In true Wes Craven fashion, theScreamfranchise has always been extremely transparent in its exposition of self-awareness and meta-messaging. 2022’sScream, the fifth installment in the franchise, directed byReady or Notfilmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, is no exception. Like the otherScreamfilms, the film was self-aware of its existence as both a reboot and a sequel, or “re-quel”, as they explain in the film.
Update July 01, 2025: This article has been updated with even more horror films that deserve to get the Scream treatment of a re-quel.
After David Gordon Green’sHalloween"re-quel" trilogy, starting in 2018, as well as 2022’sScreamand the recentThe Exorcist: Believerrelease, this could be a new filmmaking focus in the horror genre. The idea of revisiting a classic horror franchise with a re-quel opens the door for many iconic series that have been dormant for years. Here are horror films that deserve the re-quel treatment, as they can be sequels that also toss aside parts of a franchise’s long-running mythology.
8Underworld
Our wishful thinking about a reboot of this property is not exactly misplaced, given the latest statements of longtime producer Len Wiseman. The creative recently announcedUnderworldwould return with a different cast and likely new storylines to explore this vast world. The premise of a longstanding secret war between Vampires and Werewolves (known in the series as Lycans)is ripe for deep exploration into its lore, with past events and other characters aside from Selene ready to be exploited in a newly revamped universe that can be more stylized and better structured than the last one. Let’s hope Sony and Screen Gems can work something out real soon!
It’s amusing to think about this film franchise past the classic films released in the 1950s/60s or the duology released in the 1980s starring Jeff Goldblum and Eric Stoltz. While the first films featured the star power of Vincent Price, the remake ofThe Flyhad incredible creatives behind it, with Mel Brooks acting as producer andDavid Cronenberg directing the first feature.
AlthoughThe Fly IIended on a positive note for the characters, the story was continued in comic book form with the seriesThe Fly: Outbreak, exploring the further adventures of Seth Brundle’s son causing a transgenic outbreak after attempting to cure Anton Bartok, whom he’d left deformed at the end of the second film. The franchise is currently in limbo, with 20th Century Studios offering chances to Renny Harlin, Guillermo Del Toro, and Michael Bay to create treatments but never getting to actual development for any of these projects.
6A Nightmare on Elm Street
Freddy Krueger is one of cinema’s most iconic horror villains, but it has been over a decade since he was last seen on the big screen with the failed 2010 reboot starring Jackie Earl Haley. While the issue with doing anotherNightmare on Elm Streetmovie might have to do with not wanting to replace original star Robert Englund, one final film with the actor returning after all these years might be the best way to conclude the series. It also could lay the groundwork for a new killer to take Freddy’s place, one that could carry on the franchise soA Nightmare on Elm Streetcan continue beyond Freddy Krueger.
528 Days Later
28 Days Laterreinvented the zombie film in 2002. It was quickly followed by a sequel in 2007 titled28 Weeks Later. Yet it has now been over fifteen years since the previous film, and still, no word on a third film, even though the third one ended on a big cliffhanger with the zombie virus spreading across the world. While originally it was thought a third film would be titled28 Months Later, now it almost feels like thefilm should jump forward and do28 Years Laters(28 years from the original 2002 film would be 2030, so it is approaching soon).
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Such a massive leap into the future would show a drastically different world than one viewer knows and could really make the film stand apart from not just its two predecessors but other zombie films. Both28 Days Laterand28 Weeks Laterare two of the best horror films, and audiences would certainly rush out for a third one.
4Final Destination
Having Death as the ultimate killer in a slasher series makes for an incredible premise.The Final Destinationis a series of five films. The series, knownfor being gruesome to the core, has managed to make $657 million across a decade. This franchise would be best served with a complete reboot by switching a few elements and making others more lasting. Mortician William Bludworth, played by Tony Todd, should be the constant in all these films; his presence as a harbinger of Death speaks volumes with audiences, and leaving him out in a few of the entries is a disservice to the franchise.
A sequel is currently in development.Final Destination 6: Bloodlineswas announced in 2022 and is currently waiting to enter production once the SAG-AFTRA strike is complete. It will be interesting to see how the franchise will acknowledge its past.
3Night of the Living Dead
TheLiving Deadfranchise hasn’t been great for some time, though the original 1968 film did spawn two excellent sequels,Dawn of the Dead(1978) andDay of the Dead(1985). After those two films, the franchise started to trend downward as filmmaker George A. Romero got older and began to focus on other films. With his passing, it may be time for a new director to reboot the franchise, still using the events of the first film (or even the first three) and creating that genuine socio-political messaging that was relevant then and now but making it more modern.
We could imagine an extremely successfulNight of the Living Deadreboot from the mind of Nia DaCosta, Guillermo del Toro, Jordan Peele, or Bong Joon-ho, and any of those directors have the practical effects experience to make the film truly memorable.
2The Howling
Released in 1981,The Howlingis a werewolf movie that details a community of werewolves. It is a great horror film and one that is just as great today as it was when it was released.The Howlingends on an interesting note, with the world discovering the existence of werewolves as a news reporter transforms live on television.
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The film franchise had plenty of sequels, but none of them were very good or memorable. This is a franchise that certainly needs to wipe the slate clean of its original entries and instead pick up in the aftermath of the first film. Show what happens to a world where everyone knows werewolves exist. This opens the door to some exciting story possibilities. Similar to the movieDaybreakers, which showed a world where vampires ran the world, maybe show a world where werewolves are the literal top dog.
1Friday the 13th
Talk about a franchise that has gone through rights issues, sequels, and development hell;Friday the 13this absolutely due for a reboot sequel. Honestly, the 2009 remake was a great start, but anasty lawsuitbetween original writer Victor Miller and original director Sean S. Cunningham has halted any movement within the franchise for the last five years. Even though there have been legal settlements, the rights have been split up, so we still may be waiting a while for this one.
Regardless, either a sequel to the 2009 film or just starting over after the events of the original film and introducing a new Jason Voorhees in aPart IIreboot seems like the best direction for the franchise to go. It has been far too long since Jason Voorhees was on screen.
