I love horror movies: the complex storylines, characters, and creatures showcased in these films are all things I enjoy. Some of my favorite horror movies are franchises such as Scream, Fear Street, The Black Phone, and Jeepers Creepers. So, I feel qualified enough to confidently say some horror franchises need to learn when to give it up.
To explain, most horror series start off great, with amazing first, second, sometimes even third movies. But, in my experience, a frequent problem is the loss of plot and momentum, usually occurring in or following the third movie. The movies discussed in this article fall victim to this, and are all personal favorites of mine, proving not even my bias towards the first few movies allows for any defending of the last few.
The first series that suffered from not knowing when to stop producing movies is “Fear Street”. In July of 2021, the original trilogy released on Netflix, directed by Leigh Janiak. It was a beautiful three part, full circle story that was loosely based on R.L. Stine’s “Fear Street” books. The 3-part movie series captured the attention, hearts, and souls of the world. They contained all the benefits of modern day horror films, such as improved special effects, editing, and acting, but maintained the nostalgic vibes of 1990s and 2000s slasher fics. Not to mention the inspiration from such a well loved author– that concept alone had people loving this series. But, in May of 2025, Netflix released “Fear Street: Prom Queen,” directed by Matt Palmer. This film, like the previous three, was based on an R.L. Stine Fear Street novel, while having the perfect opportunity to capture the 1980s/prom horror vibe, like “Carrie” (1976) or “Prom Night” (1980). Despite that possibility, it ended up being a complete mess. It did not at all feel like any of the previous “Fear Street” films, did not carry most of the key plot points, and seemingly created its own separate, tasteless film. In my opinion, part of the problem was the change in directors, but upon further research, I also believe it is due to the fact that the original three were not just based on one book per movie. Instead, it was a plethora of “Fear Street” novels, pieced together with original ideas and concepts to create a new story. “Prom Queen” simply took one book, made some changes and called it done.
The next series that fell victim to the loss of momentum in or after the third movie is “Jeepers Creepers.” The first movie of the series was released in 2001, it was amazing and was followed by a pretty good sequel in 2003. They both were interesting in the sense that the audience basically knew how it was going to end, but also could not stop watching. The plots were pretty simple: the main characters see the Creeper, the Creeper chases them all night, kills anyone in his way, then kills whomever he intended to kill. This formula was followed in both the first and second films. Then, after a long gap in the series, mostly due to some issues with the main director, in 2017 the third film was released. I personally did not think this film was awful, though it was not great by any means. It had an interesting plot that did not feel repetitive when compared to the others. It primarily focused on past victims of the Creeper, who had escaped his clutches and were now trying to kill him. These three movies were all directed by Victor Salva, which explains why they all blended decently well together and did not struggle with a loss of plot in each new movie. Then, in 2022, the fourth film, “Jeepers Creepers: Reborn,” was released. Unlike the previous three, this movie was directed by Timo Vuorensola. As phrased in my Letterboxed review, “this movie is really bad, period. The acting was off, there was no connection built between the audience and the characters, and it was not scary. It did not feel like any of the three prior movies and does the franchise an injustice.” I still partially blame the director change, but I also believe this franchise probably should have stopped at two movies, no matter what. The third one was already a bit off and, as interesting as it was, the change in the formula used in both the first and second movies opened the door for the sloppy mess that was the fourth.
The last and most unfortunate franchise that should have stopped is “Scream”. The first four films, released in 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2011 were amazing. These movies are the slasher blueprint: basic, easy to keep up with plot, someone starts killing, we meet the main friend group, the killer is in the friend group, the killer is revealed, Sydney Prescott is the final girl. The director, Wes Craven, and the writers always made these movies feel fresh, new, and surprising, even though they always had the same general premise. But unfortunately, in August of 2015, the amazing Wes Craven passed, and many assumed it was the end of Scream, but sadly, it was not. In 2022 and 2023, “Scream 5” and “Scream 6” released: they still featured our main survivors that had carried the series since 1996 (Sydney, Gale, and Dewey). But there was a whole new main group as well. These new characters were very interesting, and the new movies were, honestly, pretty good, just not as good as the first four. They still used the classic premise, though this time, there was a new final girl. These new additions to the franchise were very entertaining, but the inclusion of the original 3 survivors felt like more of a nostalgia trap than a crucial plot point. Especially considering (spoilers) they killed Dewey, a beloved character, off in the fifth, and did not even have Sidney, the original final girl, in the sixth. Using the characters that way felt pointless and disrespectful toward the original films. Then, this past February, “Scream 7” was released. This film was an absolute disaster. Once again, there was a new cast with hints of the survivors from 1996, and a few newer survivors from 2023. Those characters were obviously fun and familiar, but the new cast felt unlikable and irrelevant. (Spoiler ahead) Not to mention, the reveal of the killers was totally lame, considering they were not even relevant characters. It was not a member of the friend group as it always had been, it was one of their mothers and a psychiatric doctor, both of whom had been shown to the audience once, maybe two times across the whole film. While this franchise made it farther than most, with 1-4 being really great, 5-6 being pretty good, and 7 being awful, they still should know after 30 years of the franchise, it should be time to stop.
Now, as you have read, there are a plethora of factors that go into ruining and dragging out a franchise. It can be a change in directors, a loss in creative ideas, or a complete derail from the usual plot formula. No matter what it is, something is bound to make a franchise decrease in value in or following the third movie.