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The Horror Franchise: Yea or Nay?

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  • The Horror Franchise: Yea or Nay?

    I told a co-worker the other day that despite being the admitted horror nut I am, I have not seen all the films in any horror franchise.

    Not a one. Well, now that I think of it, I have seen all the Final Destination movies; not so much because they were good films (any beyond the first one pretty much weren't), but because the deaths by Rube Goldberg were always fairly amusing, & sometimes well crafted gore scenes into the bargain.

    But Halloween? Stopped at II of the original booting (I saw III, but it wasn't canon, remember). I couldn't even make it all the way thru the 1st film in the reboot, let alone a sequel. I have no idea how many F13's I've seen; lots more than I probably SHOULD have, but I know it ain't been all of 'em. I'm sure there's at least 3 Freddy movies I haven't seen, as well.

    I just have no use for sequels, most of the time. They take a clever, successful idea, and suck the life out of it by either getting overly repetitive & stale or wandering too far afield from the mission statement set forth by the original. That's if they play it straight. In many instances, when the killer, who started out as the antagonist in the 1st film, morphs over the life of the franchise into the "hero", and in order to make a psychotic killer likeable they get downright silly. Freddy's a great example of this. The mystique was starting to show signs of wear by "Dream Warriors". I didn't see another of these films until "New Nightmare" (which I liked).

    The F13 movies are kind of an anomaly, in that they seem to have been the 1st to successfully morph their films from terifying gore fests to horror/comedies. Scenes like Jason punching the head off the black dude in "Jason Takes Manhattan" were pretty fucking funny. And while I don't ordinarily like much comedy with my horror (I don't like sweet and sour pork either; make up your mind! Are you sweet? Are you sour? You can't do both & do it well most of the time, IMO), Some moments in F13's spawn are tolerable. Those guys get the concept pretty well.

    I don't know that there's too much can be said about why this phenomenon exists that hasn't been said already in previous discussion threads @ DERP. Again, I think it was Greg David that stated the reasons sequels get silly over time is that the veil of mystery that surrounded the killer/monster in the 1st film has been pulled away. Any sequel, which by definition won't have that air of mystery, can't help but not be as good as the 1st film. He seemed to think this side effect is inevitable. The scare factor decreases, so to keep the franchise alive they make the killer into a likeable hero of sorts, whose name & likenes can be found on posters on the walls of little kids' rooms. I agree as far as the application of the law of diminishing returns goes, but don't think silliness is inevitable. So far as I know the "Saw" sequels are still playing it straight (I wouldn't know for sure, having stopped at 3, and kicking myself ever since for not seeing what a POS that film was going to be based on the shitpile Part II was. But of course, if you have a contrary or complimentary opinion, feel free to share it here.

    Likewise, let us know what you think of the very concept of horror sequels, and how likely you are to follow one until they stop making them. Do you believe in re boots? ANd what was your favorite franchise, & why if you're the sort who likes them.
    8
    Not For Me. They Always Ruin the Mystique
    37.50%
    3
    Yeah. I Think they're a Lot of Fun, & Develop the Mythology
    12.50%
    1
    Mehhhhhh. . . Really Depends on the Sequel
    50.00%
    4
    I like the way the line runs up the back of the stocking.


    2012 Avatar Theme: Jan-Red Borg. Feb-Red Borg, Mar-Red Borg, Apr-Red Borg, May-Red Borg. Jun-Red Borg. Jul-Red Borg. Aug-Red Borg. Sep-Red Borg. Oct-Red Borg. Nov-Red Borg. Dec-Red Borg.

  • #2
    I prefer a reboot to 7 sequels. At least a reboot will TRY to do something different, and give the chance to have something fresh happen. How successful that is is another conversation, but as we have seen with Freddy, Jason, Mike Meyers, et al too many sequels and the killer is no longer scary. How many times can they be defeated by stoned and horny teens while still carrying a sense of evil?

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    • #3
      I'm like Billy in that I would prefer a "re-imagining" if you will but I'm also a completionist so it's hard for me to not watch the sequels. To give you an idea of how bad my completionism (is that a real word?) is I've seen 5 of the 7 (I think it's 7) flicks and the 6th is on my instant queue. I guess I'm the schmo these franchises are marketing too.

      But yeah, I'd rather see a new fresh idea than a rehash of the same old thing. I think when you forgo franchises you breed new ideas. I loved Jeepers Creepers because it was an original monster and something I had not seen before. I wish more horror flicks like that came out.
      "Fuck Rob. Also, he has a podcast called Podcaust. Edgy Holocaust humor lulz indeed." - The Faraci

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      • #4
        I voted that it depends on the sequel. With regard to the "Final Destination" movies, I've only seen a couple of them - I've seen the first and third one, and I still need to see the second and fourth (I think there's a 5th one coming out this year). And for what it's worth, the third one had a death in it that sat in my brain just for days like a nightmare (the two beach bunny girls in the tanning beds - jesus, I just got a chill typing that). So I think it very much just depends on the sequel.
        2012 Avatar Theme - LADIES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD. January: Ava Gardner.

        INSTANT HAPPINESS - just click!

