Best Horror Movie Franchise

[BobbyMcGee]

I chose other.

I would go with the Resident Evil franchise.

Yes, other franchises have films in their series that are ridiculously good, but they also have films that are pretty bad, so bad that I do not even want to re-watch them.

For me, Resident Evil has always kept a pretty consistent level of quality. Individually, none of them are cinematic masterpieces but as a whole I find this series of films better than other franchises (also taken as a whole).

Hope that makes sense.

[hagios]

1A





1B





1C





1D





1E

[Lunar1989]

I can't vote because I am not sure there is a best franchise. There are great individual films.

[AaronJ]

I voted for Scream. As weak as the third installment was, the franchise as a whole is very strong. It's got a series of great casts, each film (well other than 3) is well directed and a lot of fun. And they manage to mix humor and legitimate slasher horror perfectly.

If I had to pick a second choice then it would be Final Destination, since it's so much fun, and all the installments are re-watchable.

[Bonzi]

I had to vote for the Romero series as it seems to be the most "stable" franchise. Even though Romero dropped the ball with his last outing, Survival of the Dead, all the previous films vary from decent(Diary of the Dead, Land of the Dead) to classic (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead) with Day of the Dead somewhere in-between.

[DisneyBlu]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

I voted for Scream. As weak as the third installment was, the franchise as a whole is very strong. It's got a series of great casts, each film (well other than 3) is well directed and a lot of fun. And they manage to mix humor and legitimate slasher horror perfectly.

If I had to pick a second choice then it would be Final Destination, since it's so much fun, and all the installments are re-watchable.

I could never get into the Scream series. I might have to revisit it sometime and give them another go. I also never particularly liked Halloween: 20 Years Later because it felt like a Scream movie. Right down to literally using the music.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

I could never get into the Scream series. I might have to revisit it sometime and give them another go. I also never particularly liked Halloween: 20 Years Later because it felt like a Scream movie. Right down to literally using the music.

Yeah, you should definitely give Scream another chance.

And good call on the 20 Years Later. Heh.

[Thomas Irwin]

Phantasm (based solely on overall quality - IMO - across all films). I'm not sure how this one got left off the list.

[cramped_misfit1990]

Nightmare On Elm Street... DUH! I like Halloween 1-3 and that' it. Friday the 13th 1-4 & 6-7 are awesome.

[nuril.anwary]

The uninvited (2009) n dead end (2003)

[Todd Tomorrow]

If talking overall franchise, I would chose the Final Destination films which I find the most consistently entertaining horror movie series, even if it doesn't include a genuine classic or two like the Alien, Halloween, The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw and Nightmare on Elm St films (and those series include one or two classics, some watchable and some genuinely terrible films). Even the two lesser Finals Destinations films, 3 and 4 are still great fun. In 3D the 4th film (arguably the weakest in the series) becomes one of the most effective films ever made for that medium.

On a more offbeat, classic note I'd like to mention the Val Lewton Cat People films. There is one classic, with a sequel every bit as good. Then there are two more loosely connected films: The Leopard Man continues with the cat theme and reworks several moments from the first film and the excellent witchcraft film The Seventh Victim appears to be a prequel, which shares a major character with Cat People.

I also love Argento's Three Mothers films. Suspiria and Inferno are masterpieces, while the third film is incredibly dumb, but surprisingly fun.

[StevenHarvey1990]

Even though Halloween is my favourite Horror movie I voted for The Evil Dead franchise.

Every single one of the other franchises has had at least one bad movie whereas The Evil Dead franchise hasn't failed to deliver IMO, including Evil Dead (2013).

[Impossible]

I'd probably go the .rec series which also isn't on the list. The 3rd was a bit of a dud and the 4th was also weaker, but the first 2 were so good I can forgive the weaker sequels.

Other than that The Omen and Scream probably had the most consistent quality across the films.

[Tuco_76]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

If talking overall franchise, I would chose the Final Destination films which I find the most consistently entertaining horror movie series,

[Show spoiler]even if it doesn't include a genuine classic or two like the Alien, Halloween, The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw and Nightmare on Elm St films (and those series include one or two classics, some watchable and some genuinely terrible films). Even the two lesser Finals Destinations films, 3 and 4 are still great fun. In 3D the 4th film (arguably the weakest in the series) becomes one of the most effective films ever made for that medium.

On a more offbeat, classic note I'd like to mention the Val Lewton Cat People films. There is one classic, with a sequel every bit as good. Then there are two more loosely connected films: The Leopard Man continues with the cat theme and reworks several moments from the first film and the excellent witchcraft film The Seventh Victim appears to be a prequel, which shares a major character with Cat People.

