The 75+ Best Horror Franchises, Ranked By Scary Movie Fans
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Halloween Franchise
Halloween is without a doubt one of the strangest popular horror franchises ever released. While the first film in the series is arguably one of the best the genre has ever produced, its subsequent 12 sequels all become increasingly weird and wacky. With 5 different timelines, films that contradict one another, a reboot series, a standalone spinoff, and one of the most beloved killers in horror history, Michael Myers has been busy meeting the minds and scaring the bejesus out of horror fans for nearly 50 years, and he has no sights on slowing down anytime soon. Without a doubt one of the biggest horror franchises of all time and one of the scariest movie series to ever grace the silver screen, it doesn't matter how weird or bizarre this franchise becomes, horror fans big and small will always come back to this esteemed and beloved horror movie series.
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Freddy Kruger ushered in a new age of terror throughout the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and created one of the scariest movie series and most beloved horror figures of all time. A killer who hunts down teens in their dreams, this bone-chilling premise was executed to perfection throughout its initial 7 film run and subsequent reboot, and the franchise as a whole remains one of the best scary movie series to watch. Utterly terrifying, frightfully fun, and wickedly entertaining, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a classic horror franchise for a reason, it helped define the genre as we know it and produced some of the best horror films of all time.
With 12 mainline film entries, the Friday the 13th franchise helped usher in the slasher subgenre of the 80s and 90s, and introduced the world to one of the most beloved and adored killers in all of horror, Jason Voorhees. One of the most successful horror movie franchises of all time and without a doubt one of the scariest movie series of all time, Friday the 13 influenced, inspired, and astonished generation after generation of horror fans. While subsequent installments in the franchise would become wackier and more ludicrous, looking at you Jason X, there is no doubt about the amount of fun, joy, and terror this beloved horror franchise brings to its community.
The Scream franchise quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the best scary movie series of all time, with director Wes Craven creating a meta slasher/murder mystery that enthralled, entertained, and scared the living daylights out of people. With 4 mainline entries from the master of horror, Ghostface and the Scream horror franchise as a whole became one of the top horror franchises thanks to its ability to keep things fresh and fun. With Wes's tragic passing, many believed the series would be finished, but the team at Radio Silence have continued the franchise and paid a beautiful tribute to the man who created it. With six films in two and a half decades and no signs of slowing down, Scream is quickly becoming a staple and classic horror franchise.
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With only three films released over a decade-long span, one would be forgiven to question the validity of The Conjuring franchise as one of the best scary movie series of all time, however, this incredibly impactful and revolutionary mainstream horror franchise has more than earned its flowers atop the horror dynasty. Arguably one of the most successful horror movie franchises of the last 30 years, The Conjuring redefined what horror was throughout the decade, as its uber popularity led to many films attempting, and failing, to recreate the magic the films had. Utterly frightening ghost stories with heart as well as chills, The Conjuring franchise is one of the best modern horror movie series and a masterclass in terror.
Inarguably one of the best science fiction and horror blends of all time, the Alien franchise has been a shocking, revolutionary, and utterly important scary movie series to watch for all fans of the genre. The titular alien in the franchise is one of the most beloved, iconic, and memorable creatures created in the history of cinema, and with more beloved scenes than one can count, the franchise has left a resounding impact on the minds, hearts, and souls of millions around the globe. Sigourney Weaver helped create one of the most powerful and revolutionary female leads in history with Ellen Ripley, and while the horror movie series may have become incredibly convoluted over the last 4 decades, the first two films will be remembered for all time as being utter classics in the horror genre.
No franchise has turned the horror genre up on its head more often than the utterly bonkers Evil Dead franchise. It is incredibly difficult to have one of the simultaneously scariest movie series and funniest movie series, but somehow Evil Dead manages to toe this line beautifully. From its original installment in 1981 which was seen as one of the vilest and most revolting films in history, to its sequel in 1987, Evil Dead II, which is revered as one of the best horror comedies of all time, to its 2013 remake that redefined what brutality in horror could truly be, Evil Dead is one of the most successful horror movie franchises of all time, and while it may just have 4 films, it is still one of the best horror series of all time.
