It’s the Booze Talkin’: Give fans sequels to these four awesome flicks!

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and I’m hoping you all had a nice celebration of some sort. Perhaps you shared a romantic dinner with your partner? Or maybe you just stuck with chocolates and flowers? While we went with chocolate covered strawberries and such, I also made sure to do what I do every year… I’m talking a double feature of MY BLOODY VALENTINE, both the 1981 and the 2009 versions. For me, there is no better way to enjoy a day of romance and love than spending it with the legendary Harry Warden and his trusty pickaxe. I adore the original directed by George Mihalka, and I love what Patrick Lussier brought us all those years later. And yes, the 3D was absolutely insane in the best of ways.

The very first time I caught MY BLOODY VALENTINE as a kid, I was instantly hooked. "Harry Warden" was a frightening figure all decked out in his coal miners outfit. And both the 1981 and the 2009 features left the story wide open for a sequel. So why didn’t we get another MBV? Why do you not get to see a new batch of victims having a day of romance and a party, only to be dispatched in a brutal way? We should have had a sequel to this fine feature. In fact, both Lussier and Farmer had a few ideas for one, and I believe they would have pulled it off. Plus, the 2009 slasher flick made a pretty decent showing at the box office. This is a movie that begged for a second chapter, and we should have gotten one by now. Of course good old Harry Warden was not the only movie villain that needs to get another flick.

One of the coolest recent concepts for a horror movie has to be the inventive BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON (2006). Nathan Baesel was exceptionally creepy as Leslie Vernon, a serial killer who has welcomed a documentary film crew to join him in his terrifying adventures. As the filmmaker following Leslie, Angela Goethals makes for a fantastic final girl. This is an intense battle of wits between the two. All of this makes for yet another excellent take on a modern day monster, and it would have been terrific to see exactly where they could have gone a second time. The beauty of this cinematic nightmare is that we get to see a different side to the psycho in question. It would be nice to see a little more of what happened to this creepy killer.

When you ask fans about Clive Barker, most people will mention the HELLRAISER franchise. While I love those films – at least the first two – my favorite from the writer/director is the macabre NIGHTBREED. When we are talking about the original theatrical cut or the more complete “Cabal Cut,” I prefer the latter. The extended version of this classic nightmare is a brilliant take on the first, and it adds wonderfully to the already inventive story. In fact, I loved that little place called Midian so much, that I’ve been hoping against hope that Barker may return one day. The home video release of the “Cabal Cut” was so successful, Shout! Factory had to order more. So perhaps audiences would be more than happy to return to the land where monsters live for a sequel.

The past few years we’ve seen a major resurgence in exceptional genre entries, and that hasn’t been lost on me. In fact, one of the most trippy tales to make its way to the big screen was IT FOLLOWS. The 2014 analogy to getting an STD was also a bit of a love letter to early John Carpenter, and it featured a terrific performance from Maika Monroe. The end of this one most certainly opened things up for a part two, and it would be intriguing to see what they could do with a continuation. I'd be excited to see Ms. Monroe return as the troubled Jay Height. Or maybe there is another group of sexual active teens who find that they should be practicing safer sex so that the walking death won’t come calling.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but we need sequels to these fine genre features. MY BLOODY VALENTINE, NIGHTBREED, IT FOLLOWS and BEHIND THE MASK all successfully gave audiences a ton of horror thrills, so why have we not seen another film? Today, nearly every feature is made with expectations for a possible franchise. This is especially true when it comes to horror. So why not give these four films a new chapter? It’s a safe bet that there was sequel talk for all of these flicks – a television version of Nightbreed has been tossed around since 2009 – but we are still waiting. What do you think? Has too much time passed on some? Or would you all be interested in another MBV or maybe a return to Midian? I for one would be first in line if any one of these finally delivered a well earned sequel.