2023 was the year of legacy sequels, but Hollywood needs to remember one thing

Exorcist
(Image credit: Universal)

In recent years a fresh beast has crawled out of the crypt and onto cinema screens: the legacy sequel. Differing from reboots or remakes – whicꩵh completely reset an IP and start again from scratch – legacy sequels (or requels) build directly on the original entry in a series, frequently ignoring other sequels while capitalizing on classic characters. 

It's a phenomenon often (though not exclusively) associated with horror – such as David Gordon Green's Halloween trilogy – and it appears to be gaining traction: this year alone we've had 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Evil Dead Rise, Scream 6, Saw X and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Exorcist: Believer, all of which, in various ways, sought to resurrect their respecti🐷ve franchises. But is it working? 

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Total Film's The Bikeriders cover.

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This feature first ap൲peared in Total Film magazine -

The box office numbers seem to indicate 'yes'. Horror is a notoriously bankable genre, and there are exꦗciting possibilities in breathing new life into old bones, particularly when some series may benefit from pruning past entries. The result can be a choose-your-own-adventure multiverse, giving fans the option of exploring multiple narrative threads without writing anything out of the canon.

Perhaps the broader question, though, is whether legacy sequels are inherently better than more traditional remakes. Some of t🌌he greatest horror films of all time (John🌠 Carpenter's The Thing; David Cronenberg's The Fly) are remakes, showing that resetting the timeline entirely – but retaining the central idea – can yield thrilling results.

However, the real reason why legacy sequels are experiencing such momentum right now may be more human: nostalgia. Wi💜th series such as Stranger Things drawing deep on the pop-culture wells of yesteryear, looking back is big business, and hooking audiences in with remixes of classic canons – without being beholden to lesser sequels – makes business sense.

But there are signs that audience fatigue may be setting in, with The Exorcist: Believer underperforming on its opening weekend. With two more sequels planned in Blumhouse's proposed possession trilogy, perhaps the lesson is that, whether dealing with established brands or new properties, studios would be best served remembering the old Pixar ꦬmantra that "story is king", and that feel-good callbacks will only get you so far.


This feature first appeared in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Total Film's Bikeriders issue, and you can still .

For more, check our guide to all of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new horror movies on the way.