When the Sequel Slays the Original (Part 1)

A look at the rare horror follow-ups that dared to be better than their renowned originals.

Movie sequels are a strange breed; mixed feelings abound. Are they just greedy cash grabs? Or are they genuine attempts to passionately move the story forward for the fans? (Is that even a real thing in Hollywood?) Was the original actually that good to begin with? And most importantly, can we ever admit the sequel is much better without feeling some weird sense of original story/franchise purist guilt? It's all very complicated; I get it.

Horror sequels are an even weirder breed. They’re rarely better than the original and are often shameless direct-to-video money grabs. There are too many to name (looking at you, Pumpkinhead 2, Night of the Demons 2, Witchboard 2, Children of the Corn 2, Warlock 2, The Gate 2 and plenty of others), and honestly, I ain’t even mad at it. Studios tend to treat horror fans like a fickle crowd of naïve teenagers and easily entertained thrill-seekers who just want to shut their brains off, laugh a little, or maybe get scared…and they’re not always wrong. Horror seems to be that one magical genre where studios and audiences are totally fine with less money and prestige being thrown at the sequel, which makes it all the more impressive when a follow-up somehow turns out better than the beloved original.

So here, I’m breaking down a couple horror franchise sequels—not obscure one-offs and their follow-ups—that, in my opinion, far surpass the originals. You might agree. You might hate me. You might finally realize the original kinda sucked and send me a million-dollar pledge for changing your life. All TBD. First up:

‘HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II’ RULES AND ‘PROM NIGHT’ IS KINDA MEH

The original Prom Night is... well, it’s fine, I guess. A solid artifact from the early ’80s slasher boom and disco’s last gasp. But honestly? It’s a bit too serious, too slow at times, too caught up in its whodunnit angle, and just not as much fun as I like to have when watching these types of films. Sure, Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen are in it, and that’s a cool footnote, but unless you’re deep into the “dime-a-dozen” era of slasher completism, there’s not much here to rave about. Sorry to the Prom Night diehards, but go back and rewatch it then tell me, hand on heart, how much fun you’re actually having.

However, a few years later, the heavens opened up and gave us the bonkers, imaginative Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, a supernatural-infused high school fever dream/Carrie rip off. The fun starts with the title alone (it rhymes, for crying out loud!) and carries through to the glorious cover art. Just look at this beauty. I’m already having a better time than I ever did watching this endless disco dance sequence from the original.

And what makes all of this even better? It wasn’t even supposed to be a Prom Night sequel. Hello Mary Lou originally began life as a completely unrelated film titled The Haunting of Hamilton High, a supernatural high school horror flick with zero ties to the original 1980 slasher. After filming wrapped, producers saw an opportunity to slap a recognizable name on it, so they rebranded it as Prom Night II. To make the connection stick, they renamed the school Hamilton High (same as in the original), added a few light references, and brought in co-writer Ron Oliver to direct some reshoots that amped up the weirdness and dark comedy. Against all odds, this random branding gamble turned into something better than the original, one of the rare “Oops, this kinda rules” moments in horror sequel history

What makes it better? It’s funnier, weirder, and shockingly well made. The practical effects are solid, the pacing is faster, and the performances are stronger— Michael Ironside shows up, which is always a treat. Most importantly, it’s just way more fun. The kills are more creative, and the movie is packed with bizarre, over-the-top moments like:

• A rocking horse comes to life… with a long, waggling tongue

• A woman is completely engulfed in flames, from a harmless smoke bomb

• A fully nude ghost chase scene through a locker room (because, why not?)

• A chalkboard that swallows a person whole

• This

Just to confirm, the original Prom Night does not have a rocking horse that waggles its tongue.

My love for Hello Mary Lou might also be a little biased, but it’s earned. A big part of it is nostalgia, as this movie is burned into my brain thanks to constant reruns on USA Up All Night. Along with Halloween II, Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and Silent Night, Deadly Night 4, it was part of my weekend horror education in the mid-’90s. I vividly remember the commercial break moments, the weird TV edits made, even the scenes they used for movie bumpers and promos.

