“Who would wanna do that? Sequels suck!” – Randy Scream 2
The concept of the direct sequel comes from the fact that the original did gang busters enough at the box office to warrant another film. So why do 80% of them fucking suck balls? I could write another blog post on that topic alone but lets just say for the most part they are rushed. Bigger budget in most cases, but rushed. So I wanted to dip my toe in the waters of the horror genres part two’s and list in my opinion the best of the best and make a top 5 list. So sit back and relax, as I weed through all the garbage and pluck out five part two gems.
Number Five- Pet Semetary 2 (1992)
Back in the late 80’s/early 90’s is when my love for the horror genre began. One of those early favorites was Pet Semetary directed by Mary Lambert, ( I even read the book ) so when the sequel came out also directed by Mary Lambert, I needed to see it as soon as I could. Lambert purposely made this film more over the top than its predecessor and that fact shows immediately as we see the one and only Clancy Brown giggling at rabbits having sex in his rabbit cage in his backyard. Yep, and were off to the races. Not only do we got Clancy, we also got Eddie Furlong!!! LFG! This non stop bat shit crazy train starts right away and doesn’t let up. After Gus played by Clancy shoots his girlfriends sons dog bc he electrocuted himself in Gus’s rabbit cage, he straight up blows him away his dog Zowie with his rifle! Talk about 1 to a 100! So of course my man Furlong talks his friend into burying Zowie in the Indian burial ground. What could possibly go wrong right? Later that night we get a pretty killer dream sequence by Furlong with Zowie’s Head on his dead mothers body in a rocking chair. When he awakes he does see a Zombie Zowie sitting in the rocking chair looking totes Bad Ass! Fast forward to Gus crashing a Halloween party at the Pet Semetary he is attacked by zombie zowie killing him instantly prompting to, you guessed it burying that son of a bitch in the indian burial ground too. Enter one of my personal favorite Horror characters ever ( yes, you heard me.) Zombie Gus! Him laughing with, what I believe is green bean soup falling out of his mouth is madness. After a couple of unforgettable zombie Gus kills and two more indian burial visits in the bully and Furlongs mother. We get an epic three way dance fight in the attic where we get zombie puke, some burning flesh and a sad feeling as Furlong has to see his mom die for the second time. This selection may come to a surprise to alot of people reading this but damnit, its an old favorite of mine and its my list dang it!
Number 4- Final Destination 2 (2003)
If you’re asking yourself does this one really belong on this list? Tell me you have never once driven on a highway by yourself or with a group of people and spotted a truck hauling a massive amount of timber logs and not mention the Highway sequence in Final Destination 2. New Line Cinema knew that had a hit franchise potential on their hands after the success of the first film and even with the fact that it was a new writing team and a new director they went ahead anyway, and thank God they did because the franchise got bloodier and in a lot of ways better from here. Like I said the opening Highway crash sequence is one for the record books in the history of the horror genre, once you see it, you can never unsee it. I recall watching this in the theaters and it being a blast with the large crowd. For the most part its an all new cast since the original outside of Ari Larter who is there to help the new cast from the clutches of death as shes locked on in a mental institute after the events of the past film. She’s is so attractive, don’t get me started. and of course the cameo of the legendary Tony Todd. This one smartly follows the same now famous Final Destination formula. Our characters escape death in the opening highway crash so now death is pissed and ready to kill off each one of them off and man are the gruesome! Ladder in the eye, plain of glass fallen from the sky, elevator decapitation, and many more. All the deaths were created with mostly practical effects and it shows. As far as the plot goes, the writers found an interesting way to tie in this film with the original. In many ways I feel Final Destination 2 out shines it predecessor and that’s why its at number 4.
