10 Classic Horror Franchises Ripe for Resurrection
Horror is rife with popular franchises, but even some of the most iconic have gone dormant in recent years. Whether it’s because of legal battles, a commercially unsuccessful installment, or the retirement of a key performer, many classic horror franchises struggle to endure, even when they have an active fanbase hungry for new material.
Here are my top ten classic horror movie franchises that are ripe for resurrection. To qualify, they need to have gone at least a decade (as of 2025) without a new movie. The rankings are based on my perception of the level of hunger that genre fans have for another installment.
`10. Urban Legend
Number of Installments: 3
Most Recent: Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005)
Urban Legend was the third tier slasher franchise of the ’90s, behind Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Both of those series were revived after long hiatuses.
Is Urban Legend next? This was never a hugely popular series, but the concept of slashers basing their crimes on urban legends is an intriguing one. Much more could be done with this idea. As a fan of urban legends myself, I’d like to see this series keep going.
The next installment should deal with how easy it is for urban legends and other rumors to spread through social media. A reboot was announced in April.
9. House
Number of Installments: 4
Most Recent: House IV (1992)
Sean Cunningham is best known for Friday the 13th, but he also is responsible for this forgotten series of quirky haunted house movies. Indeed, House has become so obscure that this is the first time I’ve ever bothered to feature it on my site.
Instead of the usual demons or ghosts, House (1985) and its sequels mainly feature wacky monsters as the antagonists. The creatures try to drive the human occupants of their home insane with their bizarre antics.
This loosely connected series was capped by House IV, a television movie that’s remembered – if it’s remembered at all – for an infamous scene where the protagonist is attacked by a talking pizza.
As with Urban Legend, there isn’t a large House fanbase clamoring for another installment. Still, it would be intriguing to see a modern update of this concept. Perhaps the protagonist is a social media influencer who documents the paranormal activity?
Cunningham announced plans for a new film in 2023, but the current status of the project is unknown.
8. Return of the Living Dead
Number of Installments: 5
Most Recent: Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (2005)
The original Return of the Living Dead is a classic, but the sequels are a mixed bag. How many people are even aware that there are more than three installments? Even I have never watched the fourth and fifth movies.
Like a brain-eating zombie, Return of the Living Dead is on its way to reanimation. There are two separate projects underway: a Christmas-themed direct sequel to the original set in 1985, and a contemporary installment, Trash’s Revenge, in which Linnea Quigley will return to her iconic role as punk rock babe Trash.
7. The Hills Have Eyes
Number of Installments: 4
Most Recent: The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)
This series features the original Wes Craven movie, a sequel, a two decade gap, a remake, and a sequel to the remake.
Honestly, I’m surprised there haven’t been more of these. They are basically a New Mexico version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The mutants have never reached Leatherface’s level of popularity, though.
Both sequels flopped, which has prevented us from getting a Hills Have Eyes 3 (although Craven attempted to make it in the ’90s) and a continuing classic horror franchise. This series is a well-known name, so it’s likely it will get rebooted again someday.
A new installment should provide a modern take on the themes from Craven’s original film, such as class struggle, social stratification, and the perceived breakdown of the traditional nuclear family.
6. Pumpkinhead
Number of Installments: 4
Most Recent: Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud (2007)
Ah, good ol’ Pumpkinhead. He’s such an underrated villain. The poor guy has only been in one theatrical release, the original Pumpkinhead (1988). All the sequels are either direct-to-video or TV movies. No wonder he’s pissed off all the time.
I’m not sure who currently owns the rights, but I can imagine Eli Roth or Damien Leone making an awesome new Pumpkinhead movie. It would be a perfect Halloween season release. Pumpkinhead‘s themes about grief, regret, and revenge are just as relevant today as they were decades ago.
Any new installment should use practical effects. Does anyone really want to see a CGI Pumpkinhead? Ugh.
5. Night of the Demons
Number of Installments: 4
Most Recent: Night of the Demons (2009)
I have a major soft spot for this series, especially the first movie. The second one is fun, too, and even the third has glimmers of inspiration here and there.
I’ve never bothered to watch the remake, but from what I’ve heard, it’s forgettable. Plans for a sequel to the remake were scrapped due to the film’s tepid reception.
Angela, a demon, loves to party on Halloween! Bumbling teenagers keep entering her home, an abandoned mortuary, and she dispatches them with glee.
Like Pumpkinhead, a new Night of the Demons movie would be a tasty Halloween season treat. Angela deserves to rise again to wreak more havoc at Hull House. Similar to House, a new installment could deal with social media influencers or vloggers who break into Hull House to investigate if the rumors about demonic activity are true.
4. Creature from the Black Lagoon
Number of Installments: 3
Most Recent: The Creature Walks Among Us (`1956)
The Gill-man has been waiting an incredibly long time for another movie. Countless plans for remakes and reboots have fallen through. Is this franchise cursed? Gill-man had a small role in The Monster Squad (1987) and was the inspiration for a similar creature in The Shape of Water (2007).
But he hasn’t had a true feature film in over six decades. How hard can it be to make a new one of these? A modern take on Gill-man would be interesting. How about an ecohorror approach with themes about climate change?
The classic Universal villains haven’t had much success in recent years, but with the right director (Leigh Wannell?), this has real potential.
3. Jaws
Number of Installments: 4
Most Recent: Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
How have we gone so long without Jaws? This is mind boggling. Yes, Jaws: The Revenge is one of the worst movies ever made. But it’s been nearly 40 years since its release.
Countless killer shark movies have come and gone since then, including outrageous stuff like the Sharknado series, Space Sharks, and Sharks of the Corn!
2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the original. It’s high time that somebody gives the original killer shark a chance to chomp again! Like Creature from the Black Lagoon, a new Jaws could explore contemporary environmental issues, such as rising sea levels and changing ecosystems.
2. Nightmare on Elm Street
Number of Installments: 9
Most Recent: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Elm Street was the top horror franchise in the world in the late ’80s and it remains well known, even among non-horror fans. But it’s been 15 years since an NOES movie hit theaters.
The problem here is obvious. Robert Englund retired from his role as Freddy Krueger, and the remake flopped without him. Is there a future for Elm Street? They would need to find an actor who viewers would widely accept as Freddy. It’s a monumental, perhaps impossible, challenge.
A possible alternative – turn NOES into a series of low-budget direct-to-streaming movies with an obscure unknown playing Freddy.
There’s a large enough fanbase to make this commercially viable, but it would be embarrassing for a top tier series like this to lower itself to that level. It will probably never happen.
Freddy thrives on fear. The Elm Street series has always been about the blurring of fantasy and reality. A new Nightmare installment could explore how easy it is to spread fear on social media, especially with nascent AI technology.
1. Friday the 13th
Number of Installments: 12
Most Recent: Friday the 13th (2009)
Despite an enormous fanbase, and its top-tier status as one of the most influential and culturally significant horror franchises in history, Friday the 13th has gone over a decade and a half without a new installment.
Legal battles, false starts, and broken promises led to serious speculation that the series was dead forever.
Until now. With production on the Crystal Lake series underway, Friday the 13th is well on its way to a revival. But what about another movie? Horror Inc. recently released a Jason Universe website.
There’s barely anything there right now, and nothing specific has been announced, but it appears they’re planning an extensive future for the franchise with movies, videogames, and “immersive experiences”, whatever that means.
Jason’s new look, which features a redesigned hockey mask, has received a mostly negative reception from fans on social media. As for me, I’m keeping an open mind. After nothing for so long, it’s good to see that Friday is finally moving ahead again.