It’s funny, I can’t remember most of my grade school teachers’ names (and I hung out with them for a whole year!), but my brain made sure to hardwire that shit. Horror hits the young mind differently.

That said, I recently rewatched May Lou with some fellow horror nerds and they had an absolute blast. It holds up. Stone cold cult classic, and definitely better than the original. I know I’m not alone in that opinion either; I’ve seen other outlets and fans say the same. But I’m not so sure many are going to agree with me on the next one…

‘LEPRECHAUN 2’ COULD KICK THE LEPRECHAUN ASS OF ‘LEPRECHAUN’

Sorry, Lep heads and Warwick worshippers, but the original Leprechaun is... kinda fine, but also dull as well. It's too contained, stuck in a bland farmhouse setting, and the Leprechaun feels like a concept trying to figure itself out. Yes, Warwick Davis is doing his thing, yes he kills a dude with a pogo stick, and yes, the makeup is A+. But the tone constantly wobbles between “is this supposed to be scary?” and “are we doing dumb comedy?” Well, I’ve got breaking news for the astute producers, development executives and writers of Leprechaun: the character + concept is inherently very, very stupid, and the only move is to lean hard into the absurdity, which is exactly what they did with Leprechaun 2 and the films after.

Why is Leprechaun 2 better? For starters, it’s grittier, sleazier, and way more self-aware. It fully embraces the “What the hell are we doing here?” energy and goes all in on some WTF choices. The Los Angeles setting gives it more chaotic flavor than the sleepy farmhouse of the original, and the kills? Oh, the kills are much better. You’ve got a guy who gets a pot of gold ripped from his stomach and a death via cappuccino machine (first and only time, I think?). Another guy accidentally slices his face off with a deadly fan blade because the Leprechaun makes him think it's a pair of boobs. I’ll say that one more time so it can resonate: another guy accidentally slices his face off with a fan because he thinks it's boobs. Warwick cranks up the puns, the rhymes, and the camp to delightful new heights. He also gets drunk at one point. Plus, there's a cameo by Clint Howard and even more bizarre one by Tony Cox which is always a good sign you’re in weird movie territory. Clint Howard makes things better; that’s a scientific fact.

My Leprechaun 2 VHS store memory is seared into my brain for one very specific reason: it was the first time I realized that movies of a “certain quality” didn’t need to play in theaters to show up on the video store shelf. In 1994, I was just beginning to flex my budding horror obsession, hitting Blockbuster weekly with my mom. Usually, the new releases were movies I’d seen posters for at the cinema or trailers for on TV, but Leprechaun 2 just kind of appeared—less than a year after the first one—with no ads, no buzz, and no theatrical run (though I think it ran in select LA theaters for like 2 days) I could remember.

That’s when it hit me: some movies just skip theaters entirely and go straight to video. It blew my young mind. Leprechaun 2 was my gateway to this very obvious yet somehow groundbreaking realization. I remember staring at the VHS for a good five minutes, wondering if I’d missed something in life, but also kind of stoked that my weekend rental decision had been made for me. It felt like a strange and magical concept, like discovering streaming before streaming... but not really. I obviously rented it, thought it was dumb and weird, and have since come to realize it’s the better film.

And that’s my Leprechaun 2 truth. Yes, the acting and characters kinda suck, but let’s be honest, it 100% did in Leprechaun too (and no, Jennifer Aniston was not immune to this). Still, Leprechaun 2 is dumb, deranged, and undeniably more fun than the original. Sorry not sorry.

Also, Leprechaun 3 is also far superior to the first, but that’s an argument for another day.

In the end, it’s okay to admit this kind of thing. I’ve worked through it in horror sequel therapy for years. Sometimes you just have to pull the Aliens card, call a spade a spade, and accept the truth: some franchise sequels are better.

So what about you? What superior horror sequels are you willing to go to bat for?