A Bloody Good Time 10.29.09: The Twenty Greatest Horror Franchises (Part 5)

Posted by Joseph Lee on 10.29.2009

The countdown ends and there's no question what should be #1...

Logo courtesy of Benjamin J. Colón (Soul Exodus)

Welcome again to A Bloody Good Time.

It's the last week for you to check out Trevor Snyder's Zombie-Thon. I can't believe he gave Dead Snow only a two! This is why our war continues, Snyder. You and Lealos will pay for disrespecting that movie.

Anyway, let's look at this week's feedback before we get to our finale.

Guest#4601 replied: Evil Dead over SAW? Evil Dead is downright comical-and I didnt expect to see Halloween until your next countdown. EPIC FAIL!

I'm so glad to know an anonymous guest thinks I failed. Most people would place Evil Dead over Saw, by the way.

Dr. Satan says: Saw and Scream are crap. Plain and simple. Keep trying.

I disagree.

Tom Talker said: You forgot to list one of the reasons why the Scream franchise is awesome. It was the first and last time that Jamie Kennedy wasn't annoying as hell. I'm kind of bummed that the clip you picked was the garage kill. That was one of the only kills in the entire franchise that I found to be completely and utterly lame.

Like you didn't enjoy the cold air's effect on Rose McGowan.

Jeff Albertson suggested: i am a little surprised about Halloween's ranking. other than that spot on. I like the Jigsaw charachter more than the movies[I always thought Jigsaw would have been a great Batman villain] Just the thought of Jigsaw turning Arkham asylum into a death trap and luring Batman into it would be an awesome reading experience. I also think that Ghostface was a better concept than the invincible slasher that permeated horror movies in the 80's and early 90's. Sure you can kill him,just look behind you when your done because there could be 2 or 3 more behind you. Just a cult of Ghostface killers sounds like a great movie to me. Add the plotline of they could be anyone and you have got yourself a movie[sure its been done,but what hasnt?] love the list and i am looking forward to the next installment.

If you think Jigsaw turning an asylum into a death trap is intriguing, you need to play the video game. Only the far less great Detective Tapp is the star, not Batman.

If you want to know what happened in the previous parts of this month-long special, click the following links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

And as I've done in previous weeks, I'm repeating the opening so you will know my thought process going into this countdown. Skip past it if you've read it already and don't need a refresher.

The 20 Greatest Horror Franchises

There are a lot of franchises out there. Hollywood tries to make a sequel out of anything, sometimes even if it's not successful. Who would have thought Wrong Turn would be a trilogy? Not that I have any problems with that movie. Did anyone think that the terrible Pulse remake would get it's own trilogy? So anything can be a franchise, and there are many out there to choose from. But what are the best?

What I've done is take three things into consideration when choosing these twenty. The first is how much success the franchise has had. It doesn't have to be huge financial success, as there have been quite a number of low-budget franchises (like anything from Full Moon) that keep getting made because of a small but loyal fanbase and enough success to warrant more entries. Some of them may be hated by fans and critics alike, but somehow keep making money. That's a successful franchise.

The second factor is critical acclaim. I don't mean critical acclaim as just from the critics, but the general consensus of the quality of the films. Some franchises can be half and half, some can have a series that completely sucks and in some rare cases, have one film that's unquestionably great but have a series of bland, uninspired sequels to drag it down. You will see a variety of franchises here, and they will all have different qualities that may have you question why there are on here. But if they are successful or have one really good movie, it's enough to earn a spot.

The final factor is my own personal preference. I'm not going to hide it from you. Every single list I've ever written for 411 has been my own personal opinion. In fact, this is the only time where I've taken other considerations into account. I may think Leprechaun is the greatest series of horror films ever produced (I don't), but this time that's not going to slide. I'm taking the franchises success and quality into account, as well as my own tastes.

It's time for the top four. I've worked really hard to figure out the right placement for which franchise and I think these are the best. You may agree or disagree, but that's what the comments are for. I'll try to present my argument for their placement over others that you think should have been higher, such as Romero's Dead series or the Halloween series.

