Horror films often come equipped with low budgets and are met with high returns. They're a safety net for film studios in the wake of a bomb with a blockbuster budget.
And, naturally, success leads to a desire for more success. If audiences have taken to characters once, be they protagonist or antagonist, there's a solid chance they're going to want to pay to spend more time with them. This is especially true when there's the threat of death. Everyone wants to see Sidney Prescott survive until the final reel, whether it's installment two or twelve.
18 Final Destination: Five Films (2000-2011)
The Final Destinationfranchise—Which looks to continue with a highly-anticipated legacy sequel—has been a fairly consistent box office success, though it never exactly performed as a cross-demo hit. With $112.9 million worldwide on a budget of $23 million, 2000's Final Destination was a draw, but then 2003's Final Destination 2 (in spite of its arguably superior quality) was slightly less to the tune of $90 million worldwide.
Things got back over $100 million with Final Destination 3, but then the rote semi-reboot The Final Destination set a franchise record with $186.2 million worldwide. Oddly enough, the deadly saga's fifth and thus far final film (a prequel) is arguably its best, though it did receive inferior fiscal returns to the installment that preceded it, putting Final Destination on ice for a bit.
17 Phantasm: Five Films (1979-2016)
An improbable franchise spawner if ever there was one, Don Coscarelli's Phantasm is a visually lurid nightmare with an iconic antagonist. It even managed to start itself a nice five-film franchise, four of which were helmed by Coscarelli.
After Phantasm in 1979, there was Phantasm II way later in 1988, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead in 1994, and Phantasm IV: Oblivion in 1998. But then even Phantasm found itself getting rebooted in the 2010s with 2016's Phantasm: Ravager.
16 The Evil Dead: Five Films (1981-2023)
While there have technically only been five films in the Evil Dead franchise, it's worth noting that the three seasons of Starz's canon Ash vs. Evil Dead greatly expand the lore. This is true both in terms of runtime and interesting narrative directions (not to mention Ash Williams drunken one-liners).
As for the five mainline installments, Sam Raimi's trilogy of The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness are classics and must-watches for any budding horror aficionado. Fede Álvarez's 2013 re-imagining Evil Dead also scored with critics (though to a lesser extent) and even did well at the box office
15 The Purge: Five Films (2013-2021)
While not always entirely scary, The Purge franchise has nonetheless become one of Blumhouse's longest-lasting and most profitable. Thus far, the violent saga has had five theatrical installments and TV series to flesh out its world, and each managed to be profitable in its own right.
When The Purge opened in 2013, it attracted both an understandable amount of hype and a less-than-expected amount of controversy. After all, it's a franchise that embraces humanity's very organic and disheartening violent impulses. It would be followed by The Purge: Anarchy the following year, The Purge: Election Year in 2016, The First Purge in 2018, and The Forever Purge in 2021.
14 Scream: Six Films (1996-2023)
Of all the top-tier classic horror properties that found themselves rebooted from the late 2010s to the early 2020s, Screamwas one of the riskiest. Fortunately, any worries about the IP's continued financial prospects were dashed when 2022's Scream hit theaters, netting $81.6 million domestically (via Box Office Mojo), over twice the domestic gross of Scream 4, released 11 years prior.
Then, once Scream VI managed to not only match but up its immediate predecessor's domestic haul, it became clear that Ghostface could survive without the late, great Wes Craven. Toss in the positive consensus for both films and sinister phone calls should be getting dispensed for a few more installments.
13 The Wolf Man: Six Films (1941-2010)
The most recent effort may have been Joe Johnston's 2010 box office bomb The Wolfman, but for the most part, the furry-faced maneater has had a mostly successful film career. That said, the most notable installment is still the first.
After the 1941 original, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man hit screens in 1943, and it was nearly as solid as the first film. That said, his subsequent appearances in House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein were less memorable.
12 Romero's Dead Saga: Six Films (1968-2009)
While George A. Romero's Dead saga is primarily acknowledged for its first three installments, there are actually six. That said, the latter trio doesn't hold a candle to the former. 1968's Night of the Living Dead is an undisputed masterpiece, arguably a perfect film. And, as thoughtful as that film was, Romero managed to arguably outdo himself with the consumerism-skewering Dawn of the Dead, released a decade later.
Day of the Dead is largely seen as a step down from those two, but it's a bit of an unfair assessment. Like Night and Dawn, Day has ambiance, strong writing, and impressive practical effects to spare. It would be a while before Romero would return to his zombified world, but when he did it was with a one-two-three punch. That said, while 2005's Land of the Dead is solid (and even comes with a fun supporting performance from Dennis Hopper), the less said about 2007's found footage Diary of the Dead and 2009's island-set Survival of the Dead (a minor improvement over Diary), the better.
