50 Worst Horror Movie Sequels

Return To Sleepaway Camp (2008)

The Horror: Camp Manabe is open again, and it isn’t long before the bodies start piling up in the usually grisly Sleepaway Camp manner.

Why So Terrible? The other Sleepaway Camp sequels weren’t exactly masterpieces, but this belated fifth entry (which ignores the events of SCII and III) tops them all for absolute inanity. Terrible twist, too.

Blade: Trinity (2004)

The Horror: Blade falls in with some geeky, teched-up vampire hunters that include the iPod-loving Abigail (Jessica Biel) and the gym-loving Hannibal (Ryan Reynolds).

Why So Terrible? Blade’s barely in it. Ryan Reynolds is in full cheesy action hero mode. And Dracula’s a beefcake. Just don’t.

Candyman: Day Of The Dead (1999)

The Horror: Candyman’s back, this time attempting to convince his descendent Caroline McKeever (Donna D’Errico) to become a part of his legend. Or something.

Why So Terrible? A heroine who’s a former Baywatch babe? That’s just the first blunder in this straight-to-DVD threequel, which tries nothing new and is basically just a cheap rehash of the first two films.

Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997)

The Horror: Space marines encounter a leprechaun who’s kidnapped an alien princess. Then there’s something about a mad scientist, and a whole lot of people blowing each other up.

Why So Terrible? Sure, it’s a camp classic, and one of the funniest movie titles we’ve ever seen, but that doesn’t excuse its existence.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)

The Horror: Hellraiser II blew us away with its dark expansion of the Hellverse. Hellraiser III takes a big steaming dump on that progress, as a reporter tries to return Pinhead to Hell…

Why So Terrible? Hellraiser III introduced the concept of movie-specific coenobites, and the CD abomination really takes the biscuit in a sequel that seems to think it's a Nightmare On Elm Street film. Total and utter tosh.

Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006)

The Horror: Why Lance Henrikson agreed to (briefly) appear in this schlocky low-budget sequel is beyond us. The plot? Pumpkinhead's summoned again to get revenge for some snivelling low-life... you know the drill.

Why So Terrible? “He threw their loved ones into a swamp. Now they want revenge... But when a demon does their dirty work, it comes at a price.” That’s the film’s overly-verbose tagline. It’s as inept as the film itself.

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

The Horror: Remember Halloween H20? Pretty decent wasn’t it? Tied up the franchise nicely, right? Wrong. Resurrection undoes all that good work by unceremoniously offing Laurie Strode (in the worst way possible), then folding in some horrible reality TV hijinks. Unbearable.

Why So Terrible? We’ll say just this: Busta Rhymes vs Michael Myers. And now we’re going to go and cry in a corner.

Pet Semetary II (1992)

The Horror: New undead victims fall foul of the Indian cemetery. Yada yada yada, it stars Edward Furlong.

Why So Terrible? You read the bit about it starring Edward Furlong, right? That aside, this sequel goes the ‘more is more’ route, and comes a cropper because of that. Don’t waste your time.

American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002)

The Horror: A college student (Mila Kunis) gets a taste for blood that might help her bag her dream job as, er, classroom assistant…

Why So Terrible? It completely and utterly ruins the mystique of the original film by branding Patrick Bateman a psycho, where the original American Psycho made us question if his murders were all just fantasy. Unforgivable.

Critters 2 (1988)

The Horror: Brad (Scott Grimes) has grown up, but those pesky critters are back on Earth causing mischief. Thank goodness Charlie (Don Keith Opper) is still around to help…

Why So Terrible? OK, so Critters 4 is arguably as bad, but Critters 2 started the ball rolling downhill – literally in the case of a ridiculous giant critter-ball that demolishes a small town. Utter pap.

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.