#4


Reign of Terror: 1954-2004
# of Films: Twenty-eight
Total Theatrical Gross: N/A
Recurring Stars: Raymond Burr, Katsumi Tezuka, Hiroshi Koizumi, Haruo Nakajima, Shoichi Hirose, Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Hideyo Amamoto, Kenji Sahara, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Megumi Odaka, Akiji Kobayashi, Masahiro, Takashima, Shosuke Tanihara, Yumiko Shaku,
Story: A monster created by atomic bomb radiation rampages Tokyo and other parts of Japan. Occasionally he fights for good and battles other evil monsters.

Fifty years and twenty-eight movies equals Japan's most recognizable icon and the greatest movie monster ever. Godzilla is in a world of his own. He somehow survived the 1950's when everything grew to gigantic proportions and attacked a city and went on to have an active role in film as recently as five years ago. There's not a single person that doesn't know who Godzilla is, unless they've been living under a rock their entire life. Even though you don't get as many monster movie marathons anymore, he's still present. Godzilla is the definition of monster movie.

The movies are pretty much all the same, and I think that's part of the charm. Godzilla arrives, does some damage, either fights the Japanese government or another monster, then returns to the ocean. He's usually played by a man in a rubber suit (except in terrible CGI American remakes) and he always looks the same. He has fire breath, a distinctive roar and theme song and somehow always attacks Japan when there are other places in the world he could easily destroy. Even more amazing, Tokyo is somehow always rebuilt even within the same year he destroyed it (or some other monster did). He's fought aliens, giant insects, a cyborg version of himself, a plant version of himself, a space version of himself and mythical beings. He's had a son and has died a few times.

As that description should tell you, there's nothing Godzilla hasn't done. He hasn't been scary since his 1954 debut, and yes some would argue even that wasn't scary. You probably had to be there when the film premiered. He's an icon within the genre. Even if you don't view him as horror it's hard to argue he hasn't earned his place with his long-running series of films. Personally, I love the big lizard. I grew up seeing his movies on tv, and cheering for him against whoever he was fighting. Yes, even when against the poor Japanese government, I wanted Godzilla to stomp them all.

Godzilla isn't even the only monster on this roster, either. Making appearances from their own films are Rodan and Mothra. We also have the likes of Gigan, King Ghidorah, Megalon, Mechagodzilla, Destoroyah, and others. Some are just as classic as Godzilla, some don't deserve to clean his tail. But you could always be guaranteed an entertaining monster mash whenever one of Toho's films came on. They're silly, violent and not always good, but I love them. I'm not the only one, as these films have endured for a longer period of time than any other franchise on this list.

What's next for Godzilla? He's in limbo right now, but it's believed he'll come back in 2014 for his sixtieth birthday, maybe sooner. You just can't keep a good monster down.




#3


Reign of Terror: 1984-2010
# of Films: Nine
Total Theatrical Gross: $339m
Recurring Stars: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Johnny Depp, Rodney Eastman, Ken Sagoes, Lisa Wilcox, Danny Hassel
Story: A child murderer is burned alive by the angry parents of Springwood. After his death, he returns as a dream demon to murder teenagers in their dreams.

For twenty-five years Freddy Krueger has been haunting the dreams of many, including the unlucky teens that end up appearing in his movies. The first one is the best, but he's also had some really good sequels, some okay sequels and to my knowledge, only two bad ones. Of course we'll see what happens when the remake comes out (I'm optimistic, for the record). Why does Freddy get higher placement than Michael Myers? Well, did Michael Myers get his own tv series? Did he get a slew of merchandise, guest shots on MTV or Halloween costumes? Freddy has. Michael Myers may have been a part of establishing the slasher genre, but Freddy Krueger defined an entire decade of horror.

