Horror has long been a genre that has been flooded with sequels. Since their low budgets usually result in high profits, many horror series have been known to rush out sequels within a year, becoming annual franchises in the process. The fact that some of these series merely rely on repeating the same formula (an evil being kills a new cast of characters) means it is relatively easy to pump out a script, with the most difficult part being coming up with more creative death scenes.
While popular series such as Fast and the Furious and Jurassic Park are seemingly never-ending, they have nothing on the most represented horror franchises whose entries stretch into the double digits. A special mention must be given to those movies that bear the Amityville name, as there are over 20 films with that moniker. Most of them are not connected, however, based more on the real-life incident, so it would be wrong to label them as a singular franchise.
'Alien' 8 Movies
One of the most popular science-fiction franchises of all time, Alien is also beloved by horror fans. Beginning with the story of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the series follows her and a revolving cast of other characters in space as they battle the acid-blooded xenomorphs, who hunt them down with savage ferocity.
With eight movies in total, only the first four-star Weaver as the iconic character. Alien vs Predator and its sequel finally bring the legendary characters together for a deathmatch, while the original film's director Ridley Scott returned to make the prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant to flesh out the franchise's world.
'Child's Play' 8 Movies
Before M3GAN, Chucky (Brad Dourif) was the original killer doll as he murdered countless victims across eight films. When an infamous serial killer is shot dead by police, his soul enters the body of a Good Guy doll, and his quest for carnage continues as he repeatedly attempts to enter the body of young Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent).
Child's Play must be commended for its consistency in following the same storyline throughout its entire duration, including the television series that currently airs. Characters from decades ago regularly reappear to help and hinder Chucky, making Child's Play a franchise that really rewards its fans for being loyal after all this time. The only outlier is the 2019 remake, which reimagines Chucky as a killer AI voiced by Mark Hamill.
'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' 9 Movies
With the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre being one of the most beloved horror movies of all time, of course it gave birth to a long-running series. The title tells you all need to know, as each entry features the large Leatherface running amok in Texas and chainsawing anyone who dares to come into contact with him and his family.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is one of the most convoluted in horror as the original film received three standalone sequels, a prequel, a remake, a prequel to the remake, and two more sequels that only connect to the original movie while ignoring each other. The latest entry released on Netflix last year, and is a gory good time.
'A Nightmare on Elm Street' 9 Movies
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The franchise that nightmares are made of, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street stars Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, the undead child killer who stalks his young victims in their dreams. Beginning in 1984, Freddy unleashes some of the most creative kills in the genre as he often uses his victim's fears against them.
Freddy was an icon of the 80s, with five entries released in that decade. One more sequel released in the 90s before a pre-Scream Craven decided to get meta and made New Nightmare which follows franchise star Heather Langenkamp as she is haunted by Freddy in reality. The series has unfortunately been dormant since 2010's poorly received remake.
'Saw' 9 Movies
The only franchise on this list to be born this century, Saw quickly made up for lost time by releasing nine movies within twenty years. The series revolves around John Kramer (Tobin Bell), aka Jigsaw, who kidnaps people he deems unworthy of the lives they possess and forces them to compete in tests to see how far they will go to survive.
Saw is another series that follows a key storyline throughout its duration, with the first eight films all focusing on Kramer and those he has come into contact with. The most recent entry, 2021's Spiral, revolves around a copycat killer, while the upcoming Saw X looks to set the franchise back into the Kramer storyline.
'Children of the Corn' 11 Movies
As a franchise that has seemingly had little cultural impact, it is a surprise that Children of the Corn has received as many entries as it has. Based on a short story by Stephen King, the original film follows a couple as they pass through the town of Gatlin, where all the children have joined a cult and murdered the adults.
The series became a staple of the straight-to-video horror scene in the 1990s as five sequels released in that time period. The franchise has not graced the big-screen since the second entry, with the series mostly existing in the C-tier of horror franchises as it is mostly overlooked by bigger and better films.
'Hellraiser' 11 Movies
Based on the novella by Clive Barker, the acclaimed author himself helmed the adaptation Hellraiser. The film was a success and birthed a franchise, each entry focusing on Pinhead and their fellow cenobites as they torment those unfortunate enough to unlock the perverse hidden secrets of the Lament Configuration puzzle box.
Hellraiser is infamous for its downturn in quality as the franchise is known for containing more bad entries than good ones, with the original movie being the only one that is universally agreed upon as good. The series was rebooted last year, with the latest entry receiving mostly positive reviews and being hailed as the best entry since the first.
'Friday the 13th' 12 Movies
Starring everybody's favorite hockey goalie, Friday the 13th is one of the most recognized horror franchises in the world. It all began with Pamela Voorhees murdering camp counselors at the same place her young son drowned, before Jason himself took over in the sequels and hacked teens up with his trusty machete.
Despite most entries featuring standalone stories with a new cast of fresh faces just waiting to die, they all follow the same formula of Jason picking them off one by one. Jason X is perhaps the most inventive entry, as it sends the masked killer to space as he continues his killing spree aboard a spaceship full of new victims.
'Halloween' 13 Movies
While Halloween may not be the first slasher movie, it is definitely the most influential. Taking place over one Halloween night, the series began with escaped mental patient Michael Myers stalking babysitters and murdering them, before coming face to face with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who refuses to be a victim.
The longest running slasher franchise, Halloween has multiple timelines throughout its sequels, each ignoring the others. The original film has been remade, with a sequel to that remake also being released. The latest entries consist of a new trilogy starring Curtis as they follow on from the original and ignore all the sequels.
'Puppet Master' 15 Movies
The creepiest cast of puppets since Thunderbirds, the Puppet Master franchise follows a cast of dolls that have been brought to life, and the various killing sprees they engage in across their adventures. Despite receiving little mainstream attention, the series has remained a consistent cult classic over the years.
Various sequels and crossovers have been produced in the Puppet Master universe, each still featuring the same cast of puppets. The overall storyline is a mess as sequels regularly contradict what has come before, but fans of the series will find it easy to forgive as the overlooked franchise continues to live on today.