The Franchise

Horror is a genre that is not only wide in the variety of films that are produced but also in its variety of fans. From those die-hard classic horror fans to the new style that are more into gore fests and everything in between. The one thing that holds all fans of the genre together is the ability to bond over our favorite villains. Be that Dracula, Frankenstein, Jigsaw, Freddy, Michael, Pinhead, Chucky, or Jason. There are many franchises that have been successful and just as many that should have stopped way earlier. There are a few that were able to redeem themselves later in the series, but this is rare

One of the few franchises that was able to redeem themselves would be the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise. Freddy Krueger only has less than 7 minutes of screen time in the original 1984 film, but in that time, he manages to solidify himself as one of the most terrifying horror villains in film history. Sadly, as the franchise progressed, our dream demon turned into more of a mockery of himself. 1984's original and 1994's “New Nightmare” are the only two films in the franchise that Wes Craven directed. Every other film in the franchise is directed by a different person, as well as the screenplay being written by different writers as well.

This led to different variations on the same character that became more and more of a caricature of itself. The franchise was able to redeem the character in the 1994 “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare”, bringing the character back to its terrifying roots. The one thing that can be said for the franchise, aside from the 2010 remake starring Jackie Earl Haley, the character has been consistently played by the same actor since 1984. Part of this could be attributed to the fact that unlike Michael and Jason, you can see Freddy’s face, and therefore, any change would be highly noticeable.

Another franchise that was able to redeem itself would be “Halloween”. One of the oldest franchises that I will talk about, the first film was released in 1978 and while some of the later storylines got a bit out there. Films 1,2,4 and 5 do a great job of making Michael a terrifying character. Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, is the ONLY film in the franchise where Michael is not the main villain, nor is he in the film at all. There are many fans of the franchise that would rather that H3 never happened. Later films like “H2O” and “Resurrection” do a great job of rounding out the story and bringing to light facets of the story that are hinted at throughout the series itself. The character of Michael Myers has been played by 12 different actors in its 41 year run of the series. From actors like Tyler Mane, Brad Loree, and Tony Moran. This leads to the character being different heights throughout the franchise as well as having different body movements. This is not a bad thing necessarily, since you only ever see Michael’s face on two occasions during the franchise. I am going to let you go hunting for those little treats on your own. There are many speculated reasons as to why you are never able to see Michael’s face. One of the most popular reasons is that it makes it so that you don’t know who the person is, as well as to also make it so that the viewer is unable to read the characters' facial expressions or emotions, therefore making the character seem more menacing and threatening.

Sadly, one franchise that has just continued to become more and more of a parody of itself is the “Child’s Play” franchise. This particular franchise had the potential to be multi-generational nightmare fuel. I mean what is more terrifying than a possessed child's toy? One of the most terrifying things about the first film is the fact that the target for the doll is a child, a sweet and innocent little boy. The premise of the original film was new as well as frightening at the time, but as the series progressed, it became stale and the addition of characters like Tiffany just added to the insanity of the films. Chucky has gone from being the stuff of nightmares, a killer doll that looks innocent to a scarred up, beaten up caricature of the idea of the character. Adding to the fact you have the storylines with Tiffany and the “Seed of Chucky” that took it from being mildly believable and terrifying to outlandish as well we just plain... disappointing. This was a new take on the killer doll idea that had been around for ages. But this time, unlike those dolls being possessed by demons, or aliens or whatever, this was the soul of a serial killer. Now the film has been remade, though at the time of this writing I have not seen it. Though from what I have heard, it isn’t much better than some of the other films that have come about since that terrifying night in 1988 when kids everywhere decided to sleep with their “My Buddy” doll in the closet.

One franchise that always seemed to stay true to itself, or at least, the terrifying quality of its primary villain is the “Hellraiser” series. Pinhead is the stuff of nightmares, the creature that is the pinnacle of one that isn’t really good or evil. The cenobites are more of a neutral set of beings that react to people's own desires or excesses. The character, Pinhead, himself like every other character on this list has a backstory, though I think out of all of the characters mentioned here, he has the most time given to his backstory throughout the series. It is consistent, there are times where there are minor variations on how or why he came to have the Lament Configuration, but one thing always remains the same. The end result, that terrifying face filled with pins that you just can’t get out of your head after you see it. As well as that voice that is unnerving and terrifying. Part of this could be lent to, like Nightmare, you are able to see the actor that plays the role, and that does help when it comes to recognition. Doug Bradley plays the role very well. He has a presence that is just...creepy. No offense to Doug as he is one of my favorite creepy actors, but Pinhead, is a completely unnerving character. While he is not the most outlandish looking of all of the Cenobites, he is the most frightening.

A look at horror franchises would not be complete without looking at the franchise that made us all fear going to summer camp. That, of course, would be the "Friday the 13th" franchise. This is one of those franchises that just can’t seem to figure out what it wants to do with itself. There are the first two that go pretty well hand in hand and then after that... It all seems to go in a multitude of different directions. From taking over Manhattan to going to space, to facing off against Freddy Krueger and everything in between, “Friday the 13th” is just a mishmash of ideas. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jason and I love the story, I just think at times, they should have stopped after number 2. There have been psychics, unexplained resurrections, and all-out craziness. The character himself is a nightmare, a hulking brute with a hockey mask, and his trademark machete. However, he has come up with some pretty insane ways to kill people when that machete isn’t at hand. From spear guns, axes, his bare hands, he is one of the few killers on our list that really lets the creativity flow, second only to Freddy. There have been at least 11 different actors that have donned the hockey mask of Jason, which leads to the same problem that we see with Michael, different body sizes, types, and movements. This doesn’t really pull you away from the character or the plot, but sometimes it is noticeable.

There are multiple franchises out there, some great that have been turning out great movies for years, and some that should have stopped a long time ago. Some franchises are getting new life breathed into them with the advent of the retelling of their stories. Rob Zombie did this fairly successfully with his retelling of “Halloween”. However, “Nightmare on Elm Street” and the “Friday the 13th” remakes fell flat. There is no true formula when it comes to a successful franchise. There are ideas as to what will make a good franchise but all in all, I think it is different for each one. The consistency of character that works for one story may not work for another. The outlandish storyline may work in one particular case and crash and burn in another. And every horror fan has that franchise that is top shelf for them, no matter how outlandish or strange it gets, they are willing to stick by it through thick and thin. I encourage all of my lovelies to find that franchise for themselves, would love to hear some of the franchises that you love, or love to hate. Yours in Horror,

Diva