When it comes to eighties horror, there are two monsters that stand out among the rest. Freddy is one of them. Freddy was everywhere in that decade. T-shirts, television, movies, magazines, books, toys, even lunchboxes. As I mentioned above, he got to host late night spots on MTV! He's had quite a run and it seems even now Freddy's as popular as ever. Just ask Robert Englund, who will probably be doing horror conventions until the (sad) day he dies greeting fans of the Springwood Slasher. I think it's safe to say Englund wouldn't be where he is today if Wes Craven had chose someone else to play Freddy. I think it's also safe to say that the Nightmare films might not have taken off as well as they did had Wes Craven picked someone else to play Freddy.

So what of the films themselves? The first one is a horror masterpiece. Produced on a lower than average budget and sporting incredible special effects, surreal imagery and a demonic villain, A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced the world to a different kind of slasher. No longer did they have to be silent guys in masks killing people who had sex in an isolated location. Freddy killed people in their dreams. He was out in the open, grinning and speaking, taking glee in the psychological torture and dismemberment of his victims. This was a relatively new style for a slasher film, one that would be stolen from, copied and given sequels, much like any other unique movie.

The sequels are mostly enjoyable. Unlike some other franchises, even the bad sequels are fun to watch because of Englund's performance as Freddy. He embodies the character and makes it what it is. I don't know how I would survive movies like Freddy's Dead without Englund happily chewing the scenery apart and acting like a clown for my amusement. Sure it turned Freddy into a joke, but at least I was entertained. He would get serious again for his last main installment, and return to a sort of hybrid when he fought Jason. Freddy is one of the best.

We'll get to see Krueger again, although there will be a different person putting on the sweater, glove and fedora. Jackie Earle Haley is a great actor, and he's very capable of being scary (tell me you aren't freaked out by his performance in Little Children). Can he be Freddy? That's something only time will tell. I liked the trailer, the more realistic "burn victim" look and even his gnarled voice doesn't bother me. What I'm worried about is the performance, which is what anyone should be worried about. A great performance can overcome any silly makeup effects.





#2


Reign of Terror: 1981-2009
# of Films: Twelve
Total Theatrical Gross: $464m
Recurring Stars: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Corey Feldman, Kane Hodder
Story: After drowning in Camp Crystal Lake and later seeing his psychotic mother killed, Jason Voorhees returns to slay teenagers.

The other monster of the 1980's that left his mark on the genre was Jason Voorhees. In my opinion, the #2 and #3 spots could be interchangeable, given one's mood. But Jason beats Freddy because of the higher gross, more films and he's a more recognizable character. When someone spoofs slasher films, they usually have a giant guy in a hockey mask. Jason turned the hockey mask from protective face-wear into something altogether more terrifying. Who would have ever thought a guy in a hockey mask who doesn't talk, kills people and has a series of films that more or less follow the same formula in the same place would have been around for almost thirty years now? I think Jason Voorhees may be the American equivalent of Godzilla.

There's so many reasons why Jason shouldn't be popular and yet he is. He wasn't even intended to be a killer. The producers of Friday the 13th did that ending as a gag. But he keeps coming back and killing, and audiences keep coming back to see him do it. It doesn't matter if he's only left Crystal Lake four times out of twelve movies. It doesn't matter that he kills the same types of kids who keep going to the lake even after all this time. It doesn't matter that his backstory is simple. Fans want to see Jason Voorhees kill people. That's just how it is. I know I do. Jason is a great movie monster and he was the star of the first horror film I ever watched.

You could say that certain entries of the series are bad, but none of them are really good. They have a different degree of quality to them. As films, they're all terrible. The acting is bad, the story was played out quickly and the direction, for the most part, is simple point-and-shoot. It's not about that. Like Final Destination or Saw, it's about how Jason is going to kill someone. Jason likes to use a variety of means to dispatch victims. Sometimes he'll use a machete, sometimes he'll use his bare hands. Sometimes he'll go wild and use a sleeping bag against a tree. It's a very simple formula, but it's a popular formula. People go to Jason movies to be entertained, not to watch a good film. I'd say that given his popularity, he's still quite capable of entertaining.

