We’ve also come to understand that sequels will generally not be as good as the original. It’s hard to replicate success, after all.
That said, sometimes popular movies spawn sequels that are so bad, you won’t believe they exist. See how many of these terrible sequels you’ve even heard of (bonus points if you’ve actually seen them).
American Psycho 2
Originally written under the titleThe Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, this 2002 direct-to-DVD film was quickly changed into anAmerican Psychosequel to capitalize on that movie’s critical and commercial success. In it,Mila Kunisplays a serial-murdering college student stalking her criminology professor, portrayed byWilliam Shatner. This paragraph is haunted.
Kunis later stated that she had signed on to makeThe Girl Who Wouldn’t Dieand had no idea it was being Frankensteined into anAmerican Psychofilm. In an interview withMTV, she said, “It was supposed to be a different project, and it was re-edited, but, ooh … I don’t know. Bad.” The world agreed.
Kindergarten Cop 2
Kindergarten Cophas the distinction of being a movie that is exactly what it sounds like.Arnold Schwarzeneggerplays Detective John Kimball, who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to trap a villainous drug dealer. He shouts at several small children along the way. It is a perfect film.
Kindergarten Cop 2was released directly to video 26 years after the original, because no theater could be convinced to screen it. Featuring zero actors or characters from the original film and replacing Schwarzenegger withDolph Lundgrenapparently seemed like a bulletproof strategy.
Backdraft 2
The 1991 thrillerBackdraftis notable for being a stunt show at Universal Studios Hollywood for 18 years, and for killingKurt Russelltwice in the span of two hours. The film grossed $152 million and received 3 Academy Award nominations, so Universal wisely decided to make a sequel in 2019.
The film hasn’t yet been released at the time of this writing, but we’re betting you had no idea it existed. This is likely due to the fact that it is a direct-to-streaming sequel of a 30-year-old film being released 10 years after Universal closed theirBackdraftattraction, presumably because nobody remembers whatBackdraftis. ButWilliam BaldwinandDonald Sutherlandare back, baby!
Son of The Mask
Jim Carrey’s 1994 hitThe Maskwas both a fun comedic adventure and a special effects bonanza. It solidified Carrey’s burgeoning film career and gaveCameron Diazher big break, so a sequel seemed inevitable. The problem is, we didn’t actually get that sequel until 11 years later, and the filmmakers traded Carrey forJamie Kennedy.
Son of the Maskwas not only one of the worst reviewed films of 2005, but went on to become one of the worst reviewed films of the entire decade. Featuring no returning from the previous film apart fromBen Stein, dated effects, and nothing that could even fit the most generous definition of “a joke,” this movie bombed so hard it might as well have been shot out of a cannon. Which is no less than it deserves.
2001’sDonnie Darkowas released in October of 2001, introducing the world to the first of many oddball creeps played byJake Gyllenhaaland effectively erasing the stench ofBubble Boyfrom our collective memory. 20thCentury Fox decided to strike while the iron was hot with this surprise cult hit and produced a direct-to-video sequel nearly a full decade later.
S. Darkofocuses on Samantha Darko (Daveigh Chase), Donnie’s younger sister from the first film. Presumably, this decision was made because Donnie is killed in the original film, and by 2009 Gyllenhaal had risen beyond the reach of the Fox Home Video budget. The sequel tries to explore the same trippy cosmic forces, like time travel and multiverses, but fails in a spectacularBlair Witch 2: Book of Shadowssort of way.
Shock Treatment (Rocky Horror 2)
Legendary cult film and permanent fixture of midnight showingsThe Rocky Horror Picture Showlaunched a number of things, including the film careers ofTim CurryandSusan Sarandon, and the music career ofMeat Loaf. It also launched a thunderous dud of a sequel that the people of Earth aggressively refused to watch.
Shock Treatmentincludes several characters fromRocky Horrorplayed by entirely different actors, which is an immediate red flag. The plot centers around an evil television studio run by a villainous fast food magnate that forces the entire town to participate in game shows. Unfortunately they were not able to force audiences to buy a ticket to watch this movie.
Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
Dumb & Dumberwas a hit 1994 comedy starring a white-hot Jim Carrey and eventual Emmy winnerJeff Danielsas two brutally stupid men who somehow managed to survive into adulthood. They find themselves embroiled in a wacky kidnapping caper and accidentally save the day, kind of. The studios were eager for a sequel, but the only problem was nobody involved in the original was interested.
Thus was bornDumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, a 2003 prequel to the original film that drops the two main characters in high school, getting around the need to cast Carrey or Daniels. This also got around the problem of making anyone actually want to see it.
Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective
Ace VenturaandAce Ventura: When Nature Callswas the one-two punch of early 90s comedy that kickstarted Jim Carrey’s film career and catapulted him to super-stardom. Making a third installment in the successful series seems like an obvious business strategy, but the experience of makingWhen Nature Callssoured Carrey on ever appearing in another sequel toanymovie. Luckily, the heroes at Warner Home Video persisted.
The Carrey-lessAce Ventura Jr.: Pet Detectivewas unleashed on the home video and cable TV markets in 2007. It follows the adventures of Ace Ventura’s son, Ace Ventura Jr. (Josh Flitter), as he tries to prove his mom didn’t steal a panda. Recasting the lead of a crude comedy series as a young kid was already a dubious choice, but the movie goes one step further. They explain Carrey’s absence by saying the elder Ventura died in a plane crash in the Bermuda Triangle, which is where this film should be thrown.
Deep Blue Sea 2
Deep Blue Seais that one movie whereinSamuel L. Jacksonfamously gets bitten in half by a shark mid-sentence. Why a sequel wasn’t greenlit immediately is a question that will echo in eternity. Warner Bros. eventually produced a direct-to-DVD sequel in 2018, nearly 20 years after the original’s release and featuring zero original cast members. They even recast the sharks.
The sequel is the lowest of low-budget films, featuring cheap wooden sets and performances cut from the same material. Featuring characters with names like Dr. Misty Calhoun and Trent Slater, you can probably predict every moment of this film without ever actually watching it.
Splash, Too
Splashwas a surprise hit 1984 comedic fantasy about Alan (Tom Hanks), a man who meets a mysterious woman (Daryl Hannah) that turns out to be a mermaid. The cast also includedJohn CandyandEugene Levy, and went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. It’s essentiallyThe Shape of Wateras made by Disney.
The film’s massive commercial and critical success meant a sequel was in the cards, but there was one problem – the movie ends with Hanks’ character giving up life on land forever to go live in the ocean with the merfolk. The Disney Channel Original MovieSplash, Toocleverly gets around this fact by completely ignoring it and placing Alan right back on dry land. Hanks, Hannah, Candy, and Levy didn’t bother to reprise their roles for this dismal sequel, because why would they.