I also love Argento's Three Mothers films. Suspiria and Inferno are masterpieces, while the third film is incredibly dumb, but surprisingly fun.

Wow, now that's surprising , didn't like them at all.

For me Alien, best to worst, they're all entertaining to me, even AVP 1+2

[Scottie]

Insidious

[crow2k5]

Friday the 13th is the best with Halloween second. Also Hannibal movies & tv series are great too.

[cakefactory]

This list is incredible, since it makes me realize that there is apparently no such thing as a good franchise. The only thing on this entire list that doesn't have anything I outright dislike in it is Evil Dead, so I guess that would win by default.

Halloween - everything after 3 is downright bad, no way I'm ever rewatching any of them
The Exorcist - I love the original, I remember liking 3, haven't seen Dominion, 2 and 4 are really awful
Friday the 13th - I don't really like any of these besides 6
TCM - Don't like any of these besides the original, 2 is sort of amusing
Psycho - this is a pretty good candidate cause 1-4 are all good (1-2 being great), but the TV movie and the series are not very good
Poltergeist - 1 is great, 2 is sorta fun and has good effects, 3 is bad, remake is awful
NOES - another good candidate, I at least like 1-5 and love New Nightmare, but Freddy's Dead and that remake kill it
Scream - don't really like 1/2, haven't seen 3
Child's Play - 2 and 3 are very bad, I should get around to watching Bride of Chucky though since everyone seems to like it
Paranormal Activity - the first isn't very good and the second was just a complete waste of time, I don't have any interest in seeing more
Saw - I've only seen 1 (hated it) and 2 (sorta enjoyed it)
Insidious - haven't seen, but 2 movies surely doesn't count as a franchise? Oh, google says there's already a part 3 :P
Hellraiser - I watched 1-5, didn't really make a big impression, 3 was a lot of fun though
Final Destination - these are mostly very fun, especially 2, so I guess it's a better answer than most of these
Alien - AVP is so bad it pretty much disqualifies this from the running, I've never gotten into 4 either, but I love the first two and really like the third.
"Dead" movies - if he'd stopped after "Land of" that would be my answer, but he didn't. Ugh.
Evil Dead - first two are great, third is entertaining, I liked the remake too
The Ring - I love the remake and really like the original, there are so many lame sequels though
The Omen - 3/4/remake =
Amityville Horror - NONE of these are any good
Children of the Corn - see above
Hills Have Eyes - 2 is a gigantic joke, I haven't seen the remakes but I've heard they're good

Soooo, I guess Evil Dead would be first since it's the only one where watching every movie in the series is a painless experience. Other franchises with more than one good movie in them would be Phantasm and REC, I haven't seen Phantasm 4 and don't remember 3 well enough to say how good it was, but from what I've heard all 4 are pretty strong. REC's 3rd movie is downright terrible but it sounds like 4 is promising. The Fly movies would probably be another decent candidate except I've never watched Return of or Curse of, but the original is great, the remake is my second favorite horror movie of all time, and Fly II is a ton of fun just for the splattery effects.

Re-Animator and Basket Case are two franchises where I've been meaning to watch them all, but haven't yet.

The Quatermass movies are a good candidate, all three of the Hammer ones are legitimate classics. I haven't seen the TV ones though.

I haven't seen Ginger Snaps 3, but from what I've heard that might end up being my vote since it's supposed to be surprisingly good, much like the second.

If we're counting two movie franchises, then Gremlins would be my vote I kinda like Ghostbusters 2 as well. I still need to watch Descent 2.

Lucio Fulci's loose trilogy (City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, House by the Cemetery) would probably be second, if you count that!

Hammer's Frankenstein pictures are quite good. Evil of Frankenstein is the weak link, but even it is far better than most of the weak links in the franchises listed in the OP. Curse of, Revenge of, Created Woman, Must Be Destroyed, and Monster from Hell are all great. I'm cheating and tossing out Horror of Frankenstein cause it was an attempt to start a second Frankenstein franchise :P

The Hannibal Lecter "franchise" is another good one. Red Dragon is kinda weak, but still very watchable. The show is incredibly good. "Hannibal Rising" just kind of torpedoes it

[wonkavision]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

This list is incredible, since it makes me realize that there is apparently no such thing as a good franchise.

[Show spoiler]The only thing on this entire list that doesn't have anything I outright dislike in it is Evil Dead, so I guess that would win by default.

