The best horror movie franchises

Key points

  • Horror films spawn numerous sequels featuring charismatic killers, offering highly entertaining sagas.
  • Consider classics like Friday the 13th, Hellraiser, and Saw, with iconic killers and imaginative traps.
  • If you value quality over quantity, explore the Scream and Alien series, each offering unique elements and memorable monsters.



Horror films aren't just popular, they often spawn so many sequels that they create entire sagas of their charismatic killers. While some are taken more seriously than others, there's no denying that they're all a lot of fun.

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If you're looking for a classic series to binge-watch over a weekend, or there might be a hidden gem you haven't heard of yet, come with us as we explore the most iconic among them. Keep your wits about you, look at every angle and be ready for the blood that is about to spill.


9 Friday 13th

Jason never dies

Did you know that, in the first Friday the 13th movie, Jason is not the killer? If not, it's time to revisit this classic series, but with 12 films to watch, you may need to set aside some time.


Not every movie is a hit, of course, but that will happen when your series has more than ten entries. Consider skipping Jason X and just watching 2009's Friday the 13th after checking out the first three original films; This way you will appreciate the changes more.

8 Hellraiser

A deadly enigma

Hellraiser is the embodiment of the phrase “curiosity killed the cat”, but the cat in this case is a person obsessed with puzzle boxes and people are often missing nine lives. With 11 films, the series has a pretty impressive record, even though it's been plagued by more failures than successes in the decades it's been around.


Luckily, 2022 Hellraiser appears to have brought the series back to life, with effects that have evolved over the years and a plot that harks back to the good old days. If you want to watch only the best of the best in this series, consider the first two original films (1987's Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser 2) and the 2022 one.

7 Halloween

A confusing chronology

While the Halloween series may have 13 films, the series' timeline isn't exactly a straight line. However, it is one of the most iconic film series to date and helped kickstart the careers of the likes of John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis.


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The series has been rebooted multiple times, but if you want to enjoy the final story, you'll still have to watch the original 1978 Halloween movie. Then, you'll be able to enjoy the new trilogy of films that follow that original story while ignoring all the other films, starting from Halloween 2018 and ending with Halloween Ends, from 2022.

6 Saw

Do you want to play a game?

In most Saw films, the fascination isn't the killer or the victims, but the elaborate traps in which these people end up trapped. The best of these traps are the ones that tie thematically to the victim's past or supposed transgression, but you can count on all of them to be a gore fest.

Something that often sets this series apart from others is that there isn't always the same killer behind everything, with impersonators and apprentices appearing out of the open. However, nothing beats the original, that's why the main Jigsaw was back in Saw 10 and will probably be back for Saw 11.


5 Cry

A killer with a knowledge of cinema

The Scream series may not have as many films as other slasher films, but it's certainly still a very much alive and well franchise. One of the latest chapters was released in 2023 and still follows the characters from the series without using the reboot technique.

If you prefer quality over quantity, then you'll like the first four Scream films, directed by Wes Craven. While the films following Craven's time aren't necessarily bad, they lack the spark he gave the series, something he can no longer contribute to since he sadly passed away in 2015.


4 Alien

Faces that embrace since 1979

Some people become monsters in horror movies, but sometimes monsters are just monsters. And there is no monster more iconic than Alien's Xenomorphs, hideous parasites that crawl out of people and become tall, agile monsters with acid for blood.

In addition to the Xenomorph, the protagonists of the Alien series also distinguish him from his peers, usually being more sympathetic individuals than the teenagers of Camp Crystal Lake. If you want to know how Ripley felt in those first Alien films, then you should try Alien: Isolation.

3 Insidious

Finally, not a slasher


There are plenty of horror movies that aren't about a killer tackling several people and scattering body parts everywhere, but few of these movies become decade-long series. If you want a slower story, with more suspense and ghosts than knives and blood, then the Insidious series is for you.

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The films are meant to be enjoyed in the order they were released, but the timeline jumps around a bit here and there. If you want a more chronological journey, then you want to start with Insidious: Chapter 3, then Insidious: The Last Key, then the first two Insidious films, and finally Insidious: The Red Door.

2 evil Dead

Comedy and horror together


The Evil Dead franchise is divided into two series, one that began in 1981 and ended in 1993, and another that began in 2013 and had a sequel in 2023. They are tangentially connected by the character Ash Williams, protagonist of the first trilogy. and a passing reference in later films.

Each film is a work of art in its own right and they rely on their own strengths. The first three films work as dark comedies (with Army of Darkness being more comedy than horror), while the more recent films are steeped in horror and gore, the comedy sidelined.

1 A Nightmare on Elm Street

It's Freddy's time to shine

The original 1984 film, A Nightmare on Elm Street, is a hard-to-beat classic about inescapable horror, featuring a killer who pops into your dreams and waits for you to fall asleep. The film still holds up today, while it's hard to say the same for the 2010 remake.


The original series of six films, spanning from 1984 to 1991, have varying degrees of quality, but they were all highly inventive, with practical effects that still send shivers down anyone's spine. The diabolical way in which Freddy enjoys killing isn't often seen in other slasher films, making him one of the most famous cinematic icons for a reason.

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