10 Dead Horror Movie Franchises That Should Be Rebooted

Static Media

We're in an era of remakes and reboots, especially when it comes to the horror genre (and some horror remakes are better than the originals, if you can believe it). There are many wonderful franchises in the horror space that have carved out spaces for themselves in the zeitgeist through grand storylines that unfold over multiple installments, some more beloved than others (both franchises and installments). But one thing's for sure: A good horror franchise is worth its weight in gold to diehards and casual fans alike, and that's why studios, and the execs who run them these days, see value in restarting many of our most popular ones.

That said, there's so much untapped territory in these here horror franchise waters, which seems wild to say in a world where the reboot and the remake reign supreme. After all, this year was full of them, from a new "Final Destination" stunner to a Gen-Z reboot of "I Know What You Did Last Summer."

But there are still so many more wonderful stories and film universes that could potentially benefit from a rebirth, and that's where this list comes in. Think of it as a great cheat sheet for you studio heads who want to put butts in movie theater seats (a distribution method we need to protect and preserve with everything we have). It's not the only way, but rebooting a tried and true horror franchise is definitely a surefire way to get audiences hyped up and invested. At least, I know it works on me.

So, with that in mind, here are 10 dead horror movie franchises that should be rebooted.

New Line Cinema

This is probably one of the most obvious entries on this list, but it's here for a reason: It's one of the most obvious and most desired reboots on this list. The original 1984 film "Nightmare on Elm Street," easily legend Wes Craven's greatest horror creation, was an absolute smash upon release, with its success spawning seven sequel films and a spin-off with another villain whose franchise also appears on this list. In 2010, Warner Bros. rebooted the franchise with a film starring Kyle Gallner and Rooney Mara ... but it wasn't exactly a critical success. It was deemed a bit of a soulless take on the greatness of the original, but despite a negative critical reaction, it became the highest grossing film in the entire franchise.

The studio never went any further with the reboot series it seemingly intended to establish fifteen years ago, which means there's a ton of room to establish a brand new reboot right now. "Elm Street" is such a beloved franchise that the fans are certainly curious to see what could be done with a new take on the story — not to mention what could be done with a new take on Freddy Krueger, the iconic central villain — and it feels crazy that this absolutely legendary narrative has yet to be reimagined in this day in age. Obviously, there are obstacles like rights issues to contend with in these instances, which is why it hasn't happened yet, but ultimately, this franchise has been begging to be awoken from its dead sleep.

Paramount Pictures

The second of two obvious entries on this list, the "Friday the 13th" franchise is another one that's deeply desired in the eyes of horror fans — and Jason Voorhees, the villain some call the greatest horror movie slasher of them all, certainly deserves another run. The original 1980 film, written by Victor Miller and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, wasn't exactly the critical darling that "Nightmare on Elm Street" was, but it was a box office success, which paved the way for it to become a modern classic in the eyes of audiences. From there, it spawned nine sequels and even a spin-off film where Voorhees goes head to head with the aforementioned Freddy Krueger. In 2009, Warner Bros. brought Jason back for a reboot of the first film starring Jared Padalecki and Danielle Panabaker that didn't exactly impress critics, but it managed to become the second-highest grossing film in the franchise because of the power reboots have to get fans to the theater.

Despite the solid box office profit, the studio never went ahead with more reboot franchise entries ... but it's obviously never too late to roll up to summer camp once again. In fact, A24 is revisiting Jason with an upcoming TV series that will air on Peacock. Titled "Crystal Lake," Bradley Caleb Kane — who has written on many TV shows including the recent "IT: Welcome to Derry" but perhaps more interestingly is the singing voice for "Aladdin" in the 1992 animated classic — will serve as showrunner. We don't know much about what this reboot series is going to look like, but we do know Linda Cardellini will be taking on the role of Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees, and we can't wait to see how she shapes the series via her performance.

Cineplex Odeon Films, Trimark Pictures

Now we're getting to the underrated gems. The original Canadian horror film "Cube," written and directed by Vincenzo Natali, was released in 1997, and boy is it a doozy. Following a group who finds themselves trapped in a maze of booby-trapped square rooms they must escape with no recollection of how they got there, the movie is a stone-cold horror classic for its bizarre setting and plot and how little information the audience receives about the plight of the characters. It didn't do so well financially in Canada, but ended up becoming a smash hit in France, where it screened in over 200 French cinemas at its peak and even became the second-highest grossing film in the country at the time. The movie has become a beloved cult classic in the genre world and spawned a small franchise that includes a sequel film, "Cube 2: Hypercube," released in 2002, and a prequel film, "Cube Zero," released in 2004.

