What's the best horror movie franchise?

I went with Final Destination. Obviously, the first one is unbeatable. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to other horror flicks, mostly because the story actually felt original. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve rewatched it, and I still love it just as much today. The sequels? Eh, they're hit or miss.

But out of this list, I gotta shout out Saw and A Nightmare on Elm Street too.

Wait, so where the hell are The Omen, The Hills Have Eyes, Jaws, and The Exorcist?

And what about all those old VHS tapes?

Look, I already mentioned that The Omen, The Exorcist, Jaws, and The Hills Have Eyes aren't exactly my personal favorites—in my humble opinion, anyway—so I didn't bother including them. That’s exactly why the "Other" option exists; if you can't find your absolute favorite on this list, feel free to type in something else you actually love. 😉

Don't get me wrong, I'm a horror fan, but I'm hardly an encyclopedia of every single franchise out there. 🥳 I haven't even touched the V/H/S series yet. 🤷

I've only sat through four full movies from this bunch; for the others, I've only caught bits and pieces, so I’m going to hold off on voting for now. Instead, I'll focus on catching up on what I've missed—well, maybe not everything, Wrong Turn is one where I'll probably just stick to the first two, and I still need to check out the second and third entries of PA, though I couldn't care less about the rest of that series.

The Omen and The Exorcist are absolute classics, but honestly, if you actually had an ounce of taste 😬
, you would’ve thrown in Polanski’s Apartment Trilogy too.

Patrick Martin said:The Omen and The Exorcist are absolute classics, but honestly, if you actually had an ounce of taste 😬
, you would’ve thrown in Polanski’s Apartment Trilogy too.

Exactly—just the originals, the first films. The rest of the sequels aren't really worth mentioning (or being particularly popular), right? 🥳

If I started listing every horror franchise out there, this thread would be miles long. ☕ Just to reiterate: I only included the absolute heavy hitters!

If you take everything on the table and run the math—adding it all up and subtracting what doesn't fit—you're left with one thing: Halloween.

I’d personally advocate for a legal ban on movies like Tester, Hill Valley, and Turn... They are incredibly depraved films.

Emily Ward56 said:Look, I already mentioned that The Omen, The Exorcist, Jaws, and The Hills Have Eyes aren't exactly my personal favorites—in my humble opinion, anyway—so I didn't bother including them. That’s exactly why the "Other" option exists; if you can't find your absolute favorite on this list, feel free to type in something else you actually love. 😉

Don't get me wrong, I'm a horror fan, but I'm hardly an encyclopedia of every single franchise out there. 🥳 I haven't even touched the V/H/S series yet. 🤷

I've only sat through four full movies from this bunch; for the others, I've only caught bits and pieces, so I’m going to hold off on voting for now. Instead, I'll focus on catching up on what I've missed—well, maybe not everything, Wrong Turn is one where I'll probably just stick to the first two, and I still need to check out the second and third entries of PA, though I couldn't care less about the rest of that series.

Hold on. How is Wrong Turn better than The Exorcist series? Only the first Wrong Turn is worth anything; the rest are garbage. The first The Exorcist is a masterpiece, and the third one is one of the most underrated horror films out there. Or Final Destination. Those newer horror franchises are just for wannabe horror fans. Sure, Final Destination 🤣 as a whole series doesn't reach the level of the first The Exorcist, especially when you factor in the third one. Popularity? Jaws and The Exorcist are more iconic than Wrong Turn/Final Destination will ever be. Seriously, Jaws and The Exorcist changed cinema and had a massive impact on pop culture. That's why those two franchises HAD to be here, regardless of how terrible the later Jaws sequels are, aside from the second one which is actually decent.

By that logic, why is Halloween even on this list? The first one is great, and the hospital sequel holds up. Same goes for The Exorcist or Jaws. Nightmare on Elm Street? The first and third are killer, the rest are jokes. Friday the 13th? That series never really had a standout film like The Exorcist or Jaws did. Just like the Wrong Turn/Final Destination series.

Something smells fishy here. And Robin Carter3 makes a good point: where is the Apartment Trilogy? Three top-tier psychological horrors. Fine, maybe it's not a "classic" franchise.

But then it makes no sense to include Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, or Jason Voorhees when, just like The Exorcist or Jaws, they only have one great entry—or in the case of Friday the 13th, none of them are actually great.

But hey, at least Final Destination and Wrong Turn 👏 made the cut.

