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With decades upon decades of horror franchises available on streaming services or through Blu-Ray collections, selecting what to watch is far from a simple matter. To make that process a bit more straightforward, let’s put together a collection of some of the best horror movie series that will bring the terror on any night, let alone Halloween.
Note: For a franchise to count, it has to have at least three entries. This is the main reason Gremlins didn’t make the cut. Also, for the especially long franchises, some recommended entries will be bolded.
8 Phantasm
Phantasm is among the most underrated horror franchises of all time. The movies revolve around the “Tall Man,” an enigmatic threat that seeks to take over the world by creating essentially zombies.
This is one of those rare series that arguably improves with its sequels, at least in the sense that the follow-up films are more immediately exciting than the (still good) Phantasm. Experimental, ambitious, and boasting a genuinely terrifying central antagonist, Phantasm is an unforgettable trip through dimensions.
7 Hatchet
The Hatchet movies venture very close to parody territory as they play around with the tropes of the slasher genre, however, the franchise also works well as a gorefest. Adam Green’s series centers around Victor Crowley, a disfigured entity who lives inside a swamp and tends to favor gruesome kills.
A thing that separates the Hatchet movies from lesser slasher flicks is that the human characters tend to not be dumb as bricks; sure, they are hardly savants, but they aren’t constantly making stupid decisions just to keep the plot going. All four films are funny and easy sits, permitting someone can handle their blood.
6 Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho didn’t need a sequel, yet Norman Bates has a career that can rival the likes of Chucky and Freddy Krueger. The original’s legacy as a masterpiece of suspense and misdirection is well-cemented, but the sequels are shockingly good, particularly Psycho 2. Anthony Perkins appears in the first three movies, and he gives strong performances in each.
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Naturally, none of the sequels are as groundbreaking as Hitchcock’s classic, however, they are above average horror films that shouldn’t be dismissed either. Psycho 4 is a serviceable prequel that was retroactively made obsolete by the Bates Motel series, although the movie is fine on its own. Gus Van Sant’s Psycho remake is only worth watching for those who wish to see Vince Vaughn do a Perkins impersonation.
5 Basket Case
Frankly, Frank Henenlotter’s entire fiction filmography is a great shout for Halloween, especially 1988’s Brain Damage. However, the director’s magnum opus is the Basket Case trilogy, and they are wonderfully bizarre. The story revolves around two conjoined twins who were separated close after their birth, something neither of them appreciated. One of the siblings, Belial, is also quite different. In the first film, the brothers want to become one again, although the sequels move away from this premise.
Getting more outlandish with each entry, the Basket Case trilogy throws all caution to the wind as the story becomes more unpredictable and entertaining. While the definition of low budget, Basket Case’s uses its rough aesthetic to its favor, and the puppets are chilling.
4 Halloween
Halloween has to be included, even if the franchise’s length and inconsistent quality make it difficult to binge-watch in its entirety. As David Gordon Green’s recent entries are direct sequels to John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher film, they provide a useful mini-series for watch party purposes.
Along with 1974’s Black Christmas, Halloween helped make the slasher flick a mainstay of the horror genre, establishing many of its conventions and tropes along the way. Halloween has been replicated so much that it might seem slightly tame by today’s standards, however, that also serves as a testament to the movie’s brilliance. Although it doesn’t feature Myers, Halloween 3: Season of the Witch is a delight.
3 Child’s Play
Horror’s most famous living toy, Chuky has been on a murder spree for the best part of three decades. Walking the line between horror and comedy, Child’s Play has arguably never reached the heights of the slasher genre’s most celebrated franchises, but none of its movies are unwatchable either.
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Chucky’s most recent bloody romps have been consistently solid, and typically emphasize the character’s vicious nature over his tendency for one-liners. The original Child’s Play is also an entertaining ’80s slasher flick.
2 A Nightmare On Elm Street
Is there any slasher movie villain who loves what he does as much as Freddy Krueger? The killer goes out of his way to conjure up creative deaths for most of his victims, and he really thinks outside of the box in the later entries in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
Despite losing some steam following Dream Warriors, this series is still routinely entertaining, be it through its absurdly elaborate death sequences or Freddy’s hammy antics A Nightmare on Elm Street is perfect for Halloween.
1 Evil Dead
The franchise that put Sam Raimi on the map, Evil Dead takes viewers on a trip unlike any other in the horror spectrum. Debuting as almost a standard fright fest, the original trilogy increases its comedic elements as it progresses, a change that amplifies the franchise’s appeal rather than dilutes it.
From the gory horror of the original to the time-traveling shenanigans of Army of Darkness, each entry in the Evil Dead franchise feels unique while still evolving naturally from its predecessor. Even 2013’s Evil Dead is a decent watch.
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