It’s spooky season. So despite the number of other movie threads right now, it’s the perfect time for a sequel to the Best Horror Movies of All Time thread. But a sequel just isn’t enough when it comes to the horror genre; we can’t just stop at 2. We’re going to take it up to 11 and do the Best Horror Movies Franchises of All Time.
Here are the rules:
Okay. That’s a lot of rules, and I’ve said the word “franchise” enough that it’s starting to not feel like a word. Here’s the definitive list:
5. Hellraiser
There are so many reasons on so many levels to love this series of 11 films. It has low-budget roots, horrors that range from high level cerebral to body horror to low brow gore, amazing aesthetics and visuals, and IMNSHO more sheer creativity than Nightmare on Elm Street. #2 is my personal favorite, but I hold most of the others, including the reboot, in high regard for vastly different reasons. But I am forced to admit that Revelations and Judgement are complete stinkers not even worth watching, which holds this back on my list.
4. Frankenstein (Universal)
Includes the OG 1931 version, Bride Of, Son Of, Ghost Of, Meets the Wolfman, House Of, House of Dracula, and Abbot and Costello Meet. The 1931 classic isn’t the first monster movie, but it’s pretty close. This series codified so many parts of long form horror that it’s hard to imagine what current franchises would look like without this as the backbone. The special effects may not exactly hold up as shocking today, but that doesn’t stop any of these movies from being an instantly recognizable visual masterpiece. The Bride of Frankenstein is still recognized as one of films best sequels. Even the lower tier entries are worth the watch, and the comedy finale film is a classic in its own way. Let’s pay our respects.
3. Hannibal Lecter
At only 5 films, this is the shortest series to make my top list (and probably the most cinematically respectable, too). Silence of the Lambs is obviously the high point, and Hannibal Rising the lowest. But every one is a good film worthy of enjoyment. So many good actors. So many classic scenes.
2. V/H/S
Simply an amazing series of horror anthologies. A whopping 8 movies so far in the prime series, with two in the works (one more releases soon this year, and another in 2027). Plus, two of the shorts have been spun out as full length movies. Obviously, some shorts are better than others. But every film is a solid block that can stand on its own, and each features an interesting framing device. The quality is consistently very, very good. I love horror anthologies in general; they’re great to watch and great for the industry. And this series continues to do the genre great justice with no signs of slowing down.
1. Alien
Alien is my #2 horror film of all time, with Aliens being one of the best sequels of all time. And I will stand and argue the merits of every single film in the series. You can’t be perfect across 9 films, but this is as close as a decades-spanning franchise gets to it.
Honorable Mentions:
As a final list, I would be remiss without giving credit to horror series that are notable for their sheer tenacity to keep putting out films. The horror genre is full of low-budget shelf fillers with a vast range of quality. Did you know that there are 4 Pumpkinhead movies? 5 Sleepaway Camps? 7 Wrong Turns? 11 Children of the Corn? Let’s give special recognition to the high scores:
1. Witchcraft: 17 movies
I think I’ve only seen one of these, and it was so forgettable I may have seen more and not even know it. But it gets its credit as the longest horror movie franchise known.
2. Puppet Master: 15 movies
I love (some) Charles Band movies. IMNSHO he’s the best at low-budget schlock since Roger Corman. I’ve seen a ton of these, but I have no way of knowing exactly which ones. I highly recommend wading into this series if you’re in the mood for trash.
3. The Ring: 14 movies
That’s 10 Japanese, 3 American, and 1 Korean. Also, there about 5 unlicensed knock offs that occasionally get mixed in. The OG Ring and Ringu are shining beacons that are among the best films of all time. The rest are all significantly lower tier, ranging from interesting to depressing.
So, what do you think is the Best Horror Movie Franchise of all time? Are you a Freddy fan, an Evil Dead devotee, or just an Insidious freak? Tell us what you think deserves to be at the top. Unless you want to stan for The Conjuring universe. In which case, sorry, ya basic.
Here are the rules:
- Must be “horror”. That means scary; a series intended to induce feelings of terror, fright, fear, and panic. You decide what that means, whether it's gore, suspense, psychological, etc. It doesn’t mean how romance serials scare you because you have a fear of commitment, or how High School Musical is secretly a scary psyop.
- Must be the "best". Not just a personal favorite or phobia. Based on some measure of real quality, judged by your own standards. But how that plays out across a franchise is completely up to you to decide, argue, and defend. Can one perfect movie carry a dozen cash grabs and still be the best? How much of a stain does one stinker leave? Are 10 B+ movies better than 4 As? Discuss!
- Must be at least four (4) movies. That’s more than a trilogy. The movies do not have to be theatrically released. Direct-to-video and streaming-only movies count.
- Must be judged only by movies. Lots of movie franchises also have TV shows, comics, books, video games, and more. And we’re happy for them. But none of that extra stuff factors into this debate. The Best Horror Movie Franchise is judged by only the movies in the franchise.