It's funny that even with a formula, you can tell the movies apart. At least I can. The first one has Jason's mother. Part 2 is Jason with the bag over his head. Part 3 was in 3D and he found the hockey mask for the first time. Part 4 was the first time he died. Part 5 was the Jason movie without Jason. Part 6 is when he resurrected as a member of the undead. Part 7 was Jason vs Carrie. Part 8 was when he went to New York. Goes to Hell was the one with the body-hopping. Jason X was in space, Freddy vs Jason should be obvious. And then there's the remake.

It's safe to say that if Friday the 13th can survive as a money-making franchise, any series can. It may sound like I'm trashing the series, but I really love it. These movies are fun ways to spend an evening as you cheer for Jason to dispatch a group of annoying, barely clothed teens. Jason entertains me, and at the end of the day isn't that why film was created in the first place, for our entertainment?




#1


Reign of Terror: 1923-1960
# of Films: Sixty-eight
Total Theatrical Gross: N/A
Recurring Stars: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Lon Chaney Jr, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Claude Rains, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, Colin Clive, David Manners, Dick Foran, John Carradine, Vincent Price, Glenn Strange, Lionel Atwill, Conrad Veidt
Story: Various different stories of monsters, mad scientists and ghouls.

I know I'm going to get some grief for lumping all of these films together like I did Alien and Predator, but I'm not the only one who does it. Tons of film lovers and even Universal itself have declared this period of filmmaking, and all the films within it as Universal Monsters or Universal Horror. It was a style of horror film that was replicated in the past, used even now and will be used in the future. Ever since the first entry, Phantom of the Opera in 1923, the gothic imagery used in these films pretty much created the entire horror genre.

Haunted houses, spooky castles, gargoyles, stormy nights, bats, cats, ghosts and goblins. Universal pioneered an entire genre of horror by creating some of the most memorable movie monsters in the history of the industry. Let's start with Dracula and Frankenstein. Lugosi and Karloff, in their respective performances defined those characters for the rest of time. When you think Dracula, it's not Christopher Lee you see. Yeah, he's great, but it's Lugosi. The accent, the look, turning into a bat, the stare, everything. That's what a vampire is, that's what Dracula is. The same with Frankenstein. Others have attempted to create a new look for the monster, but it's Karloff with the bolts in the neck and stitches across the head that we know.

To influence a genre or create a style within a genre is one thing, but to create a genre for American audiences is something else entirely (can't give them full credit, German expressionist films highly influenced them). What is looked at as standard horror, and typical Halloween spook shows are what we see thanks to these movies. Just look at Universal's roster of monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Phantom of the Opera, The Bride, The Creature From the Black Lagoon. Monsters that are still relevant today thrilled audiences as far back as eighty years ago.

Don't think that the reason these films and characters are iconic is because of the fact they were first. That would be a gross underestimate. These films were all about quality. Maybe in the later years the sequels got a little silly (but still fun), but the originals are still to this day classic films and beloved by many. Even the films that didn't spawn sequels such as The Old Dark House or the Lugosi/Karloff films surrounding Edgar Allan Poe stores are good. This was due to a combination of great European actors coming over or directors with a vision working tirelessly to produce a great film. Back in the beginning, it wasn't about special effects, scaring people or money. It was about quality filmmaking and telling a story. Although, let's be honest, these films made a lot of money. The only reason I don't know how much is because it's hard to track down a specific number, especially in 2009 dollars.

Today you still see the influence of this period of horror in every other film. Even with a series such as Saw, which you would think had nothing to do with anything these films established, has a mad scientist creating deadly inventions. Freddy Krueger is a modern-day Dracula, preying on the innocent. Even the monsters themselves come back every so often. The Wolf Man will be back next year, which will only remind fans that these monsters are the originals and they'll always be around.




And that's the countdown. I hope you enjoyed it, as it took a lot of time and effort to finally get this finished and ready. If you agree or disagree, let me know.

Next week, we move into November and I'm going to have a column that's a bit more low-key. In honor of Universal making the #1 slot, I'm going to choose one of it's finest actors and do a tribute to him. That would be Lon Chaney. See you then.