Top 10 Horror Sequels on Netflix

If there was ever a red-headed stepchild of movies, it’d be the sequel. They tend to do more harm than good – tanking at the box office and going straight to video [yay for direct-to-video!] – but we do tend to have a soft spot for them within the horror genre, don’t we?

This weeks Netflix feature looks at the good and the bad when it comes to Horror sequels.

And lucky for us, Netflix has a whole slew of horror sequels available to stream. So let’s pay homage to the terrible twos! Here’s what’s in queue this week:

Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence

Martin, a disturbed loner obsessed with The Human Centipede and inspired by the crazy Dr. Heiter, decides to replicate the movie’s grisly experiment with a 12 person ‘pede.

Being a fan of the first film made its sequel hard to watch. I found Martin to be boring, leaving me craving the mad scientist of centipedes past. And the hyped up idealism of adding a ‘reality’ to the sequel became a missed opportunity when it was decided to create of literal symphony of shit.

But rather than waste your time telling you things you already know about this film, I think it’s noteworthy to mention that this is the first time I’ve had to cover my eyes in a very long time. In June, 2011, the UK certification board banned the film, and in October, 2011, the film was granted rights after cutting 2 minutes and 37 seconds out. As a survivor of the uncut version, I can tell you exactly what 2 minutes and 37 seconds were ‘flushed’ [pun intended].

Return to Sleepaway Camp

Haunted by memories of a murder at Camp Arawak, Ronnie, the new co-owner of Camp Manabe, is looking forward to an uneventful summer.

But when campers begin to disappear one-by-one, Ronnie can’t help but suspect that a killer is loose on the grounds.

Besides the location, this film is completely disjointed from the original. And I think it had to be with so many years past. But camp slashers are camp slashers, right? That said, enjoy the inventive kill scenes and final appearance by Issac Hayes, the legend himself.

My favorite summer camp cliché in the film? The lighting of the farts, of course! Also, probably the best way to open any film, in any genre, ever.

976-Evil II

In this straight-to-video sequel, Spike returns, again battling the supernatural in a college town where co-eds are disappearing at an alarming rate. The majority of the plot deals with pretty Robin, a coed who learns that her dean, Prof. Grubeck, is a rotting ghost who uses astral projection to kill.

One amusing scene worth watching the movie for has Leslie Ryan watching It’s a Wonderful Life on her TV, which then sucks her in and turns into Night of the Living Dead. Very Nightmare on Elm Street-y right?

I think I heard from a guy that heard from a guy that heard from a guy that Robert Englund is somewhere behind this one.

Oh hey, quick show of hands here – who saw the first 976-Evil? Anybody? I knew I wasn’t alone. It’s ok to proceed with the sequel and have a good time.

Pet Semetary 2

Having moved to a different town to start a new life, 13-year-old Jeff and his new friend Drew discover a strange Indian burial ground. After burying Drew’s dog in the cemetery, they realize they’ve unleashed a deadly evil that can’t be stopped.

It doesn’t happen often… the whole making-a-sequel-from-a-Stephen King-adaptation-thing. And it never turns out to be palatable… unless you are Stephen King who wrote the sequel. But I have a soft spot for this one and I attribute it to film staying very true to the original story, the cast, and the short time span between it and the first film.

Otherwise, there would have been no theatrical release, probably no budget for music rights to songs like ‘Reverence’ by Jesus and Mary Chain, and certainly no Edward Furlong, who was snagged up for this one right off the set of Terminator 2. I’m sure Furlong is the only person that would argue this to be a ‘bad choice’ nowadays.

Paranormal Activity 2

Doors slamming shut, shadows moving across the floor — the unexplained, terrifyingly real supernatural forces are back, and this time, Dan, Kristi, Ali, baby Hunter and dog Abby become part of the nightmare as the cameras roll

Sans a couple of cheap scares, I actually found this one to be more terrifying than its predecessor [or is that successor?].

And I love the idea of moving backwards, and through a series of films, to tell a full story. It’s a successful way to create a franchise.

The preview was even banned from some US theaters for scaring teenagers and small children viewing PG and PG-13 films.

The preview gave me the willies and I’m in my early 30’s.

Phantasm II: The Ball is Back!

In this sequel to a ’70s cult classic, Mike — the teen hero of the earlier film — has just been released from a mental hospital and is determined to resume his quest to destroy grave-robbing mortician, the Tall Man. Enlisting the aid of his old pal, Reggie, Mike must destroy the silver sphere-wielding menace before he harms the mysterious girl who’s been appearing in Mike’s dreams.

It took over 10 years to green light this film [one of the main executives at Universal Pictures was a big fan of horror movies], which I don’t know why – the first one is a cult classic! Regardless, the time lapse is addressed in the first few minutes of the sequel to reboot the story before jumping into the present.

The US television edit of the movie is sought after by die-hard fans because of its inclusion of alternate shots and slightly altered sequences from the theatrical cut.

Quarantine 2: Terminal

When a virus that turns its victims into crazed killers infects travelers on an airplane, authorities seal off the jet to let the bug run its course. Realizing they’ve been left to die, a flight attendant and a passenger plan a daring escape.

The Quarantine franchise is an American version of the Spanish REC franchise, and although the beginning movies are almost shot-for-shot identical, the sequels have nothing in common. Not a single thing.

But honestly, that’s OK, because they’re both good franchises without each other, and Quarantine 2 is a good time.

It picks up on the same night as the original. ‘Something’ escapes from the disease ridden tenement and makes its way aboard an airplane turning the passengers into blood-thirsty killers.

House II: The Second Story

When Jesse inherits a mysterious family mansion, he’s intrigued by photos of his great-great-grandfather holding an ancient Aztec skull. A little digging unearths 170-year-old Gramps — alive — who warns Jesse that evil forces are after the skull.

The horror comedy formula that kept the original film afloat is far less functional here, filling the story with silly stuff including a collection of pet monsters and a time-travel romantic subplot.

The film still has some clever moments, including a cameo from Cheers alum John Ratzenberger, as a plumber accustomed to cross-dimensional travel.

3… Extremes II

This is actually the prequel to the wildly popular Three… Extremes that was released in the US in 2004, and includes stories from Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook and Takashi Miike [also streamable]. And keeping with the tradition, 3 more of Asia’s most prominent horror directors — Ji-woon Kim, Nonzee Nimibutr and Peter Chan — offer up some of their creepiest tales in this spine-chilling collection of short films.

In Kim’s Memories, a husband awakens to find a mutilated body in his car. In Nimibutr’s The Wheel, a Thai village is terrorized by colorful puppets. And in Chan’s Going Home, a father is held captive by a man who keeps his dead wife ‘alive’.

All three stories are beautiful and visually stunning and put contemporary American short horror to shame. But they are also confusing and sometimes weak. I loved the last story, Going Home, which I found to be very touching and worth waiting for while watching the first two.

From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money

Five misfit bank robbers led by Buck head south of the border for the ultimate bank heist.

But they get more than they bargained for when the motley crew stumbles into the notorious Titty Twister Bar with its blood-sucking clientele.

Now, the boys are up to their necks in venomous vampires, and the cops are on their trail in this gory action extravaganza chock full of cameos including: Danny Trejo, Tiffani Thiessen and Bruce Campbell.

This ends another installment of our weekly look at horror movies on Netflix and more importantly what you should be watching. Be sure to check back next week to see what we are watching on Netflix and think that you should be as well.