10 Horror Sequels That Were Never Made

If there is one thing the horror genre is known for, it is sequels. If a horror film is successful, fans can rest assured there will be a follow-up. With a genre so reliant on sequels, there are bound to be some that never see the light of day. Horror sequels that are unmade often times fascinate fans more than the ones that are released. Today, we are taking a look at some of the unmade horror movies that fans wish had the chance to hit theatres.

10. Halloween 3D

The Rob Zombie Halloween remake and its sequel have fans decisive. Some enjoy them, while others think they tarnish John Carpenter’s classic. regardless of fan reception, both films made a lot of money. So much so that a third entry was greenlit. The movie was to pick up after the theatrical cut of Halloween II, with Laurie and Michael having survived. Michael in the film was to closer resemble John Carpenter’s original version, with blue coveralls and a new all-white mask. The film was, of course, to be released in 3D to cash in on the resurrected craze. Thanks to multiple pushbacks and Dimension films losing the rights, Halloween 3D never saw the light of day. Thanks to this unmade horror movie, the franchise was eventually rebooted in 2018.

9. Halloween Returns

Halloween 3D was far from the first canceled Halloween movie, and it certainly wasn’t the last. In 2016, a new movie titled Halloween Returns was announced. What makes this particular reimagining unique is that it wasn’t a remake or a true horror sequel. The events of the original film happened, but various things were changed. For instance, Laurie didn’t survive the attack, and Dr. Loomis wasn’t Michael’s doctor. The main story follows the child of one of the survivors of Michael’s rampage as Michael escapes once again. unlike Halloween 3D, the script of Returns is actually available online.

8. Friday the 13th Reboot

If there is one horror icon who refused to die in their heyday, it was Jason Voorhees. However, it seems like Jason is having some trouble returning to the big screen. After the success of the 2009 remake, a new film was put in the works. Originally slated for a 2016 release date, this movie was set to be yet another reboot. The script has made its way online and features Jason’s father Elias in a large role throughout the first half of the story. Jason himself wouldn’t even don the hockey mask until close to the climax.

Seeing a fresh take on the Voorhees mythos would have been a treat for fans, but the failure of Paramount’s Rings, alongside the messy lawsuit, led to the film being canceled. Friday fans have been longing for a new movie for quite some time, and it hurts knowing how close they were to getting this unmade horror movie.

7. Original Versions Of Freddy Vs Jason

Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees were two of the biggest pop culture icons at the height of their popularity. Fans were practically begging to see the two clash on the big screen. Following a surprise stinger featuring Krueger at the end of Jason Goes to Hell, it seemed like that dream would become a reality. While the film eventually hit theatres in 2003, it was a long road filled with rejected scripts. Many of these unused treatments can be found online, and they range from unique to downright bizarre. While this is one example of movie fans finally got to see, many wish some of the other scripts also got their chance to shine.

6. Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash

When Freddy vs Jason finally became a reality, it was a huge hit for New Line. It seemed like this movie ushered in a new era for the horror legends, and the studio hoped to bring another in on the action. The plan was to bring Ash Williams from the Evil Dead series and put him against Freddy and Jason. Fans were more than on board with the idea, and several treatments were made. Ultimately, the studio decided not to move forward with the movie and instead remake both the Nightmare and Friday franchises.  While it will likely never make it to the silver screen, the horror sequel does exist as a comic series, letting fans in on what could have been.

5. Peter Jackson’s Nightmare on Elm Street

When New Line decided it was time to kill Freddy off in the early ’90s, they went through many different filmmakers and scripts. One script close to being produced was from Peter Jackson, who would later make the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the same studio. In Jackson’s script, Freddy was powerless and a laughing stock. The teens of Elm Street would get high and intentionally enter the dream world just to beat up the killer. The story was slightly meta, as in the real world, Freddy became more of a comedic character than a horror legend. Freddy would eventually get his powers back and would become a force to be reckoned with once more. The script was rejected in favor of Freddy’s Dead, but most fans feel the unmade horror movie would have been better than the final project.

4. George A Romero’s Resident Evil

The man credited with creating the zombie movie as we know it is none other than George A. Romero. The father of the modern zombie movie was actually slated to head an iconic zombie franchise in the late ’90s. Before Resident Evil made the jump to the big screen in 2002, Romero was hired by Sony to pen the script. While the studio ultimately passed on the project, the script can be read online. The story took heavy inspiration from the original game, with the bulk of the story taking place in the Spencer Mansion. The characters even had to collect colored key cards to traverse the mansion. This would have been a much more faithful adaptation of the Capcom game, but alas, the script went unmade.

3. Return of Leslie Vernon

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a meta slasher movie that acts primarily as a mockumentary. The film has a massive cult following, and fans were clamoring for a follow-up almost immediately. The creators of the film also wanted a horror sequel, but the studio wouldn’t fund it. They decided to take it into their own hands and made a crowdfunding campaign in an attempt to self-produce. The project failed to meet its goal, so their script, titled Return of Leslie Vernon, wasn’t made. Eventually, the script was made into a comic book, but fans still hold out hope to see Leslie return in a movie.

2. James Wan’s Leatherface

Before the sloppy Texas Chainsaw 3D in 2013, Leatherface was to return in a new trilogy, the first of which was to be directed by Saw co-creator James Wan. The story was to reveal the origins of the cannibalistic Sawyer family and why Leatherface does what he does. The trilogy was to return the original Leatherface Gunnar Hansen and series creator Tobe Hooper to the franchise. This unmade horror movie was a huge hit to horror fans, and instead, they got a less than stellar legacy sequel most have chosen to forget about.

1. Candyman Sequel

What is considered one of the greatest horror films of the 1990s was Candyman, directed by Bernard Rose. The film was based on Clive Barker’s story and is known as horror royalty. Rose had originally planned to helm a sequel, although his treatment went unused. His treatment would not have been a direct sequel but instead expanded upon the Candyman character and the idea of the Boogyman. In fact, Rose would have taken inspiration from another Barker story, The Midnight Meat Train, and made the film a loose adaption of that with Candyman as the killer. Candyman would have taken the form of Jack the Ripper and terrorized London. While the following horror sequels do have fans, most wish this script would have made it to the screen.