- Must be a franchise. That means a series of films grouped by similar characters, situations, storyline, etc., in the form of a licensable IP. Within a franchise, this includes all licensed sequels, reboots, remakes, and the like. A franchise does not include “spiritual successors”, foreign knock offs, or unlicensed productions. For public domain IP, each legally distinct re-imagining counts as its own franchise. For example, Universal’s Dracula is one franchise and Hammer’s Dracula is another, because both are independently made and legally distinct. But Universal’s Mummy, Hammer’s Mummy, and Brendan Frasier’s Mummy are all the same franchise, because Hammer and Stephen Sommers licensed their Mummy characters and stories from Universal.
- Crossover movies count as movies in each of their respective franchises. But the existence of a crossover does not conjoin two series. So Freddy Vs. Jason counts as a movie for both the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the Thirteenth franchises, but they are still considered two independent franchises.
- Cameos, gags, background characters, re-used props, etc., also do not combine franchises for the purpose of this discussion (even if licensed). Casper is not a Ghostbusters movie. Predator II is not an Alien movie (but AvP is both an Alien and Predator movie). Basically, the intent here is give all franchises their full breadth, but not to make a horror version of the Tommy Westphall universe.
- No limits on language, time, or anything similar.
- You’re absolutely allowed to have an opinion on a franchise even if you haven’t seen every movie in the franchise.
- Please list at least 3, no more than 10.
- Please use spoiler tags where needed.
Okay. That’s a lot of rules, and I’ve said the word “franchise” enough that it’s starting to not feel like a word. Here’s the definitive list:
5. Hellraiser
There are so many reasons on so many levels to love this series of 11 films. It has low-budget roots, horrors that range from high level cerebral to body horror to low brow gore, amazing aesthetics and visuals, and IMNSHO more sheer creativity than Nightmare on Elm Street. #2 is my personal favorite, but I hold most of the others, including the reboot, in high regard for vastly different reasons. But I am forced to admit that Revelations and Judgement are complete stinkers not even worth watching, which holds this back on my list.
4. Frankenstein (Universal)
Includes the OG 1931 version, Bride Of, Son Of, Ghost Of, Meets the Wolfman, House Of, House of Dracula, and Abbot and Costello Meet. The 1931 classic isn’t the first monster movie, but it’s pretty close. This series codified so many parts of long form horror that it’s hard to imagine what current franchises would look like without this as the backbone. The special effects may not exactly hold up as shocking today, but that doesn’t stop any of these movies from being an instantly recognizable visual masterpiece. The Bride of Frankenstein is still recognized as one of films best sequels. Even the lower tier entries are worth the watch, and the comedy finale film is a classic in its own way. Let’s pay our respects.
3. Hannibal Lecter
At only 5 films, this is the shortest series to make my top list (and probably the most cinematically respectable, too). Silence of the Lambs is obviously the high point, and Hannibal Rising the lowest. But every one is a good film worthy of enjoyment. So many good actors. So many classic scenes.
2. V/H/S
Simply an amazing series of horror anthologies. A whopping 8 movies so far in the prime series, with two in the works (one more releases soon this year, and another in 2027). Plus, two of the shorts have been spun out as full length movies. Obviously, some shorts are better than others. But every film is a solid block that can stand on its own, and each features an interesting framing device. The quality is consistently very, very good. I love horror anthologies in general; they’re great to watch and great for the industry. And this series continues to do the genre great justice with no signs of slowing down.
1. Alien
Alien is my #2 horror film of all time, with Aliens being one of the best sequels of all time. And I will stand and argue the merits of every single film in the series. You can’t be perfect across 9 films, but this is as close as a decades-spanning franchise gets to it.
Honorable Mentions:
- Romero’s Zombies: Consistently good but limited in scope.
- Halloween: Amazing peaks mixed with embarrassing continuity.
- Final Destination: A personal favorite, but admittedly cheesy.
- Saw: The highs are high and the lows are low.
- Nightmare on Elm Street: Creative but inconsistent.
As a final list, I would be remiss without giving credit to horror series that are notable for their sheer tenacity to keep putting out films. The horror genre is full of low-budget shelf fillers with a vast range of quality. Did you know that there are 4 Pumpkinhead movies? 5 Sleepaway Camps? 7 Wrong Turns? 11 Children of the Corn? Let’s give special recognition to the high scores:
1. Witchcraft: 17 movies
I think I’ve only seen one of these, and it was so forgettable I may have seen more and not even know it. But it gets its credit as the longest horror movie franchise known.
2. Puppet Master: 15 movies
I love (some) Charles Band movies. IMNSHO he’s the best at low-budget schlock since Roger Corman. I’ve seen a ton of these, but I have no way of knowing exactly which ones. I highly recommend wading into this series if you’re in the mood for trash.
3. The Ring: 14 movies
That’s 10 Japanese, 3 American, and 1 Korean. Also, there about 5 unlicensed knock offs that occasionally get mixed in. The OG Ring and Ringu are shining beacons that are among the best films of all time. The rest are all significantly lower tier, ranging from interesting to depressing.
So, what do you think is the Best Horror Movie Franchise of all time? Are you a Freddy fan, an Evil Dead devotee, or just an Insidious freak? Tell us what you think deserves to be at the top. Unless you want to stan for The Conjuring universe. In which case, sorry, ya basic.
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