Let’s talk about The Boy, a 2016 suspense thriller about a woman who, while running from an abusive ex boyfriend, relocates to England to take a job as a nanny for an unusually old couple’s son. Upon meeting “Brahms” she discovers he is nothing more than a doll. Or is he? No, he really is. That’s the twist, the real Brahms was such a brat, he faked his own death and hid in the walls, torturing his poor parents for years and making them think his soul resided in a porcelain doll. The ending lost a lot of fans and while I really liked the movie as a whole, it doesn’t really hold up a second time as it relies soley on the buildup and suspense. Why am I talking about this movie? Well it was announced recently that a sequel to The Boy is being made. Now it was a really unique film, and had me intrigued from the first trailer, but it ended with Brahms and the mansion he lived in being engulfed in flames, So what else could possibly happen and more importantly, do we even care? Is anyone really asking for this sequel, or did it just make a lot of money at the box office and they’re hoping to rake in more?
Then there’s Happy Death Day. While not an original concept, at least it was a horror version of Groundhog Day. It was better than I expected, enjoyable, and I would probably watch it again with some time in between. But now, it too is getting a sequel. I can’t imagine where they are going to go with it, and it may be really good, but is it needed?
And if so, how do you feel about a Third Annabelle movie? The first one was alright and led to a fantastic second film, but now it just feels stretched too thin. We get it, the dolls haunted. WRITE A NEW IDEA.
We certainly ride trend waves within horror, and with movies like Hellfest and Terrifyer, slashers have been making a real comeback lately, kind of like what Scream did for the subgenre.
As I sit here, the Carrie Bradshaw of horror, I can’t help but wonder… Are we seeing a resurgance of the 80s sequel?
Let’s think about those movies for a moment. Most of them had a killer who couldn’t be defeated, so they could terrorize a new group of teenagers for sequels to come. They usually followed a pretty simple formula, so that it truly was a “same shit, different day” plot line. Again, Scream was the one to switch up killers and motives for each new film, keeping the audience guessing. Movies like Sleepaway Camp and Friday the 13th truly recycled the same material over and over but there was still something so enjoyable about them. I think it’s because there are two reasons we love horror films:
1. Not knowing what we are going to get
2. Knowing Exactly what we are going to get
Slashers tend to fall into the second category which is why we go into sequels so willingly with them. We know what we are in for, and we look forward to it. A different way to murder someone is about the most change we can expect, but we don’t go into them for an intellectual experience. So we willingly watch Jason stab his way through campsites over and over, and then watch him take Manhattan, go to space and time travel. Same shit, different place. Same killer, same formula, same rush.
When I started really noticing Blumhouse, it was due to movies that admittedly freaked me out; something that’s not easy to do. The Insidious films and the Conjuring films were fantastic. They continually topped each other.
Until they didn’t.
When Insidious: The Last Key hit theaters, the trailer just made me groan. Haven’t we seen this before? Are we really doing the same thing again? I’ll admit, I didn’t see it. Usually I won’t judge until I do, but it looked like such recycled bullshit, I just had no interest. Then, The Nun came out. You’re lying if you say she wasn’t terrifying, so I looked forward to seeing her get her own film. Until I saw it. A badly made movie took away all mystique of the character, and left me feeling bored, confused and indifferent to the continuation of the franchise. It took the Jeepers Creepers approach. A lot of people don’t like the second movie but I happen to love it. It’s a classic horror sequel. Same killer, same premise, different group of kids. So I waited years for number 3. Over a decade of room between this and the last film, and Gina Phillips’ and Jonathan Breck’s involvement had me expecting a real treat. Aaaaaaaand I had to force myself not to turn it off after the first 15 minutes. I watched the whole thing, angrily. Why was it all during the day? Why was there so much cgi? Why was there no story? Why were there so many characters being introduced but not actually introduced… “wait, who the hell is this chick?” It was awful. It left me making tasteless jokes about Victor Salva’s pedophilia crimes being the “second worst thing he’s done.” (I’m not taking that back, it’s still funny)
I’ll file it away forever under “That never happened” with Halloween: Resurrection and the 2010 Nightmare on Elm Street remake.
I think the bottom line here is that certain movies have a formula for a sequel, but others don’t. It’s important to know the difference because we still need great horror films that can stand on their own. Movies with surprisingly original plots will be remembered as great films so much more if they aren’t drawn out into cheap follow ups. But today, with films like the Purge and Insidious, I worry that the popularity and (in turn) the money isn’t being milked of every last drop until we finally stand up and scream “Enough Already!” and lose interest in seeing them at all. That being said, The Purge movies really have continued to be great and have become a social commentary, an added element that makes them that much scarier. But for how long? I see them going the same route as SAW, where one day, the writing will be lazy, the acting will be cheap and the smaller budget will show, leading it straight to video and forgotten. If you want endless continuations of your favorite movies, now may be your time. But if you’re like me, you know some things are better off burning out then fading away.
In the words of my favorite final girl, “Don’t fuck with the original”.
Til next time,
🔪Madame of Horror
Madame of Horror 
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