Halloween - everything after 3 is downright bad, no way I'm ever rewatching any of them
The Exorcist - I love the original, I remember liking 3, haven't seen Dominion, 2 and 4 are really awful
Friday the 13th - I don't really like any of these besides 6
TCM - Don't like any of these besides the original, 2 is sort of amusing
Psycho - this is a pretty good candidate cause 1-4 are all good (1-2 being great), but the TV movie and the series are not very good
Poltergeist - 1 is great, 2 is sorta fun and has good effects, 3 is bad, remake is awful
NOES - another good candidate, I at least like 1-5 and love New Nightmare, but Freddy's Dead and that remake kill it
Scream - don't really like 1/2, haven't seen 3
Child's Play - 2 and 3 are very bad, I should get around to watching Bride of Chucky though since everyone seems to like it
Paranormal Activity - the first isn't very good and the second was just a complete waste of time, I don't have any interest in seeing more
Saw - I've only seen 1 (hated it) and 2 (sorta enjoyed it)
Insidious - haven't seen, but 2 movies surely doesn't count as a franchise? Oh, google says there's already a part 3 :P
Hellraiser - I watched 1-5, didn't really make a big impression, 3 was a lot of fun though
Final Destination - these are mostly very fun, especially 2, so I guess it's a better answer than most of these
Alien - AVP is so bad it pretty much disqualifies this from the running, I've never gotten into 4 either, but I love the first two and really like the third.
"Dead" movies - if he'd stopped after "Land of" that would be my answer, but he didn't. Ugh.
Evil Dead - first two are great, third is entertaining, I liked the remake too
The Ring - I love the remake and really like the original, there are so many lame sequels though
The Omen - 3/4/remake =
Amityville Horror - NONE of these are any good
Children of the Corn - see above
Hills Have Eyes - 2 is a gigantic joke, I haven't seen the remakes but I've heard they're good

Soooo, I guess Evil Dead would be first since it's the only one where watching every movie in the series is a painless experience. Other franchises with more than one good movie in them would be Phantasm and REC, I haven't seen Phantasm 4 and don't remember 3 well enough to say how good it was, but from what I've heard all 4 are pretty strong. REC's 3rd movie is downright terrible but it sounds like 4 is promising. The Fly movies would probably be another decent candidate except I've never watched Return of or Curse of, but the original is great, the remake is my second favorite horror movie of all time, and Fly II is a ton of fun just for the splattery effects.

Re-Animator and Basket Case are two franchises where I've been meaning to watch them all, but haven't yet.

The Quatermass movies are a good candidate, all three of the Hammer ones are legitimate classics. I haven't seen the TV ones though.

I haven't seen Ginger Snaps 3, but from what I've heard that might end up being my vote since it's supposed to be surprisingly good, much like the second.

If we're counting two movie franchises, then Gremlins would be my vote I kinda like Ghostbusters 2 as well. I still need to watch Descent 2.

Lucio Fulci's loose trilogy (City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, House by the Cemetery) would probably be second, if you count that!

Hammer's Frankenstein pictures are quite good. Evil of Frankenstein is the weak link, but even it is far better than most of the weak links in the franchises listed in the OP. Curse of, Revenge of, Created Woman, Must Be Destroyed, and Monster from Hell are all great. I'm cheating and tossing out Horror of Frankenstein cause it was an attempt to start a second Frankenstein franchise :P

The Hannibal Lecter "franchise" is another good one. Red Dragon is kinda weak, but still very watchable. The show is incredibly good. "Hannibal Rising" just kind of torpedoes it

I thought the same thing when I first read this poll and voted with hesitation.
Totally forgot about Ginger Snaps, all three are good.

[cakefactory]

The three Cohen "It's Alive" movies are good, especially 1/2, but I'm guessing the remake is awful.

I need to watch Mother of Tears and the Lewton Cat People movies, I've had that double feature DVD for a while but haven't gotten around to it. I definitely liked the remake.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

This list is incredible, since it makes me realize that there is apparently no such thing as a good franchise. The only thing on this entire list that doesn't have anything I outright dislike in it is Evil Dead, so I guess that would win by default.

It depends whether you are a glass half full or half empty person. When half of the films are good, I suppose I'd call that a reasonably successful franchise. These things were rarely planned as a series. I film like Halloween comes along which became an instant classic and which (despite an open ending) was essentially completely self-contained. So by the second film you can see the strain to extend the story because it was never supposed to carry on. It's a surprise that there are decent sequels a all. I don't even look at Halloween and several others, as a franchise. They are one classic film with a trail of inferior sequels with a continuity held together by sticky tape. Some of these films are fun, but none of them come anywhere near the classic status of the first film.