'Bannon'sReturn of the Living Deadwas already an unofficial sequel to 1968'sNight of the Living Dead. When 1985'sReturngot its own sequel, little of the original stayed. The basic zombie structure—how they moved and how they reanimated—is what carries over into the sequel, which was made to start a franchise.

ThoughReturngot more sequels, the franchise never fully formed. Still, horror fans can enjoy 1988'sReturn of the Living Dead Part IIas a comedy horror film that works alone, even without its classic predecessor.

The ExorcistReleased in 1973, The Exorcist III is a masterpiece. Many sequels, spin-offs, and quasi-remakes try to match that magic now. One successful example is from the 1990s.The Exorcist IIIWilliam Peter Blatty directed The Exorcist III, the author of the novel the original film used.

Exorcist IIIExorcist III ignores the events of a previous sequel. This was rare then, but it is popular now.Exorcist II.

The film shows a bizarre, effective story about serial killings. This story could have been made totally separate from The Exorcist.ExorcistThe film folds elements of the original movie into its mythology, even while it works without it.

Dracula's Daughter picks up right where 1931's Dracula left off.Dracula1936's Dracula's Daughter continues the story.Dracula's DaughterViewers only need to know about Dracula. Everyone knew him in 1936. Only one character returns from the first film: Edward Van Sloan's Van Helsing, now called Von Helsing.

The story focuses on Countess Marya Zaleska, Dracula's daughter.Dracula's DaughterDracula's Daughter differs from other vampire films. It shows lesbian attraction. The plot centers on whether Zaleska is a real vampire or just feels compelled by her ancestor's obsession.

Troll 2Troll 2 is the poster for a movie that is “so bad, it's good.” A documentary called Best Worst Movie exists about it.Best Worst MovieAmong other things, Troll 2 is shown.Troll 2Troll 2 is a sequel to Troll, but only in name.TrollTroll 2 shares nothing with Troll, aside from fairy-tale imagery. There are no trolls in Troll 2.Troll 2.

The antagonists haunting Nilbog are goblins. These goblins eat only vegetables, yet they remain dangerous. They prefer turning people into vegetable matter before eating them. This is just the start of how crazy Troll 2 gets.Troll 2Troll 2

Viewers cannot understand what happens in the movie without seeing the previous film.

Most people today know David Cronenberg's 1986 remake, The Fly.The FlyThe Fly was a big deal when it first came out in 1958. It spawned two sequels.

Return of the FlyReturn of the Fly, released in ’59, picked up where the first film ended. It repeated much of the same story. The third film in the series, Curse of the Fly, took the franchise in a different direction.Curse of the FlyCurse of the Fly was released six years later and changed the franchise greatly.

The film focuses on Andre Delambre's descendants mastering teleportation technology. It does not rehash the 'fly in the telepod' antics from the original classic. The film contains no fly-creature.Curse of the FlyThis gothic horror film shows the family's dark, hidden secrets as the grisly results of their teleportation experiments.