'Ready Or Not' And 7 Horror Movies That Got Surprise Sequels

The original Ready or Not is a simple film. A group of rich satanists hunts a woman, and she has to survive the night until dawn. It was a modest hit when it came out, but its rather conclusive ending made it seem unlikely a sequel would be made.

Despite that, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come exists. While you can argue that it’s just aping the original, when the formula is as fun as this, it’s hardly worth complaining about. The action and gore are still over-the-top, and the film truly embodies a “go big or go home” mindset. Everything just feels extra, which makes it a highly entertaining popcorn thriller. Plus, it’s always so satisfying watching a group of reprehensible, ultra-wealthy elites get what’s coming to them. If you thought The Menu (2022) was too restrained and civil, then Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is ready to cut loose and have a grand time doing so.

American Psycho (2000) was never meant to get a sequel, but following the huge success of the film, Lionsgate wanted more. So, it took a script that had nothing to do with the original film and reconfigured it into American Psycho 2: An American Girl. The result was, shockingly, not very good. Taking a smart and scathing satire and turning it into just another slasher movie was a universal downgrade, robbing American Psycho 2: An American Girl of the identity that made the first film so magnetic.

The ideas that American Psycho 2 toys with, namely a young woman murdering other applicants for a teaching program at the FBI, aren’t able to fully develop in the film’s 88-minute runtime, and even then, No Other Choice (2025) would handle these themes with much more grace and sophistication over two decades later. There is a certain campiness to it that fans of early 2000s horror films can enjoy, but if you’re looking for that, go watch a movie like Scream (1996) instead.

Carrie (1976) was the film that put Stephen King on the map. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, earned its budget back many times over, and made Stephen King the hottest horror writer in Hollywood. However, much like American Psycho 2: An American Girl, an unrelated script was retooled and made into a sequel titled The Rage: Carrie 2.

Goofy title aside, there’s a fair bit to like about The Rage: Carrie 2. Compared to the original, which features cartoonishly evil bullies driving Carrie to her bloody vengeance, The Rage: Carrie 2 feels more grounded. The ways the bullies torment Rachel feel believable, and thanks to its light feminist edge, it gives off some shades of Jennifer’s Body (2009) that young women will definitely gravitate toward. Perhaps its biggest fault is repeating the original film’s structure with a modern edge, but when The Rage: Carrie 2 wants to be eerie or gruesome, it’s able to do so effectively. Plus, Emily Bergl does a solid job at being a Carrie White facsimile. It may not be able to step out from the shadow of the Brian De Palma original, but it certainly is better than the two remakes.

There are divisive films, and then there’s Donnie Darko (2001). Filmed with a shoestring budget and having a dreamlike vibe that would fit right at home in Twin Peaks: The Return (2017), the film stands strong as one of the most iconic horror cult classics of all time. The same can’t be said for its sequel, S. Darko.

There’s a fine line between creative genius and confusing nonsense. Donnie Darko can be hard to follow, but its atmosphere, visuals, and a compelling performance by a young Jake Gyllenhaal were enough to keep audiences engaged. S. Darko has none of that. It thinks it’s the next Mulholland Drive (2001), but it lacks the sophistication or grace to actually say something meaningful about… anything really. It’s incoherent at the best of times, and one has to wonder why 20th Century Fox decided to greenlight a sequel eight years after Donnie Darko’s release. If you’re a fan of surrealist films that prioritize vibes over logic, there may be something in S. Darko to enjoy, but even the most diehard Donnie Darko fans will remember S. Darko as a strange curiosity more than anything else.

Marketing can be a powerful force in the world of movies. It can elevate a seemingly mediocre movie into a pop culture icon, as was the case with Cloverfield (2008). While it took nearly a decade for a sequel to be released, the crew at Bad Robot knew they couldn’t simply rest on their laurels for 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and rely on viral clips to market the film for them.

Instead, they originally marketed it with the title “The Cellar,” and it wasn’t until a few weeks before the film’s release that they dropped the Cloverfield sequel reveal. The trick paid off, and audiences were instantly interested, not only because of its smart marketing, but also because of its tense premise that’s reminiscent of Green Room (2016). A horror movie in a confined space is nothing new, but watching the normally lovable John Goodman present himself as a paranoid and deranged doomsday prepper keeps you guessing as to whether his extreme and hostile approach is justifiable or not. This is one of the rare instances where a delayed sequel actually surpasses the original.

An American Werewolf in London (1981) is rightly regarded as being an underrated ‘80s classic. Its blend of horror and comedy made it a hit at video rental stores, and although a sequel to the film was eventually released 16 years after the original, it only did so due to behind-the-scenes production woes. 

Those problems, mostly related to the film’s script, can still be felt in the final version of An American Werewolf in Paris. The jokes aren’t all that funny, and the only thing that will make you actually laugh is the poor CGI. It’s a shame, too, because there is potential for it to be a “so bad it’s good” movie, but thanks to some of the actually decent acting performances, it can’t really fall into that camp. An American Werewolf in Paris wants to combine the drama of The Howling (1981) with the camp of Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985), but instead combines the two into a package that doesn’t please anyone. At the very least, it keeps the energy high for its 98-minute runtime, meaning it can, at the very least, be an entertaining mess.

In the realm of ‘70s horror movies, nothing is quite like The Wicker Man (1973). Part horror, part historical drama, and part musical, it stands out from virtually all other horror movies of its era as a deeply disturbing descent into terror. The Nic Cage version may have commandeered the discussion surrounding the film, but the original is beloved for a reason. But did you know that decades later, a sequel to The Wicker Man was released, called The Wicker Tree? Not only that, but did you also know that the original film’s director and writer, Robin Hardy, returned to helm the project?

Hardy attempted to make the film a thematic sequel to the original film, retaining a lot of its cultish elements and musical theatricality. It’s probably most similar to Midsommar (2019), not only because it focuses on a small community with somewhat questionable religious beliefs, but also the erotic elements that define the later half of the film. Even if Hardy believes the first film is superior in every way, The Wicker Tree is a fascinating return from a director who better realizes the nonsensical pacing and storytelling of S. Darko. 

Very few people will deny the cultural importance of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). Funnily enough, Stephen King famously hates this movie to the point where he decided to create his own live-action adaptation via a 1997 miniseries. Leave it to Mike Flanagan then to helm the creation of Doctor Sleep, an attempt, in his own words, to bridge the gap between the Kubrick version and the novel. 

The result is remarkably solid. There’s an underlying sense of unease in Doctor Sleep that makes it an effective slow-burn tale of alcoholism and trauma. Flanagan is a director who prioritizes character development, and the way he and Ewan McGregor bring an adult Dan Torrance to life elevates a character who, in The Shining, was merely a plot device. There’s a pervasive darkness that envelopes Doctor Sleep, and those who were unnerved at the pitch-black void of joy that was Hereditary (2018) will find that same sense of dread here. This is a thinking man’s horror movie, and with the film running for two and a half hours (three if we’re counting the director’s cut), there’s a lot to parse over that will keep viewers wondering how this decade-old sequel will end.