Not every franchise is perfect, especially when it comes to horror. Even some of the most compelling, iconic franchises in horror history have had their fair share of slip-ups and mistakes. Sometimes, a franchise takes a dip in quality and then comes back; other times, it never recovers from one too many failures. We are blessed with a whole plethora of successful film series, but I’m worried some may not be that way for long.

In this article, I’ll be talking about seven memorable horror franchises, a few I’ve loved since their beginnings, that are showing signs of decline and need to get things together. These seven aren’t exactly failing or are all terrible, but they’re showing signs of exhaustion more noticeably than some other popular film series, or haven’t been strong for a long while. These horror franchises are in trouble and have a lot riding on their newer installments to put things back on the right track. From the Predator series to The Exorcist movies, here are seven horror franchises that I’m worried I’ll give up on if they keep fumbling.

7

‘Predator’ (1987-2025)

Worst Installments: ‘Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem’ (2007) & ‘The Predator’ (2018)

First, let’s talk about the rocky yet beloved franchise created by the booming popularity of John McTiernan‘s 1988 smash hit Predator. The first is widely considered one of the most thrilling and quotable horror movies that continues to bring chills and joy to fans everywhere. Its sequels, however, are far inferior; indeed, the films following the first Predator mostly couldn’t stack up to its success.

1991’s Predator 2 and 2010’s Predators were modest box-office hits that, while they are now slowly gaining more recognition, never really reached the same heights of acclaim. It got worse when these films’ titular alien hunters went up against the universe’s deadliest organisms, the xenomorphs, in the two lackluster Alien vs. Predator movies, which many fans consider to be low points of both franchises. 2018’s The Predator continued the series’ downward trajectory with its worst stand-alone rating yet, but that thankfully changed with the surprise critical success of Dan Trachtenberg‘s 2022 spinoff movie Prey, which greatly brought it back to its simpler roots. Now, with a Hulu animated film, Predator: Killer of Killers, and the next spinoff installment by Trachtenberg, Predator: Badlands, on the way, we’re left holding our breath whether these new entries will catapult the franchise more into the public light or sink it into obscurity. My true hope is that it’s the former.

6

‘Insidious’ (2010-2023)

Worst Installment: ‘Insidious: The Last Key’ (2018) & ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ (2023)

Making a huge splash on the horror scene in 2010, James Wan‘s hair-raising supernatural thriller Insidious was a pulse-pounding experience that terrified audiences with a brilliant mix of atmosphere and shocking jump scares. Today, it’s hailed as one of the scariest movies ever, and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down soon. But, like most successful horror films, it spawned a franchise that, while far from terrible, couldn’t quite live up to most audiences’ expectations.

Insidious Chapter 2 was an honestly solid continuation that carried the story forward and brought just as many scares, but it does feel a bit forgettable. The same goes for Chapter 3 and The Last Key, which were also criticized for being repetitive and lacking sufficient scares. Lastly, while the latest installment, Insidious: The Red Door, saw this franchise’s highest box office success to date, grossing over $186 million worldwide, its story wasn’t all too remarkable, and I wouldn’t say it made me excited to watch further installments. Though this franchise isn’t declining at the box office, it’s showing a noticeable decline in compelling scares and storytelling. The first one didn’t have that great of a plot either, but it was understandable and memorable, which not many of the sequels seem to have.

5

‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ (1997-2025)

Worst Installments: ‘I Still Know What You Did Last Summer’ (1998) & ‘I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer’ (2006)

Coming out at the perfect time to coast high off the booming slasher craze generated by the smashing success of Wes Craven‘s Scream, Jim Gillespie‘s I Know What You Did Last Summer was an enjoyable slasher whodunnit mystery that came to define horror in the late 1990s. It was far from perfect and very silly, but it had a decent concept and plenty of shock. A franchise spawning in the wake of its huge box office success was expected, but no one expected it to take such a nose dive after the first movie.

The next film, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, released one year after the first, was a rushed, terribly convoluted, and ridiculous sequel with awful twists, predictable scares, and a badly miscast Jack Black cameo. But while that film is now more often considered so bad that it’s good, the latest installment, the direct-to-video 2006 third entry, I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, is a crime against slashers, lacking anything even remotely close to being enjoyable. Now, with the fourth entry, also titled I Know What You Did Last Summer, set to hit theaters in July, we’re left wondering whether this reboot will give this franchise a much-needed boost. If it fails, who knows if there will be any hope for this once-beloved series?