A Japanese reboot also called "Cube" was released in 2021, but so far, there hasn't been anything more from the overall "Cube" universe — and that definitely needs to change. There's definitely a really great modern reboot there in the idea that all of the puzzles that need to be solved by fear of death are a big metaphor for the puzzle-laden, oppressive structure of capitalism and the realities of living inside that system. We just need a great screenwriter and director to tackle it, and we may still get just that. In 2015, a remake titled "Cubed" was in development at Lionsgate. That version never seemed to materialize, but a reboot is supposedly still happening and Lionsgate is looking for a new direction and taking pitches as of a report in 2022.

Lionsgate

Eli Roth's 2005 torture porn statement "Hostel" was something of a phenomenon when it premiered on the heels of the gore wave created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell's "Saw" a year prior. The movie, which stars Jay Hernandez and was executive produced by Quentin Tarantino, ended up getting pegged as a mixed bag by critics, but the general public ate up its terror and violence. "Saw" created the appetite for extremity in the mainstream and "Hostel" gladly rode that wave to financial success. Because of how much of a moneymaker it ended up being, it led to two sequel films, "Hostel: Part II" in 2007 and "Hostel: Part III" in 2011. The second film ultimately grossed less than half of its predecessor, which relegated the third installment to a direct-to-DVD release.

But the interesting thing about "Hostel" is that the grit and the gore only account for a small portion of the film when you actually take stock of the 94-minute runtime. The film, overall, is an indictment of the class divide and satirizes the extremes of what that can look like when human nature and the notion of placating our deepest darkest urges coincide with extreme wealth. For that alone, the franchise deserves a solid reboot, especially in the modern moment, where the class divide is widening by the year in real life. As of last summer, a "Hostel" TV series was in the works with Roth directing and Paul Giamatti (who almost joined the horror franchise 20 years ago) starring, but there hasn't been much development on that since. Here's hoping we get some sort of reboot, because it kind of feels like torture not having one. (Too much? Fiiiiine.)

Warner Bros. Pictures

2014's "Annabelle" spawned a brand new horror franchise off the back of 2013's "The Conjuring." The movie, directed by John R. Leonetti and starring Annabelle Wallis, is a spin-off and prequel film to the Ed and Lorraine Warren vehicle that spawned a major franchise of its own. The first "Annabelle" film wasn't a hit with critics, but it was more than just a hit with audiences, it was a financial goldmine for Warner Bros. Naturally, the studio wanted to keep shaking that particular money tree, especially considering the financial success "The Conjuring" was seeing as well. They made two more "Annabelle" films: 2017's "Annabelle: Creation," a prequel to the first "Annabelle" movie, and the 2019 sequel "Annabelle Comes Home."

Both of the subsequent "Annabelle" movies did well at the box office, which is why it's a bit puzzling that we haven't had another installment of the franchise since the 2019 film. But that's fine, because there's a great opportunity now to reboot the franchise. This summer, controversial comic Matt Rife purchased the Warrens' home and paranormal museum in Connecticut, becoming the legal guardian of all haunted items therein, including the real Annabelle doll the films are based on. Needless to say, it would be an absolutely perfect modern reboot entry point to do an "Annabelle" film about a jerk of a celebrity-influencer type who buys the doll and his life becomes a living hell as a result. It would be an excellent way to fold reality into the story while also taking some fun liberties and incorporate the excitement of the original terrifying true story that helped launch a horror franchise. 

International Film Marketing

Potentially the most underrated franchise on this list, "Night of the Demons" is a pretty timeless series that will always be a ton of fun. The original 1988 film, which was directed by Kevin S. Tenney and starred Linnea Quigley, wasn't a box office smash or a critical breakout, but it birthed a small film series anyway that spawned about five years later as the movie started to build a cult classic status. "Night of the Demons 2" was released in 1994 and "Night of the Demons 3" came out three years later in 1997.

12 years on, a reboot attempt was made in 2009 featuring "American History X" star Edward Furlong, but it was met with negative reviews and a very low box office return before it quickly went to DVD and Blu-ray. There was a film in the works in 2013 that would have served as a sequel, but nothing ever came of it — which is why now is the perfect time to bring this night of terror back to screens. "Night of the Demons" is, at its core, a party movie, and thankfully, fun transcends time. If the right screenwriter took a stab at it, making sure the plot and twists were smart and the dialogue was snappy and hilarious, it could be a whole new hit. Plus, add some killer go-for-broke practical effects and set pieces and you're bound to get horror folks — and probably even the general movegoing public — interested. It's high time we get back to this party, and studios should take note.

