Good Horror (Movie) Franchise to Sink My Teeth Into

A lot of the older 70's and 80's horror franchise I have never seen and this halloween (or next week) I'm feeling like I want to experience one of them. So which one should I watch? Elm Street? Friday the 13th? Halloween? Child's Play? Hellraiser? Which one!?

Please give a reason or two why I should watch it and specifically what movies I should watch. Some of the larger movie franchises (Friday the 13th has like 15 films or something like that) have bad movies that are worth skipping so let me know so I don't waste my time with dribble. I hope to watch all of the movies within the franchise I pick but realistically I'll probably end up watching 3 or 4 (unless the franchise really grabs me obviously) so suggesting the "don't miss" ones would be helpful.

And really, suggest any horror franchise, off the top of my head the only franchises I've seen most/all the films are Paranormal Activity, Scream, Evil Dead and Saw.

EDIT: Also seen Alien films

Sigh, I was assuming this would be about video games. Maybe add the word 'movie' somewhere in the title?

Anyway, um, the Alien franchise? And by franchise I mean the first two. And by first two, I mean the first one - then watch the second one sometime after Halloween.

I very rarely think of films as franchises, but now that you mention it... as far as horror goes, the only real solid, consistent series probably is Evil Dead. None of those movies are bad. Alien might be a good one, provided you stick with the first four. Admittedly, only 1 and 3 fall under the category of horror.

So I love Halloween. 1, 2, 3, 4, the producer's cut of 6 and both of Zombie's films are great. The first is the single film I can name as my all-time favorite, the sequel is a decent aping of that. 3 is one of the best, quirky 80s horror movies and basically a lost Carpenter-film despite not being a Carpenter-film. 4 is a very groovy slasher. Then the series kinda goes downhill with 5 being the absolute low-point, where the mythology becomes weird and the whole film is just odd and boring. I'd like to call it weirdly French except unlike something like Jeunet's films, it horribly fails at everything it does. And the clown cops, dear lord. The theatrical cut of 6 is garbage, but the producer's cut is surprisingly enjoyable and a way too good continuation of what 5 sets up. H20 and Resurrection are very average slashers of the late 90s/early 00s, as in they're very Kevin Williamson and MTV except blended with the context of the first Halloween, making the whole a complete mess. The score replacement in H20 is a sad, sad thing. Zombie's remake is pretty cool, albeit the remake-part of it, which is the latter half of the film, is a bit boring, but even then it's chock-full of great performances. The sequel to it, the extended cut at least, is one of the best slasher films of the last ten years, as it actually contains, you know, a theme and shit. It's about PTSD and it takes a lot of time to deal with that, while also showing lots of trippy psychological imagery. It's very refreshing.

If you're feeling brave, I'd totally recommend watching all the Exorcist-films. II has aged a lot better than it started out, although it's still INSANE. III is a slightly forgotten classic, and the less said about Renny Harlin's prequel the better. However, Paul Schrader's Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist is maybe the best film in the series after the first one, ending the whole thing on a very, very high note.

If you feel like watching some great Italian stuff, I can't help but recommend either Demons or Zombi. Demons 1 and 2 are excellent, frightening and audiovisually impressive horror movies with the silliest characters you'll ever see, and the sequels... well, they kinda go off the rails, but trust me, stick with it until Demons 6, which is also a rip-off/sequel to Suspiria and Inferno while also being a Lovecraft-adaptation that's also a meta-film and oh my fucking brain. Now with Zombi, starting with Zombi 2 (Zombi 1 is Dawn of the Dead, by the way), you've got great, groovy music with appropriately groovy gore. This series also goes off the rails after the third one, but in a good way. 5 or 4 is about killer zombie birds. Seriously.

Oh man, is it Christmas? I keep getting to suggest Elm Street to people today! :D So yeah, that. 1, 3, and 4 are the best, but really the whole series is worth it.

Hellraiser is a great pick as well, as the back half of the franchise is completely skippable. Just go with the first four. Or even just the first two, if you're just cherrypicking.

Well I thought the "Off-Topic" forum was for....off-topic stuff and not video games, your requests have been granted. And seen the Alien films, don't know how I forgot that I've seen them considering I watched them all with Prometheus when that came out.

If you're willing to give up on the franchise rule, I think you would have the most fun watching the first Halloween, Nightmare on Elm's Street, and Jason films, then watching a film called Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. It's an absolute treat, but it only works if you are familiar with the slasher genre.

Otherwise, I'd probably recommend Chainsaw Massacre. The first film is genuinely unnerving, and the second one is so weird that you can't help but love it. If the words "Dennis Hopper chainsaw fight" excite you, then you should at the very least watch the second movie.

Wait, why would he want to watch Friday The 13th Part 2? That movie isn't very good. Parts 3 and 4 all the way from that franchise. Even those aren't exactly too hot. I've always had a love for Jason Takes Manhattan though. Probably because it takes place on a cruise ship and has Jason kill someone in a sauna. And the teleporting has never been as awful as it is in that movie.

If you want to skip the bad movies, this isn't the right genre for you. You have to be able to enjoy bad movies to enjoy horror. Friday the 13th is probably the most fun franchise start to finish.

Hellraiser 1-4. Everything beyond that is direct to DVD awfulness.