Number 3- Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981)
Released just one year after the original Friday the 13Th, part 2 is the first time we see a grown ass Jason Vorhees! Yes, One hole cut out Potato sack Jason. Why wouldn’t Jay just cut out two holes? Was he that insecure about his disfigured face? Guess so. This film was also the debut of Jason’s shack in the woods, a shack I believe was very under utilized in future sequels. The cast in this one is for the most part is forgettable except good ol’ number 81, wheelchaired Mark and that infamous machete shot deep into the face but what made it even more iconic was hilarious backwards trip poor mark took down those long steps straight out of The Exorcist. Eventually the kill became one of the series’ most infamous kills. A spear kill and a couple of cool POV kills later, we eventually get to the final girl vs Jason showdown. After a few well timed ECW like chair shots, this brawl culminates in Jason’s Love shack where we see MRS. Vorhees severed old head surrounded by candles. Very romantic. A tussle with Jenny and Paul in the shack leaves Jason dead…… until a few minutes later he comes crashing though the window mask less looking like a beat up hillbilly Jim after an all night bender. We then get a white flash and Jenny is being lifted into an ambulance and Paul is nowhere to be found, so who knows what happened. The End. This was by no means the best slasher ever, was not even the best Friday sequel but it was one of the best part 2’s, alot of firsts in this one and it lands at number 3 on my list.
Number 2- Scream 2 (1997)
Scream 2 is… number 2 here. The dynamic duo of Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson return to build on what was in many ways a genre saving movie in Scream just a year earlier. Scream 2 has a somewhat meta approach just as the first one did on the horror genre, Scream two comments on horror sequels. The core cast returns and is focused of course around Neve Campbells iconic Sydney Prescot. Bigger budget, higher body count and a considerably gorier film than the original. Much like Drew Barrymore being slaughtered in the first one, in this one Demon Knight herself Jada Pinkett Smith gets the blade in the cold open in a very memorable movie theater sequence. First things first, I always thought Buffy the Vampire, aka CC, aka SMG was super cute in this. Even the name CC is hot for some reason. Spoiler alert, she doesn’t make it through Ghostfaces wrath. This sequel does a great job just as the first one did as a constant who dunnit game you play with in own mind while you watch the film you try to determine who the killer is. Thinking back to my first viewing, I have no recollection on if I guessed the killers or not. Deputy Dooey making ridiculous faces as he tries to figure out who is the killer, Randy even more paranoid running around screaming about horror sequels (RIP) Gale Weathers still the bitch that she always has been and as always does a fantastic job. When we get to the end climax sequence we discover the main killer is MRS. Loomis, yes Billy from the original’s mother. The main core cast all survive in what was a hell of a good sequel which propelled the Scream franchise to even higher stages.
Number 1- Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Personally Evil Dead 2 is one of those first horror movies I ever remember watching as a kid. Going through my Dad’s huge collection of VHS tapes I stumbled upon this one morning and my young brain at the time couldn’t compute what was happening on screen but I knew I loved it and was forever hooked. The legendary duo returns from the first Evil Dead to bring a more slap stick approach as apposed to the straight up horror that the first one was. That duo is of course Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. The first 15 minutes is roughly a reboot of evil dead 1 and then after were through that its off to the batshit crazy ride in the 68 Delta. To the hand held POV shots on acid chasing ash through the walls of the cabin are of legend and i’m still not even sure how they pulled it off. “We just cut up our girlfriend with a chainsaw. Does that sound fine?” This movie is absolutely loaded with memorable scenes much like the evil ash in the mirror bit I just referenced. Others is the possessed Ash hand beating the shit out of Ash in the kitchen before being sawed off by El Hefe himself. Ash having a mini dance off with a desk lamp, the lunacy goes on and on. As a group led by Annie comes to the cabin looking for Annie’s missing Father the carnage continues leading to more deadite possessions and more bloody kills ( red and green ) Wrapping it up with an unforgettable fight for survival with Henryetta for the lost pages of the book of the dead, Ash and Annie come out on top unfortunately for the duo Annie gets stabbed in the back by Ashes hand and Ash himself is teleported back to the year 1300 to set up another classic sequel in Army of Darkness. Overall for me. there was no dispute which film would be number one on this list of part 2’s for me. Evil Dead 2 like I said, is no doubt one of the first horror films I watched and formed my love and appreciation for the genre. Evil Dead 2 is the best part 2 there is. “Groovy.”
Ps. Just so you guys know, the only reason why Aliens is not on this list is because I always considered that an Action movie. A absolute classic movie, albeit an action movie.
by Hugh Patrick (Terrified State)
Terrified State 