Anyway, Evil Dead ☕ thumbs up for that one. 👍

Out of the options listed for Halloween, I’m going with those, mostly because the first two films—especially the first one—hold a special place in my heart among this selection, though I did find myself torn when considering Evil Dead.

I’ve also got a soft spot for the Final Destination movies, but—let’s be real—in terms of pure cult status, they don't quite sit on the same level as Halloween. That said, in my opinion, Final Destination is an incredibly underrated franchise; for instance, you really have to hand it to them for the concept and the twist in Final Destination 5.

Why am I calling it underrated? It’s underrated when you compare it to franchises like Wrong Turn, which are absolute nothing compared to Final Destination. And honestly, regardless of how much anyone wants to argue with me on this, we all know what Friday the 13th is... just overhyped, cliché trash that people love simply because it’s from the 80s. But that doesn't make it any better than Final Destination. Even if FD follows certain tropes (aside from the original), the death sequences and the storytelling are far more original—not to mention that Friday the 13th is essentially a tired rip-off of something else (regardless of which era it came from). At least FD brings something unique to the table, unlike Friday the 13th, which is just a total headache for me—even as someone who appreciates the 70s and 80s.

Look, everyone, please don't get me started regarding The Exorcist 🙂—it’s easily my top horror pick. It isn't on this list because I can actually see the logic here; most of these seem to be treated as franchises, yet even The Exorcist has some genuinely worthy sequels like Emily Rose, or even The Exorcist III... and let's not forget Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, which isn't half bad either. Still, I get why it was left out—the author clearly wanted to focus on franchises that follow a very specific pattern... what I'd call a literal "story-to-story" progression (one film leading directly into the next plotline), whereas on the other hand:

THE EXORCIST WOULD ABSOLUTELY WIPE THE FLOOR WITH ALL THESE SAGES, HAHA 😁

wiredraven82 said:Out of the options listed for Halloween, I’m going with those, mostly because the first two films—especially the first one—hold a special place in my heart among this selection, though I did find myself torn when considering Evil Dead.

I’ve also got a soft spot for the Final Destination movies, but—let’s be real—in terms of pure cult status, they don't quite sit on the same level as Halloween. That said, in my opinion, Final Destination is an incredibly underrated franchise; for instance, you really have to hand it to them for the concept and the twist in Final Destination 5.

Why am I calling it underrated? It’s underrated when you compare it to franchises like Wrong Turn, which are absolute nothing compared to Final Destination. And honestly, regardless of how much anyone wants to argue with me on this, we all know what Friday the 13th is... just overhyped, cliché trash that people love simply because it’s from the 80s. But that doesn't make it any better than Final Destination. Even if FD follows certain tropes (aside from the original), the death sequences and the storytelling are far more original—not to mention that Friday the 13th is essentially a tired rip-off of something else (regardless of which era it came from). At least FD brings something unique to the table, unlike Friday the 13th, which is just a total headache for me—even as someone who appreciates the 70s and 80s.

I completely disagree. To me, that series is strictly for wannabe horror fans who still have a lot to learn.

wiredraven82 said:Out of the options listed for Halloween, I’m going with those, mostly because the first two films—especially the first one—hold a special place in my heart among this selection, though I did find myself torn when considering Evil Dead.

I’ve also got a soft spot for the Final Destination movies, but—let’s be real—in terms of pure cult status, they don't quite sit on the same level as Halloween. That said, in my opinion, Final Destination is an incredibly underrated franchise; for instance, you really have to hand it to them for the concept and the twist in Final Destination 5.

Why am I calling it underrated? It’s underrated when you compare it to franchises like Wrong Turn, which are absolute nothing compared to Final Destination. And honestly, regardless of how much anyone wants to argue with me on this, we all know what Friday the 13th is... just overhyped, cliché trash that people love simply because it’s from the 80s. But that doesn't make it any better than Final Destination. Even if FD follows certain tropes (aside from the original), the death sequences and the storytelling are far more original—not to mention that Friday the 13th is essentially a tired rip-off of something else (regardless of which era it came from). At least FD brings something unique to the table, unlike Friday the 13th, which is just a total headache for me—even as someone who appreciates the 70s and 80s.

Well, The Exorcist had to be included. That third installment is damn underrated and features one of the scariest scenes in horror history. The one in the hospital hallway 🙏 and the final struggle are effective and atmospheric. So, the first is a masterpiece, the third is very good, while the second is bad. If we include Emily Rose, then we get another quality sequel. It makes no sense to leave that series out when we know very few franchises in this poll have more than two good films, besides Evil Dead, obviously.☕

bluenomad2 said:I completely disagree. To me, that series is strictly for wannabe horror fans who still have a lot to learn.

