Sequels/Prequels I Prefer Over The Original

Leaning more into camp but never letting go of the grueling horror of the original, Evil Dead II is an all-out romp that also distills its protagonist into an icon.

If there ever was a case for "bigger is better" it was this action/sci-fi masterpiece.

Sticking to everything that worked in the first and "fixing" the faults (better action, role replacement) upped the quality but it was the taut, suspenseful story and a villain portrayal for the ages that ensured this one would stand head and shoulders above its predecessor.

Long overlooked, Day's day has truly come as more people realize that behind the stellar gore lies a riveting piece about the fragile nature of society.

Fan-favorite Wolverine in a bleak neo-western with shades of noir...what's not to swoon over?

Every lesson learned over the course of a franchise was applied here to delivery an action masterpiece with glorious visuals.

Taking a daring shift toward more gritty exploitation, Rob Zombie nailed the vibe of those films of old with this surprisingly effective and violent offering.

Take a formula, add more studio support and let your director indulge a bit and you'll end up getting a product that hones itself to a razor's edge.

Keeping all that makes a Kingsmen movie intact but shifting it to a huge global theater of war makes for one helluva awesome time.

Both a sequel and a remake of sorts. Director Robert Rodriguez one-upped himself on all fronts with unbridled and bonkers gusto.

Being the cap on a series that kept improving on itself is indeed not a bad place to be.

Taking Chucky back to his roots but adding something of a more serious and suspenseful tone, Curse is simple but highly effective.

Crafting some genuine atmosphere and some creative horror set pieces, this prequel not only outshines its predecessor but leaves it a hollow memory.

Brutal, unrelenting and bleak as all get out. Whether you liked the remake this prequelizes or not, it can't be denied that this one stands on its own visceral power.

Bolstered by a different approach to what was expected, this "side-quel" proves both loyal to what makes a 300 movie but just different enough to engage in new ways.

Some would argue that this psuedo-Lynchian, meta effort is the only reason the series should exist. I'd agree.

Sometimes everything just comes together better when you try again.

Camp romp with better direction and visuals but all that we loved about the original without ever feeling like a tired retread.

A prequel to a movie that deserved nothing but to be forgotten. Leave it to modern-day morbid maestro Mike Flanagan to make something worthwhile when he didn't have even have to.