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It Franchise
With two incredibly distinct periods of impactfulness on the horror genre, the It franchise managed to revolutionize horror not once, but twice. The original television miniseries released in 1990 was regarded as one of the scariest films of all time for decades, with many not even being able to look at the poster. Then, just when the fear was starting to dissipate, the reboot was released in 2016 and showed the world what the scariest clown in the world was truly capable of. With just 3 films under its belt, the It franchise managed to solidify itself as arguably the scariest movie series of all time, all thanks to the utterly terrifying and transcendental Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Splatter and “torture-porn” became a staple in the horror genre thanks to one film series that changed what many perceived mainstream horror to be, and that is without a doubt the Saw franchise. With 10 films released over the last two decades and another already scheduled to be on the way, Saw quickly become one of the most important scary movie series to watch thanks to its risque subject matter, brazen attitude towards filmmaking, and utterly shocking and vile scenes of violence. While the story could be boiled down to soap opera levels of absurdity, the core of the film was always the terrifying and horrifying traps, each more intense, masochistic, and gruesome than the last. Quickly becoming one of the most successful horror movie franchises of all time, Saw is a staple for hardcore horror fans.
Releasing 5 films over an 11-year span, the Final Destination franchise took the world by storm when it was released in 2000, bringing in a new era of gory, violent, and infinitive horror designed all around the kills. Surprisingly, the franchise is widely considered one of the best horror series to watch thanks to its simple concept, ease of watchability, and truly remarkable death sequences that have horror fans on the edge of their seat. While the tried and true formula did begin to grow stale over the decade, there is no doubt about the impact that the series had on rather slatter films like Saw and Hostel, and how all these franchises ushered in a new age of horror.
With 8 films, 4 different timelines, and one of the most beloved and adored killers in the history of horror cinema, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is one of the most interesting and bizarre in horror history. With each film having a drastically different tone than the last,l horror, comedy, absurdity, and utter terror fill the respective 8 films and showcase the highest highs and lowest lows these horror franchises have to offer. While Leatherface remains a staple, cannibalism runs rampant, and kills are galore, the story fluctuates so rapidly in the films that it can be difficult for the casual horror fan to follow. Regardless, however, there is no doubt that the original film that started it all will go down in history as arguably the greatest horror film ever made.
The Hannibal Lecter franchise is one of the most intriguing horror movie series ever created. With 5 films spanning 21 years, all of them being somewhat connected, and a television series that shocked and amazed anyone who watched it, each glimpse into the world of Hannibal the Cannibal is as intriguing as the last. While many will state that The Silence of the Lambs is the best in the series, for good reason, the subsequent 4 films all still provide a thrilling and explosive good time that will have horror fans hanging on the edge of their seat. While it may not be the traditional classic horror franchise, watching any installment of the Hannibal Lecter series will send shivers down the spine.
The Child's Play, or Chucky franchise as it has grown to be known as, is without a doubt one of the strangest, wackiest, and most incredible horror movie series of all time. With each film leaning heavier and heavier into the lunacy of having a killer doll tormenting children, committing brutal murders, and making some of the best jokes of the genre, there have been 7 mainline movies, a reboot, and even a television series over the nearly 35 years since the masochistic killer doll first gave horror audiences their first scare. While the series is by no means high-brow or intellectual, the Child's Play franchise is without a doubt one of the best scary movie series of all time.