11 Tremors: Seven Films (1990-2020)
Back when Tremors hit theaters in 1990, if any industry analyst or even spectator were asked whether the underground biting worms movie had a chance of generating not one but six sequels and a TV series, their eyebrow would raise. Make that two TV series, considering the Kevin Bacon-led Syfy series that (bafflingly enough) never made it past the pilot stage. Bacon has been open about his continued willingness to return to the role, but time will tell if a network will make the incredibly easy decision to say yes.
As for the films, the original Tremors was the only one to hit theaters, but it's had remarkable success in the home media market. That said, it takes a bit between each installment. Tremors 2: Aftershocks came six years after Tremors, Tremors 3: Back to Perfection five years after Aftershocks, and Tremors 4: The Legend Begins three years after Back to Perfection. But the series wasn't done with the initial run, as over a decade later it'd come back with Tremors 5: Bloodlines in 2015, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell in 2018, and Tremors: Shrieker Island in 2020.
10 Child's Play: Eight Films (1988-2019)
Tom Holland's Child's Play kicked off a franchise that continues to this day, arguably in a healthier manner than ever. The first three theatrical films did okay for themselves in theaters, but they never performed like gangbusters. Bride of Chucky impressively performed about the same despite a multi-year lull, but Seed of Chucky very much failed to follow up on that film's success, both critical and commercial.
The 2019 re-imagining, however, came and went from theaters with nary a word said about it. This left the small screen for Chucky to (quite suitably) prove his continued relevance. Both Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky are notable advancements for the franchise, but brilliantly enough the franchise hasn't been content to just revisit its new characters. Rather, it's transported those characters (new and old) to a different format, that of serialized television. Not to mention, Fiona Dourif (daughter of Chucky voice artist Brad Dourif) is a wholly organic and interesting addition to the franchise.
9 The Conjuring Universe: Nine Films (2013-2023)
The most rapidly-expanding horror universe in recent memory (if not of all time), The Conjuring has become much more than its mainline installments. That said, its mainline installments (2013, 2016, and 2021) have all been successful Summer releases in their own right.
Aside from those three core films, things were kicked off on the spin-off front with the misguided but financially successful Annabelle, released in 2014. Then there was the infinitely superior prequel Annabelle: Creation in 2017, which wasn't quite the smash the first spin-off was but regardless proved the continued strength of the overall franchise. This was further proved with The Nun in 2018, The Curse of La Llorona in 2019, and Annabelle Comes Home (which is essentially The Conjuring 4) in 2019.
8 A Nightmare on Elm Street: Nine Films (1984-2010)
If Freddy Krueger's isn't the most iconic face of horror it's certainly one of several. But, to be fair, with scars like that one's visage is rather unforgettable. Toss in a genuinely irreplaceable performance by Robert Englund across the course of eight films and Freddy becomes without a doubt horror's most iconic personality.
Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street stole the spotlight from Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, but his time too would come. And, given the extra creativity required in A Nightmare on Elm Street'snarratives' construction in comparison to Friday or Halloween, it didn't last for as many initial core installments. But, it was also a little late to the party.
7 The Mummy: 10 Films (1932-2017)
The majority of The Mummy saga's 10 films came from the classic Universal Monster age, but there's little doubt most viewers are primarily aware of three. As for the six Universal films, the 1932 original is the only one of true note. But, 1942's The Mummy's Tomb and 1944's The Mummy's Ghost and The Mummy's Curse all interestingly enough featured The Wolf Man actor Lon Chaney Jr. as the wrapped-up baddie.
Naturally, viewers are more well-acquainted with Stephen Sommers' The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, though the less said about Rob Cohen's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the better. The same goes for the disastrous attempted reboot starring Tom Cruise. The good news is that Brendan Fraser is up for a legacy sequel, and considering the most recent installment also featured Michelle Yeoh, the time is definitely now.
6 Saw: 10 Films (2004-2023)
Just as Friday the 13th was an annual event throughout the 1980s, Saw was an annual event throughout the aughts. And, towards the beginning, they were pretty darn successful (Especially given the threadbare budgets).
