Horror Marathon, Anyone?Let's look closely at the all spooky scary franchises, sequels, prequels, reboots, remakes, and etc. we're watching in the dark with no lights on.
Some unmade horror sequels have come close to production, while a few reboots have made it to pre-production before falling through. And though a few of them are consistently announced to be on the horizon, most of these horror movies are never going to make it to the screen.
Look at this way, at least they can’t disappoint you. Vote up the most intriguing horror films that never were.
Fans of the horror/comedy film Shaun of the Dead have been asking about a sequel since the movie hit theaters. While director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg are super busy, they've put some thought into the sequel and have a characteristically offbeat idea. Rather than continue with the zombie storyline, Pegg said the film would actually find the group beset by vampires.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in 2017, Pegg said he "jokingly wrote a treatment," and that, "it would be funny to do the film again, with vampires." He noted the whole thing was just "pub talk."
Co-star Nick Frost seemed somewhat more optimistic, though. He told EW, "When it happens it’ll happen, and it’ll be great. Or people will hate it."
Not Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, but a sequel to the 2013 Evil Dead remake directed by Fede Alvarez. The end of the 2013 film left plenty of room for a serious exploration of Mia’s life after Deadites destroyed all of her friends. Like ancient Sumerian demons, the Evil Dead franchise will never perish, but rather than follow through on a sequel, producer Sam Raimi created the TV show Ash vs. Evil Dead instead.
Following the cancellation of Ash vs. Evil Dead on STARZ, talk about a new film has popped up. Alvarez revealed that he has a script for Don't Breathe 2 ready to rock, but not for Evil Dead 2. However, he knows that people want to see the movie because the series has a huge following.
Following the success of Freddy vs. Jason, New Line Cinema was eager to capitalize on the gruesome twosome with a sequel. However, rather than end Freddy vs. Jason 2 in another stalemate, the studio decided it made sense to bring in a hero: Enter Ash Williams from Evil Dead. The idea was that Ash would go to Camp Crystal Lake on the hunt for the Necronomicon and run afoul of Jason and Freddy.
The planned ending of the film would see Ash take care of Freddy for good - something that Freddy actor Robert Englund signed off on because he thought it was a realistic way to end the franchise.
The idea was scrapped, and instead of a sequel or a crossover all three franchises were eventually rebooted. A comic book based on the original treatment for the film was published in 2007.
There were many scripts written for Alien 3. One take on the material was by cyberpunk author William Gibson, who wrote a treatment that was based off an earlier version from original Alien screenwriter Walter Hill. Rather than strand Ripley on a new planet, the film followed Hicks and Bishop as they wound up on a “mallworld” where xenomorphs showed up and wreaked havoc.
The most interesting thing that Gibson introduces is the idea that the xenomorphs have the ability to combine themselves with other lifeforms, something that wasn’t played with again until Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Gibson's script has since been adapted into both a comic book and an audio drama.
There have been several Hellraiser sequels over the years, a couple attempts at rebooting the franchise, even an ambitious reimagining called Hellraiser: Origins pitched by concept artist Paul Gerrard and director Mike Le Han, but if anyone knows how to properly reboot Hellraiser, it’s Clive Barker - the writer of the original novella, The Hellbound Heart, and director of the first adaptation.
The 2014 script for Barker's remake is unavailable online, but there are breakdowns that discuss the major plot points. The film would open with a new origin for Pinhead in the 18th century, in which he is revealed to be Philip L'Merchant, the designer of the Lament Configuration. Following a series of grisly incidents, he is transformed into a white-robed cenobite that is trailed by living vines. The film then follows many of the same beats as the 1987 original, though Uncle Frank is even more repulsive in this version. He's also alive for the first bit of the film - until he opens the Lament Configuration and unleashes Hell.
Barker seems to have been seriously involved with the remake for a time, announcing in 2013 that he was writing the script and Doug Bradley would return to the role of Pinhead. Things went quiet for a few years, then Barker reported in 2017 that he was just as in the dark as anyone. During a Q&A with Shudder, Barker tweeted, "The script was written and delivered to Dimension years ago. That was the last anyone heard until news of a sequel [Hellraiser: Judgement] surfaced."
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The 'Friday The 13th' Prequel Featuring Jason's Dad
Origin stories are often the most straightforward way to change or restart a franchise. The producers behind the Friday the 13th franchise have been trying to do it for years. One possibility that’s been tossed around is a prequel that tells the story of young Jason and his life before he drowned.
The script for the film features Mrs. Voorhees as well as Jason’s father, Elias. The only other time Elias appears in the series is the novelization of Jason Lives (AKA, Friday the 13th Part VI), so this would be a huge change in the franchise - and possibly provide some depth to the young character.
The prequel made it to the casting stage, but it either didn’t make it past pre-production or has been kept so well under wraps that it’ll pop up on some Friday the 13th in the distant future.