When the Insidious franchise was first released in 2010, it ushered in a new era of terrific and terrifying horror films. Gone were the obscene and grotesque splatter films, in were the paranormal mysteries and mystifying jump scares. Insidious more than helped set the tone for the decade in horror, and its subsequent three sequels over the next 8 years solidified the brand as the next best scary movie series. While the franchise has been on hiatus over the last 5 years, 2023 is offering a brand new experience into the Further with Insidious: The Dark Realm, taking the franchise back to its origins and hoping to reignite the paranormal fire it sparked back in 2010.
Over 36 years, Clive Barker's Hellraiser franchise has seen an astronomical 10 mainline film entries and a reboot to boot showcasing some of the vilest, most intense, and masochistic creatures ever known to man. Based on the acclaimed horror author's work, Hellraiser is without a doubt one of the scariest movie series ever and gave the genre some of the most beloved and acclaimed creatures of all time with the Cenobites, Pinhead in particular. These films showcase the beauty in pain and the tortured souls who crave nothing more than delivering it slowly get more and more absurd as you go along, but their impact on the horror genre as one of the biggest horror franchises cannot go unnoticed.
The Exorcist franchise is one of the most bizarre and controversial of any of the biggest horror franchises that have ever released. While the original film widely considered to be the greatest horror film of all time, its subsequent sequels haven't even sniffed the potential of its predecessor. While Exorcist II: The Heretic and The Exorcist III have gained huge cult followings over the nearly 5 decades since their initial release, the ladder two films, Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist, have been stains the franchise would much rather forget. With a reboot series on the way, many anticipate the return of one of the best scary movie franchises of all time to come back with a bang.
The Poltergeist franchise was one of the top horror franchises of the 80s, releasing 3 incredible films during the decade, and then a reboot in 2015. While many consider the first film to be one of the greatest horror movies of the decade, its subsequent sequels were relatively shunned upon release, but have also gained a massive cult following. A paranormal horror film that helped define the genre as we know it today, many influences on the popular subgenre that has been booming since the 2010s can be seen ripped straight out of this classic horror franchise.
There may have only been two films in the acclaimed and beloved Gremlins franchise, but the beloved horror movie series left a resounding impact on the youth who were just getting into horror and made new fans of the genre in waves. Released in 1984 and 1990, respectively, Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch were fun, adventurous, wacky, and spooky films that played to the horror genre's strengths without ever going over the top. Showcasing creatures that were just scary enough to unsettle but not scary enough to scary away the little ones, many youngsters were first introduced to the horror genre with this ingenious horror franchise, and a love of horror was born from that day on.
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- Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science-fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The first installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, it is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, with a screenplay written by Crichton and David Koepp. The film is set on the fictional Isla Nublar, an islet located off Central America's Pacific Coast, near Costa Rica, where a billionaire philanthropist and a small team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of cloned dinosaurs.
The Predator franchise has been alive and thriving for the last nearly four decades, with the first film released in 1987 and the latest film, Prey, released in 2022. With a grand total of 7 mainline feature-length installments, the beloved horror movie series has had its ups and downs, but the introduction of the world to one of the greatest creatures ever seen on screen helps elevate this humble franchise to astronomical heights. A gruesome, bloody, intense, and empoweringly good time, the Predator series is one of the very best monster movie horror franchises to ever grace the genre.
George Romero revitalized and perfected the zombie subgenre in horror with his acclaimed and beloved Dead Zombie franchise, and his influence on the genre can still be felt nearly 50 years later. The initial installment, Night of the Living Dead, is widely considered to be one of the most important horror films ever released, and somehow the horror genius managed to top expectations with hit films Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. While the subsequent 4 sequels may not have lived up to the astronomical achievements that Night, Dawn, and Day did, they still were fun, campy, and excellently made good times. Without a doubt, one of the best scary movie series to watch for those looking to get acclimated with the genre, Romero's Dead Zombie franchise is one of the most important in all of horror history.