Hellraiser 1 is a pretty simple monster movie. Guy solves magical puzzle box, gets dragged to hell, comes back skinless and starts killing people with protagonist's sleazy mother. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 expands on the universe and you get to see their version of hell and the origins of Pinhead. Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth is pretty bad but still watchable. It turns the Pinhead character into a wisecracking megalomaniac who suddenly wants to conquer Earth for whatever reason. Hellraiser: Bloodline (4), is actually the first movie I watched in the series and probably the one that stuck with me the most. It explains the origins of the puzzle box and then GOES TO FUCKING SPACE, because why not, horror movies.

Horror franchises are bit of hard one, mainly because there is usually only few good movies and rest of the series are just quick cash grabs. You will have better time just picking one offs. That said: Gremlins if you have not seen them (comedy horror).

Kinda surprised noone's suggesting the Romero films. Sure all the newer ones are crap, but you can't go wrong with Night/Dawn/Day. Hell, toss in both the Savini Night remake, and the Snyder Dawn one for good measure.

Most of those are 90s, but ya. For the most part any of them are fine, although I probably like elm street the most as the only Elm Street movie I don't like is the second one.

Black Christmas zombi the kindred death bed Halloween night of the comet

Forget franchises watch movies. Franchises always turn bad. The hills have eyes.

You don't like two? I will agree that it's one of the weaker entries, but it also undoubtedly has the best Freddy makeup! Plus it's funny how it accidentally managed to weave a story centred around homosexuality and the fear of 'coming out'.

Heh, 2 is actually one of my favorites. I never understood the hate for it. But it's not a great intro to the franchise, due to it being such a "black sheep" entry. Like, I love Halloween 3, but I'd never recommend it to a newcomer, haha.

@shagge: Man, I have no idea why people don't seem to care for Halloween 3. That ending is incredible!

Also,You should watch The Fog (Old) or Prince of Darkness. I really do think The Fog is (and yeah, call me crazy.) better than Halloween. I love carpenter's style and both of these movies show it off really well.

And Jason takes Manhattan because it is super stupid and fun. He punches a mans head off.. is that a good enough reason?

All Evil Dead, Halloween 1, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1, all nightmare on elm street, Friday the 13th 1,2 and Jason X.

Also a great new series is Hatchet.

there is a big problem with those franchise. You know I went onto a Tom Savini marathon a couple halloweens ago and he made a couple films AFTER Friday the Thirteenth Part 1, the Prowler, the Burning and Maniac. The Prowler would get him and the director to return to Friday the Thirteenth later down the line. But when your watching these series and loosing these talents between films is really difficult with these film series.

Like the Prowler and the Burning are knock off Friday the Thirteenth films but feel better because they don't have the baggage of being sequels. Like Burning is a poorman's Friday but it's got a good excuse to keep everyone in the camp even after the first couple kills happen which is the trope of this entire genre.... that and young teenage Jason Alexander as wacky best friend. Prowler is a solid slasher film, highly recommend it over any of the Jason films.

If I could recommend any franchise..... I'd say go with Hammer Horror series. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee films, those films still kick butt and are a HUGE inspiration for every single film from Star Wars to Hellraiser. That or Giallo 1970s Italian slasher films that inspired Halloween and 80s slasher boom. Case of the Bloody Iris, Hatchet for the Honeymoon, & Blood and Black Lace are my immediate recommendations of this stylized genre.

You should watch The Howling.

I tend to like movies that don't do a lot of back-story, so most of my favorites are the first 1 or 2 in any series. I can suggest the Halloween 1 and 2as @vierastalo did. Halloween 3 was enough of a departure, I never quite go into it. I walked out of the Rob Zombie remake since it felt like there was too much of the audience being led by the hand and told in explicit terms why Myers did what he did.

That's why I also liked the first Alien movie; there wasn't any emotion to the alien, it just stalks the crew. Having recently rewatched it though, I can say it needs to be seen in a dark room, late at night for the best effect.

I haven't watched them in years, but I'd also agree with @shagge that the first two Hellraiser movies were pretty crazy the first time I saw them.

I'll also suggest the first two Friday 13th movies. After that they get repetitive pretty fast.

This thread reminded me that I haven't watched any of the Hellraiser, Child's Play or Friday The 13th in forever. I loved all of those growing up.

Some people really like the Phantasm series, which I was never able to get into. I love horror, but broadly speaking I've never gotten into serialized horror except for Hellraiser and Poltergeist.

I genuinely think all 3 Poltergeist movies manage to succeed at doing their own interesting thing. It is kind of refreshing since a lot of horror is about just about bringing Freddie, Jason, Michael, et al back. While the Poltergeist movies do drop in quality by the end, each deals with a discreet theme and has discreet motifs.

Fuck Poltergeist. How the HELL is that movie PG???

I love Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm street. The later movies are just dumb fun but the first two (in either franchise) are legitimately scary. You can't go wrong with Halloween either, specifically the first two movies.

Like has been suggested, you will severely limit yourself if you stick with a single horror franchise. My top picks would be (in no particular order):

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1 & 3)

Friday the 13th (1,2, & 3 or 4,5, & 6)

Fright Night

The Exorcist

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Cujo

Pet Sematary

The Evil Dead (1981)

Alien

Night of the Demons

Silent Night Deadly Night

Pet Sematary, Fright Night, Alien, and the original Nightmare on Elm Street are probably my favorites from that list.

Te Exorcist is a very good choice!

The first Alien is still the best horror film from that era, the series gets a little too action-y from there on but the original is still a must watch!

I'm gonna recommend something a little of the mark, but I think it's a good creepy Halloween movie. There are no monsters and the film came out in the mid-nineties, but there is still plenty of horror to be had in viewing it. My recommendation is David Fincher's Seven.