Well, The Exorcist had to be included. That third installment is damn underrated and features one of the scariest scenes in horror history. The one in the hospital hallway 🙏 and the final struggle are effective and atmospheric. So, the first is a masterpiece, the third is very good, while the second is bad. If we include Emily Rose, then we get another quality sequel. It makes no sense to leave that series out when we know very few franchises in this poll have more than two good films, besides Evil Dead, obviously.☕

Regarding this watching FD, I don't agree with you, but fine. However, I will concede regarding The Exorcist—it absolutely belonged here. For me, it’s easily the best and most beloved horror ever made; it's basically the The Godfather of horror. Honestly, its sequels are better than the first movies in the Wrong Turn series, for crying out loud. 🙂

But you know as well as I do that if The Exorcist were listed, it would sweep this entire poll. Maybe that's why the OP didn't include it, but still...

No offense intended to the author or the poll itself, but it's a bit of a clumsy little thing. 🙂 I didn't want to be one of those people complaining about the poll... which is why I hesitated to say anything about The Exorcist earlier. I was trying to save the OP's ego, because they clearly put a lot of effort into the intro post, but whatever. Let's give the guy a break, haha. Look, if I can admit that The Exorcist is my holy grail, you can too. haha 🙂

You familiar with this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Files#Season_8? "Flight 180" Check it out.

And OP, don't worry about us rambling. We aren't attacking you personally. This was just a bit of an outlet. At the end of the day, what matters is you included 👍Ash Williams
.

I mean, if I had to pick, I’d probably give a slight edge to Jeopardy! over everything else, I guess. 🙂

bluenomad2 said:You familiar with this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Files#Season_8? "Flight 180" Check it out.

And OP, don't worry about us rambling. We aren't attacking you personally. This was just a bit of an outlet. At the end of the day, what matters is you included 👍Ash Williams
.

I'm not entirely sure about this 🙂

But it reminds me—in a way—of that one episode of The X-Files where Fox Mulder keeps looping back in time, constantly meeting his end only to wake up at the start of the day again. That specific concept was a brilliant bit of storytelling for me, even if the mechanics here aren't an exact match; if anything, what we're dealing with feels more like a sense of intense DEJA VU.🙂

The Grudge (the original version, including the White Ghost and Black Ghost spin-offs), V/H/S, and Paranormal Activity.

Those are really the only franchises where the sequels actually hold some water... they aren't just cases where the original was a one-hit wonder.

I’m voting for Evil Dead because they’re perfect no matter when you watch them (even the 2013 version hits the spot for me). Polanski just uses them to trash movies like Wrong Turn or anything else involving actual direction, solid ideas, or genuine scares after he finished his trilogy.

bluenomad2 said:I completely disagree. To me, that series is strictly for wannabe horror fans who still have a lot to learn.

Well, The Exorcist had to be included. That third installment is damn underrated and features one of the scariest scenes in horror history. The one in the hospital hallway 🙏 and the final struggle are effective and atmospheric. So, the first is a masterpiece, the third is very good, while the second is bad. If we include Emily Rose, then we get another quality sequel. It makes no sense to leave that series out when we know very few franchises in this poll have more than two good films, besides Evil Dead, obviously.☕

I’m honestly curious how you process movies in your head. If you were watching them the right way, you wouldn't even think to write something like that.

Final Destination is, first and foremost, a smart movie. Sure, it was made for a younger crowd, but older viewers can watch it without any issues. Why? Because the film weaves in philosophical questions, various phobias, gut feelings, and even misconceptions. Beyond just the title 'Final Destination,' there’s actually a deeper message here—death is present, it's inevitable, and nobody can run from it. Plus, we can look at the quote: you never know how bad luck might have saved you from an even worse stroke of luck.

Right at the start of the first movie, it poses a highly debatable philosophical question regarding the existence of God—something most of us grapple with during our teenage years—followed by several others:

They board the plane and hear/see a child crying:



which is followed by this comment:



Immediately after, there's the scene where they see a sick individual:



and the accompanying commentary:



So, just within these few scenes, there are more than just a couple of debatable philosophical and social questions, not to mention the question of God itself. And that's just the beginning...

Maybe it would have been better if this movie hadn't turned into a franchise, but regardless, it's a high-quality, intelligent film. Unlike most horror flicks, this one actually offers something intellectual and worth discussing. Reading your comment is honestly pretty funny, so, Remus, you might need to eat a bit more fish oil.