News

Better Late Than Never: 10 Franchises That Returned After a Long Hiatus

Published

7 years ago

October 20, 2017

In honor of the October 28th release of Jigsaw – the highly anticipated return of the Saw franchise after seven years of dormancy – iHorror has decided to take a quick look at some other horror franchises that came back to life after a long period of inactivity.

The 10 resurrections listed below range from the successful to the abysmal, and are listed in order of shortest gap in time to longest. It should be noted that we’re only counting franchises that returned with a sequel or prequel to the previous film, not a remake or reboot that overwrote the existing continuity. Let’s get started.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) to Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

After the critical and commercial failure of the Myers-less Halloween III – horror fans love it now, but audiences then despised it – it took six years for Michael to return and reignite his stalled franchise. There was another six year gap between 1989’s terrible Halloween 5, and 1995’s also pretty terrible Halloween 6.

Saw VII: The Final Chapter (2010) to Jigsaw (2017)

The inspiration for this piece, next weekend will see Jigsaw’s twisted game return to theaters, just in time for Halloween. After a long period where a new Saw entry was released every single year, it’s now been seven since fans got another addition to Jigsaw’s complex puzzle. Here’s hoping it’s worth the long wait.

Jason Goes to Hell (1993) to Jason X (2002)

After New Line Cinema acquired Jason in the early 90s, the first thing they did was try and kill him off. Jason’s trip to hell stuck for awhile, with it taking nine long years for Mrs. Voorhees’ baby boy to return for more bloodshed in the super fun future-set sequel Jason X. The world needs more Uber Jason.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) to Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

After meta sequel New Nightmare masterfully brought creator Wes Craven’s journey through the Elm Street series to a close, it took nine long years for Robert Englund to get back under the Freddy make-up in order to beat the crap out of Jason. Sadly, this marked the end of Englund’s tenure as the Springwood Slasher.

Seed of Chucky (2004) to Curse of Chucky (2013)

It’s fair to say that most Chucky fans were unimpressed by 2004’s ridiculously silly Seed, which served as franchise creator Don Mancini’s directorial debut. Yet, nine years later, Mancini returned to helm Curse, which took Chucky back to his sadistic roots, and is in the opinion of some the best sequel in the series.

Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) – Omen IV: The Awakening (1991)

Here’s a clear example of when a franchise resurrection wasn’t for the best. The Final Conflict wrapped up the original Omen trilogy nicely, and featured a brilliant performance from a young Sam Neill as Damien. Ten years later, the made for TV Omen IV featured Lifetime movie level acting and scares.

Scream 3 (2000) to Scream 4 (2011)

After an 11 year hiatus, late horror master Wes Craven came back to try and revive the Scream series for a new generation of young moviegoers. Scream 4 came and went from theaters without much fanfare, although it definitely has its fans, and it’s nice to see Sidney, Dewey, and Gale back together again.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

After grindhouse classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre put director Tobe Hooper on the map, it took him a whopping 12 years to return to the world of the cannibalistic Sawyer clan. Audiences at the time weren’t exactly thrilled by how comedic TCM2 ended up being, but the sequel’s stock has increased since then.

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) to The Exorcist III (1990)

Exorcist II’s reputation as being perhaps the worst sequel in horror history precedes it, and while there might actually be worse sequels, it’s hard to think of a bigger drop in quality from a first film to a second. Thankfully, The Exorcist III would arrive 13 years later to prove that not all Exorcist sequels have to suck.

Day of the Dead (1985) to Land of the Dead (2005)

Unlike most series, long delays between entries in the legendary George Romero’s Dead franchise were the exception instead of the rule. There was a 10 year gap between Night and Dawn, and then a 7 year gap between Dawn and Day. The longest period of inactivity occurred between Day and Land, which came out a whole 20 years apart. Fueled by the success of Zack Snyder’s 2004 remake of Dawn, Land saw Universal give Romero more money to work with than he would ever have before or since.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

12 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

14 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spirit Halloween (@spirithalloween)

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.