4

‘The Conjuring Universe’ (2013-2025)

Worst Installments: ‘The Nun’ (2018) & ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ (2019)

The Conjuring films have been all the rage in the years since its debut of the first film in 2013. Today, this thrilling supernatural horror franchise has dominated the box office with a huge or at least moderate hit coming out every few years. But, as so many franchises have turned out, it could be heading for trouble.

It’s not a perfect film series, as entries like the first Annabelle, The Nun, and The Curse of Llorona represent the weakest installments. They were critically panned for their inferior plots, overreliance on obnoxiously loud jump scares, and a lack of compelling characters. And while the more recent Conjuring film, The Conjuring 3, wasn’t terrible or not scary, it was noticeably the weaker of the three main films and showed a potential dip in the series’ overall quality. While it’s doubtful the highly anticipated next installment will be a commercial flop, there’s a bit of pressure now on The Conjuring: Last Rites, as it needs to be an improvement over The Conjuring 3, as well as the weaker spinoffs, and deliver a better, more intense story.

3

‘Halloween’ (1978-2022)

Worst Installments: ‘Halloween: Resurrection’ (2002) & ‘Halloween Ends’ (2022)

The Halloween franchise is one of my and so many other people’s favorite slasher franchises. Though none of the sequels hold a candle to the original, I’ve always had a soft spot for most of the films in this series, most of them. There’s no denying that John Carpenter‘s 1978 timeless horror classic is the ultimate best, while the sequels range in quality and have their fans. But with how the most recent installment went out, I’m almost close to saying there probably shouldn’t be any more.

The Halloween franchise has seen some incredible highs but also some sinking lows. Besides the ’78 Halloween, a few other installments have been good but never came close to topping the first, like Halloween II, The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween H20, and the 2018 Halloween reboot. But, it’s had many stinkers, like The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween Resurrection, Rob Zombie‘s Halloween II, and, most recently, the incredibly disappointing Halloween Ends, which was not only a divisive letdown but ended the current reboot trilogy on a disappointing low note. While there is still a desire by most fans for Michael Myers’ killing sprees to continue, I’m nervous the series has to get its act today and restart fresh with something to launch it back up rather than further tear it down.

2

‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (1974-2022)

Worst Installments: ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation’ (1994) & ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (2022)

Tobe Hooper‘s 1974 slasher masterpiece The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is truly one of the most fascinating horror movies I have ever witnessed. It was truly shocking and left me speechless the first time I saw it as a kid while surfing the TV channels. It was gritty, intense, and certainly memorable, as its ending still frightens me every time I think about it. It’s undoubtedly a classic that I hope to never forget, but if only I could say the same for its mostly embarrassing franchise.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a difficult franchise to mention these days because the sequels, spinoffs, and reboots could all never live up to what Hooper created. Besides the admittedly pretty good 2003 remake, the rest of the franchise is full of disappointments. Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, while featuring a delightfully crazed Dennis Hooper and legendary Bill Mosley performance, was a little too over-the-top and ridiculous, but at times, fun to watch. The third installment, Leatherface, was mostly forgettable. But the real crimes to this series are the fourth film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, and the most recent installment, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which were phenomenally bad, lacking any decent bit of scares or storytelling, and were more bizarre than terrifying. As one lackluster installment keeps coming out, I’m losing hope that this series will even come close to the brilliance of the ’74 original. It has the potential to be great again, but until the next one comes out, we’ll have to wait to see if this franchise can save itself from the abyss.

1

‘The Exorcist’ (1973-2023)

Worst Installments: ‘Exorcist II: The Heretic’ (1977) & ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ (2023)

Lastly, I want to talk about The Exorcist and its bizarre sequels and spinoffs. The Exorcist, as I’m sure most of you know, is one of the most horrifying pictures of all time. It’s an absolute masterpiece, featuring iconic imagery and spine-chilling performances that can still scare people even now. But when mentioning the other films, it’s hard to deny that they’re not looked upon so fondly.

Exorcist II: The Heretic was an absurd train wreck that never came close to the acclaim of the original and, as a result, greatly underperformed. The series went into a long hiatus after that until The Exorcist III came along and was thankfully better, but was mixed at the time and couldn’t carry the series higher. Then came several spinoffs, which were semi-enjoyable at best and downright dreadful at their worst. The most recent spinoff, Exorcist: Believer, was such a shocking misfire that its negative reception scrapped plans for a reboot trilogy. With the future of this franchise up in the air and many claiming it to be dead now, I’m very close to the point where no further installment can pique my interest. It really takes something truly spectacular, but for now, The Exorcist is a franchise that’s in steady decline.

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