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        • #5
          I can usually take or leave sequels, depending on a bunch of factors. Like Iggy, I haven't seen every single sequel to every single franchise; for example, I bailed on the Saw series after Saw III, the Howling franchise after a point, and have yet to see New Nightmare, or any of the recent Hellraisers.

          Sequels, especially for horror, have been around since the Universal franchises, and fall lockstep into franchises today. You're usually good for one or two good sequels before you start running out of steam, and start heading into parody/comedy, like Iggy and Greg suggested. It's the old "familiarity breeds contempt" maxim.

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          • #6
            Oh Lisa, Final Destination 2 is AWESOME. You'll be afraid of riding in a car for months.

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            • #7
              FD2 = GREATNESS

              I'm all for a franchise if it comes naturally but not one that is planned. Come out of the gate swinging with a fantastic first entry that allows a sequel? BRING IT. But now it seems like everyone wants their own "Freddy" or "Jason" and it just makes those new flicks suffer. I've seen every movie in the Halloween, Leprechaun, NOES, F13, Hellraiser, Wishmaster,Scream, etc and while the later entries come no where close to the awesomeness of the first movies at least I can have fun with them in their own ways.

              I'd rather studios come up with new flicks then more re-imaginings or reboots though.
              "Looking like Nic Cage dressed in Kurt Cobain's closet. I mean that as a compliment" - BillyG

              "Too cunty for wine bars, too dainty for real bars." - Anderson

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              • #8
                Originally posted by BillyG View Post
                Oh Lisa, Final Destination 2 is AWESOME. You'll be afraid of riding in a car for months.
                Originally posted by Abraham Smashington View Post
                FD2 = GREATNESS.
                Thanks for the heads up, guys! Yeah, I have no issue with seeing it; quite the opposite, I'd like to. In fact, I had been home awake, late on a Friday night when "FD3" was on TV. I thought it was pretty creative, and like I said - the two beach bunny girls' deaths literally sat with me for a couple of days. Which, to my way of thinking, that's what a horror movie should do - freak you out. So the next day out at George's, I was telling him about it. And he said, "Did you ever see any of the others?" I'd said no. He said, "Let's stop at Blockbuster on the way home, and you should at least see the first one - I think you'll really like it". And I did like it, but really the third one was way scarier, IMO.
                2012 Avatar Theme - LADIES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD. January: Ava Gardner.

                INSTANT HAPPINESS - just click!

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                • #9
                  FD2 is probably my favorite of the bunch with the first right behind it. Three was ok and I haven't seen this last one yet.

                  I know I deserve bashing for watching the Saw flicks but I don't watch them because they are "good" or I like them. It's kind of a morbid curiosity to see how they'll retcon all the shit they did in the film before it.
                  "Fuck Rob. Also, he has a podcast called Podcaust. Edgy Holocaust humor lulz indeed." - The Faraci

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                  • #10
                    I'll have to get on the 'new ideas' bandwagon. Granted, there is nothing really new under the sun... but if enough people with a bit of imagination can think of something innovative, then I'm all for it.

                    Sequels eat it.

                    Reboots suck it.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Abraham Smashington View Post
                      FD2 = GREATNESS

                      I'd rather studios come up with new flicks then more re-imaginings or reboots though.
                      As to the 1st sentence: Yes. Yes it is. The final kill made me want to stand up & cheer for its unexpectedness, its gore & its comedic value. Well Goddam done.

                      As for the second, query: do you mean entirely new movies, or that you prefer sequels to reboots? Or both?
                      I like the way the line runs up the back of the stocking.


                      2012 Avatar Theme: Jan-Red Borg. Feb-Red Borg, Mar-Red Borg, Apr-Red Borg, May-Red Borg. Jun-Red Borg. Jul-Red Borg. Aug-Red Borg. Sep-Red Borg. Oct-Red Borg. Nov-Red Borg. Dec-Red Borg.

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                      • #12
                        FD2 is fucking GLORIOUS, with one of the most spectacular kills I've ever seen. Lisa, rent that shit, watch that shit, and enjoy that shit. Be prepared to rewind and rewatch that most glorious of kills as you say aloud "what the fuck did I just watch? I gotta rewind this!"

                        I envy you the experience. Envy.

                        Back on topic: I'll totally throw support behind a new idea/concept in a heartbeat over a sequel/reboot, but sadly those are often few and far between. Also, alas, a lot of the films that do have a new idea are already greenlit for a franchise before the film plays to an audience nowadays. I think that helped engender the hostility to Saw, for example. The first one hadn't even gotten past it's first weekend before they announced Saw 2 was in pre-production, if I remember correctly. I'm not 100% sure the same thing happened for Hostel 2, but I do recall the time between the two flicks didn't seem that long - though I'm glad they decided to stop the franchise after that.

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                        • #13
                          But 'Hostel 2' had a graphic penis removal... which elevates it far above most recent horror films.

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                          • #14
                            Hostel 2 also had the amazing "Elizabeth Bathory" kill as well.

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                            • #15
                              Oh, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Hostel 2, and I apologize if it seemed like I didn't. It's just they went out on a high note with that flick, and I could see how a Hostel 3 would've been a same old, same old kind of flick, basically a cash grab as I don't think Roth would've wanted to be part of it. Hostel 2 was a great sequel, which, admittedly, is quite rare in horror.

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