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Psycho Franchise
Psycho is an American horror franchise consisting of six films loosely based on the Psycho novels by Robert Bloch, namely Psycho, Psycho II, Psycho III, Bates Motel, Psycho IV: The Beginning, the 1998 remake of the original film, and additional merchandise spanning various media. The first film, Psycho, was directed by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock.[1] Subsequently, another film related to the series was made: an Alfred Hitchcock biopic. Also, an independent documentary called The Psycho Legacy was released on October 19, 2010. It mostly focused on Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning, but did cover the impact and legacy of the original film. A TV series, Bates Motel, premiered on A&E on March 18, 2013, being a prequel to the first film but in a modern-day setting. It stars Freddie Highmore as a teenaged Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga as his mother Norma Bates. - For reasons unknown, the recently deceased are rising from the grave as flesh-hungry zombies. Fleeing from the undead horde, a small group of survivors, including Barbara (Patricia Tallman), Ben (Tony Todd) and Harry (Tom Towles), sequester themselves in a remote farmhouse. With the zombies outside the house multiplying, tensions flare, as the group argues over the best way to escape their increasingly dire situation before they are overrun completely.
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- Set in Chicago, Candyman is a horror film where graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) becomes obsessed with the local legend of the Candyman (Tony Todd). However, her research inadvertently summons the deadly supernatural entity. This chilling tale is both a ghost story and a commentary on societal issues.
- Jaws is an American natural horror film series that started with a 1975 film that expanded into three sequels, a theme park ride, and other tie-in merchandise, based on a 1974 novel. The main subject of the saga is a great white shark, and its attacks on people in specific areas of the United States. The Brody family is featured in all of the films as the primary antithesis to the shark. The original film was based on a novel written by Peter Benchley, which itself was inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. Benchley adapted his novel, along with help from Carl Gottlieb and Howard Sackler, into the 1975 film Jaws, which was directed by Steven Spielberg. Although Gottlieb went on to pen two of the three sequels, neither Benchley nor Spielberg returned to the film series in any capacity.
- In Jeepers Creepers, brother and sister duo, Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry Jenner (Justin Long), find themselves ensnared in a heart-pounding struggle for survival against an ancient creature known as The Creeper. While returning home from college on a seemingly innocuous country road, they encounter the beast, awakening their worst nightmares. Director Victor Salva skillfully crafts this horror film into a chilling exploration of primal fear. The movie's unsettling tone is further enhanced by Francis Ford Coppola's role as the executive producer. As the plot unfolds, the siblings' courage and resourcefulness are tested to their limits. This film stands out for its unique fusion of terror and suspense, drawing upon traditional horror tropes while delivering unexpected twists.More Jeepers Creepers
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- In the frost-bitten isolation of Antarctica, a team of American researchers find themselves under siege. Their adversary? An alien life-form with an unnerving ability to assume the appearance of its victims. The team's helicopter pilot, R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell), steps up in defense of his comrades, igniting a nerve-wracking battle of paranoia and survival against their shape-shifting foe. This is The Thing, a chilling blend of science fiction and horror directed by John Carpenter. The movie, released in 1982, stands as a testament to practical effects, expertly designed suspense and a hauntingly desolate setting that amplifies the terror within.
- The Purge is a series of American dystopian action horror films written and directed by James DeMonaco. It currently consists of three films: The Purge (2013), The Purge: Anarchy (2014) and The Purge: Election Year (2016). It is based on a future dystopic America where every year there is a 12-hour period during which all crime, including murder, is legal.
- The Amityville Horror film series is a series of American horror films that currently consists of 17 released films and centers on events in a haunted house in Amityville, New York.
- Resident Evil is an action horror film series based on the Japanese video game franchise by Capcom. These first six films follow Alice (Milla Jovovich), a character created for the films. Alice is a former security specialist and covert operative who battles the Umbrella Corporation, whose bioweapons have triggered a zombie apocalypse. Characters from the games appear, including Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Ada Wong, Carlos Olivera, Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, Barry Burton and the antagonists Albert Wesker and James Marcus. In 2021, a reboot film, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, was released.
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