Pathé Distribution

Perhaps the scariest entry on this list, Neil Marshall's brilliant 2005 subterranean horror "The Descent" is the stuff nightmares are made of, especially if the idea of going exploring in caves gives you anxiety (and it should). The film, which was written and directed by Marshall, did fairly well at the box office upon release, but it was immediately critically successful. It was the seventh best film of the year on Sight & Sound's 2005 list, and tenth on the list made by the Washington Post. Since then, its popularity has grown immensely, and it is now regarded as one of the best horror films of the 2000s — so naturally, they made a sequel. "The Descent Part 2" was released in 2009, but was seen as a generally unnecessary sequel when all was said and done (and was considered by some to be ruined by terrible editing). As you might expect, it failed to reach the financial success of the original.

But 16 years on, it would be fun to bring a whole new set of women into this story and set them loose amongst treacherous terrain and terrifying monsters. Speaking of those terrifying monsters, it would be so awesome to see those things brought to life again, potentially with an updated character design. The original film doesn't skimp on the gore and the carnage, so if we put the right director at the helm here, we could have an even more blood-soaked nightmare than we did in 2005. We simply need to rappel this franchise back to the surface and give it another shot.

New World Mutual, Manson International

This one might be my favorite of all the entries on this list. David Cronenberg's 1981 masterpiece "Scanners" is a true marvel of twisted creativity. The classic film, which was written and directed by Cronenberg and features a career-best turn from Michael Ironside, didn't hit that hard on arrival, but it ended up ushering Cronenberg's particular brand of body horror madness into the mainstream. And as a Canadian picture, it gave the American box office some stiff competition at the time. Despite the middling response, "Scanners" indeed became a franchise, which makes sense considering its cult classic status today. "Scanners II: The New Order" was released a decade after the original in 1991 and "Scanners III: The Takeover" came out the following year. From there, two spin-off films were also made, 1994's "Scanner Cop" and 1995's "Scanner Cop II."

Cronenberg didn't approve of any of those sequels or spin-offs, though, nor did he approve of the 2007 reboot film that was once planned. But if he did approve of a remake film in the modern day, or even decide to take a stab at a new version himself (after all, he's made two "Crimes of the Future" films that are technically connected, albeit loosely), it could be a real winner. Cronenberg is still cranking out unique, polarizing, and thrilling work to this day, and it could be really special to see him reboot one of his best films with a new take on the plot and maybe even a delicious rehash of the original film's most iconic scene (you know the one, it's a mind-blower).

DreamWorks Pictures

Gore Verbinski's 2002 smash "The Ring" is, if I do say so myself, just as great as its Japanese source material, both on screen and off. In fact, it's a rare horror remake that strengthens its predecessor. The brilliant American adaptation horror film, which was written by Ehren Kruger and stars Naomi Watts, was a major success at the box office and had its fair share of positive critical sentiment, to the point that it started a major J-horror wave of American remakes that constituted a trend in the early aughts. A remake of the 1998 Japanese film and an adaptation of the 1991 Japanese novel, Verbinski's take was so popular — and remains so to this day — that it spawned two sequel films. "The Ring Two" came out three years later in 2005 and "Rings" premiered twelve years after that in 2017. Neither film was well loved by critics since the overall plot of the franchise started to weaken, but they each did decently at the box office.

The terror of Verbinski's version of the story (let alone the utterly horrifying 1998 version) feels lost to the younger generation of horror lovers and moviegoers, who are more focused on mascot horror and game adaptations than they are on immersing themselves in the classics. So what better way to bring this iconic story back into the zeitgeist than to grab a sharp horror director and screenwriter and set them loose to build a whole new narrative through which to uncover Samara and her tragic story?

20th Century Fox

The only real contender for greatest body horror movie of all time, the excellent 1986 film "The Fly" was truly beloved upon release. The David Cronenberg classic, a remake of the 1958 film of the same title, starred Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis and made a modest return at the box office, but that was nothing compared to the near universal praise it received, especially as a remake. A sequel was made three years later in 1989, much to the dismay of Cronenberg, who wasn't interested in doing more with the story (a stance he generally keeps with most of his work). Aside from that sequel, there have been several other attempts to revive the series, add onto the established story, and also remake it. Renny Harlin was set to make an alternate sequel in the 1990s that fell through, then in 2003, Searchlight was going to produce another remake of the original film. In 2011, Cronenberg did, in fact, write a sequel film that he intended to make, but the project stalled out at Fox.

That said, Cronenberg's later works have brought him back into the zeitgeist for both horror and general film fans alike, and it would be the best time to see a new young actor (we have oh so many great ones nowadays) take on the role that made Jeff Goldblum a household name. Plus, seeing a new version of those practical effects would be such a thrill.