Saw hit theaters in 2004, becoming a gradual hit, whereas Saw II hit theaters the next year with established clout and anticipation. Though, from there, it would be the same to lesser degrees, with Saw III in 2006, Saw IV in 2007, Saw V in 2008, the underrated Saw VI in 2009, and the finale, Saw 3D in 2010. But, even with seven installments in just as many years, it wouldn't be long before Jigsaw hit theaters. Oddly enough, exactly seven years. Then, another four years before Chris Rock attempted to reboot the franchise with Spiral (a film directed by Saw II, III, and IV's Darren Lynn Bousman). Up next is reboot attempt number three, but given the fact the title is Saw X, it seems more likely to position itself as a direct continuation.
5 Hellraiser: 11 Films (1987-2022)
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Including Hulu's recent reboot (which doesn't appear to have taken off in a manner similar to their Predator reboot, Prey) the Hellraiser series has amassed 12 films. That said, most of them have been straight to DVD and are more than a little skippable. But, each of the first four films has its merits, even if to a substantially decreasing degree.
Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II are upper-echelon horror films, anchored by strong lead performances by Ashley Laurence in the hero role and Clare Higgins and Doug Bradley as two very different antagonists. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth has a fresh take on the core torture-based narrative while going so far as to expound on why it's all occurring in the first place (via sometimes clunky but mostly effective flashbacks). The fourth film was disowned by its director and was the last theatrically-released Hellraiser movie for a reason, yet there's something ambitious about all of its time-jumping and lofty ideologies.
4 Friday the 13th: 12 Films (1980-2009)
Released shortly in the wake of Halloween's success, Friday the 13th was met with a very similar commercial reception if not exactly a critical one. And, throughout the 1980s, it continued to do well even if to a mostly decreasing degree.
That said, the first four installments were definitively the most successful. Friday the 13th was, of course, a hit, but Friday the 13th Part 2 faltered. However, once Friday the 13th Part III and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter hit theaters it was obvious there was still fan interest. But, it seemed that the number of people who bought tickets to Part III were just about all they were, as the '80s remaining four installments each failed to drop jaws in spite of profitability. From there things would slow down as the '90s would only give fans Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, the aughts Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason, and Marcus Nispel's 2009 remake.
3 Halloween: 13 Films (1978-2022)
While David Gordon Green's 2018 Halloween was widely deemed a return to form for the film series, many fans felt he didn't quite stick the landing when it came to the trilogy as a whole. The Halloween franchise consistently goes back to John Carpenter's original, and given that particular film's lasting power it's easy to see why. The initial series ran from 1978 to 2002, with three years between Halloween and Halloween II. Then, Halloween III: Season of the Witch came just one year after Halloween II and the massive changes in narrative were enough to put the franchise on ice for a bit.
It wasn't until 1988 that Michael Myers returned, starring in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers before continuing in 1989's Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and 1995's Paul Rudd-led Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. There'd be another three-year gap, but it wasn't just Michael who came back, but Laurie Strode as well. Of course, after two Rob Zombie's reboots, history would find itself being repeated with David Gordon Green's trilogy.
2 Puppet Master: 15 Films (1989-2022)
Easily the biggest success to ever come out of Charles Band's low-budget production house Full Moon Features, the Puppet Master franchise has amassed an astonishing 15 films and counting. Each plot follows the anthropomorphic puppets who've been animated by an Egyptian spell to commit murder.
None of the films hit theaters, though the 1989 original was initially slated for a theatrical release. That strategy must have worked out well, because the following year provided Puppet Master II before 1991's Toulon's Revenge, 1993's Puppet Master 4, 1994's Puppet Master 5, 1998's Curse of the Puppet Master, and 1999's Retro Puppet Master. Then, in 2003, there was a reboot attempt in Puppet Master: The Legacy, followed by a spinoff in 2004 with Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys. It would then be six years before the series found itself truly rebooted with 2010's Puppet Master: Axis of Evil, which was followed by 2012's Puppet Master X: Axis Rising, 2017's Puppet Master: Axis Termination, 2018's star-studded and comedic Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, 2020's Blade: The Iron Cross, and most recently 2022's Puppet Master: Doktor Death.
1 Dracula: 23 Films (1931-2023)
If Dracula isn't the most iconic character in all of horror, he certainly ranks close. Hollywood keeps finding ways to reuse, reintroduce, or reinvent the character to often decent box office returns.
There have been 23 mainline Dracula films, including the four Hotel Transylvania movies, but the character has also appeared in any number of other tangentially-related projects, most recently 2023's Renfield. Nicolas Cage, Adam Sandler, Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi...toss in a legendary Gary Oldman performance in Bram Stoker's Dracula and the character has been played by a slew of noteworthy thespians.
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