Horror Sequels Fans Will Get To See Sooner Than They Realize

For some people, horror cinema is defined by scrappy outsiders who make films on shoestring budgets, but that's not really what it's all about — and it never has been. Since the beginning, horror has been an extremely popular (and profitable) film genre, and one successful horror movie usually begets multiple follow-ups. 

As the characters in "Scream 2" note in the film's meta-commentary, sequels are a controversial topic among movie fans, and they're not always well-received from a critical standpoint. However, even if fans are skeptical, they'll probably still show up to the theater to see the newest entry in their favorite series. And while horror sequels often receive the ire of fans and critics — think "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" or the completely unnecessary "I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer" — there are also sequels that equal or improved upon the original, like "Aliens" or "Evil Dead II."

Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, horror sequels aren't going anywhere. So, if you're looking for the next object of your affection — or your outrage — you've come to the right place. These horror movie sequels will be on your screens sooner than you might think.

In Hollywood films, the monsters just keep getting bigger and badder. Case in point: the 2018 film "The Meg," in which Jason Statham fights off a shark. But the "Meg," as she's lovingly referred to, is not just any shark. She's a megalodon — an enormous, prehistoric shark capable of destroying ocean liners. The first project earned more than $530 million at the worldwide box office, so it's no surprise Warner Bros. decided to make a sequel.

In "The Meg 2: The Trench," Jonas Taylor (Statham) and his team are back hunting for giant sharks, despite that, as is noted in the film's trailer, that didn't go so well the first time. Giving us a taste of the monster's ancient origins, the trailer begins with a megalodon jumping out of the water to swallow a Tyrannosaurus rex. It looks like we might also get to see some of the other ancient creatures featured in Steve Alten's original novels, like the Kronosaurus, a terrifying marine reptile. And maybe even something with enormous tentacles?

In addition to Statham, the film's human cast includes megastar Wu Jing, who is "the highest-grossing male actor of all time in China," according to Variety. Li Bingbing will not reprise her role in the sequel, but Sophia Cai, who plays Li's character's daughter, will. Sergio Peris-Mencheta ("Resident Evil: Afterlife"), Sienna Guillory ("Resident Evil: Apocalypse"), and Skyler Samuels ("Scream Queens") will also appear. Ben Wheatley directed the film, which began production in January 2022. As such, you won't have to wait long to see the biggest sharks known to man on your screens: The blockbuster will premiere on August 4, 2023.

"The Exorcist" is one of the most iconic horror films of all time, but it has a complicated history with sequels. The first film received a follow-up, "The Exorcist II: The Heretic," which "Exorcist" director William Friedkin called the "worst piece of sh** I've ever seen" on the Movies That Made Me podcast. For some reason, producers saw fit to make another sequel, "The Exorcist III," which was slightly better received and has been reappraised in recent years. There were also two poorly-received prequels released in 2004 and 2005, which brings us to today.

"The Exorcist: Believer" is not a new entry in the established continuity, per se, but rather a legacy reboot, much like the recent "Halloween" films. It'll arrive in theaters on October 13. Leslie Odom Jr. leads alongside Ellen Burstyn, who reprises her role from the original film. Upping the stakes considerably, the film follows not one but two girls who are possessed by demonic forces. Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum play school friends who go missing in the woods and return several days later, behaving strangely. Ann Dowd shows up as a concerned nurse, while Jennifer Nettles, Okwui Okpokwasili, and Raphael Sbarge also appear.

According to Variety, the trailer for the movie, which is not yet available to the public, terrified viewers who saw it. Universal is certainly banking on audiences flocking to the theaters to see the film, as they dropped an astounding $400 million on what'll end up being a trilogy.

Film producer and Bloody Disgusting founder Ben Miska came up with a brilliant idea when he created the "V/H/S" franchise. Each film in the series is composed of several found-footage horror shorts directed by different filmmakers, often mixing up-and-coming talents with more established directors. So far, there have been five movies in the series as well as two spin-offs; Shudder revealed in 2022 that "V/H/S/94" was its biggest streaming premiere up to that point.

Naturally, a sixth film is on its way. While the previous film in the series was "V/H/S/99," it makes sense that "V/H/S/85" will take the series back in time rather than forwards considering the technology at hand. The new film will feature segments from Scott Derrickson ("Sinister" and "The Black Phone"), David Bruckner ("Hellraiser" and "The Night House"), Gigi Saul Guerrero ("Bingo Hell"), Natasha Kermani ("Lucky"), and Mike P. Nelson ("Wrong Turn"). We don't have a specific air date yet, but Shudder says that the movie will be released sometime in 2023. Derrickson completed his segment in October of 2022, so there's a good chance we'll get to see the film this Halloween season.

Though Ti West's first feature film came out in 2005, it wasn't until 2022 that he really made his presence known outside of the horror world. That year, West released two movies, "X" and "Pearl," that take place in the same universe. "X," which was released first, stars Mia Goth as an aspiring adult film star in the late '70s who travels with her boyfriend and a group of fellow actors to a farmstead in rural Texas to make a porn film. While there, they encounter a menacing old woman named Pearl, who Goth also plays. Goth portrayed the character again in "Pearl," which is set in 1918 and tells the old woman's origin story.

Fans are now looking forward to the final film in the "X" trilogy, "MaXXXine." The movie is set several years after the events of "X," with Goth's character, Maxine, living in Los Angeles. It's 1985, and she's looking to make it big in Hollywood. Maxine is the only survivor of the murders that took the lives of her friends, so Goth is joined by a new cast: Halsey, Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon.

A24 released a production still from the film that shows Goth and Halsey walking down the street in Los Angeles, looking totally glamorous. An accompanying Twitter caption reads "The life she deserves." The film began shooting in April, and should be released sometime in 2024.

"A Quiet Place" was a veritable smash when it arrived in 2018, making a killing at the worldwide box office with a $341 million gross. "A Quiet Place Part II" was nearly as successful, taking in just under $300 million. The two films are set in a world where the planet has been invaded by aliens who hunt their prey using sound. The series follows the Abbot family, played by John Krasinski (who also directed the films), his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe.

Following the success of the first two films, Krasinski announced plans for a third entry in the series. The project is very much still in the works, with a proposed release date sometime in 2025. No plot details have been revealed yet, but when asked about the possibility of a third movie, Emily Blunt told Collider that Krasinski has "a whole arc of ideas that could work."

In the meantime, fans will get another chance to visit the world of "A Quiet Place" with the spin-off film "A Quiet Place: Day One," slated for release on March 8, 2024. That movie is directed by Michael Sarnoski and stars Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, and Denis O'Hare. Krasinski shared the film's main hook at CinemaCon, saying that "Day One" will follow Nyong'o's character at the onset of the invasion as she travels through "the loudest city in the world, New York."

It feels like just yesterday that the "Alien" series made its return to the big screen, but the Hollywood production train never stops. According to 20th Century Studios (by way of Variety), the new "Alien" movie (codenamed "Alien: Romulus") will follow "a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe." That description tells us next to nothing, considering that's the plot of almost every "Alien" movie thus far.

The film is led by Cailee Spaeny ("Mare of Easttown"), who stars alongside David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. Filming began earlier this year in Budapest, with Fede Alvarez — who previously directed "The Girl in the Spider's Web," "Don't Breathe" and 2013's "Evil Dead" — writing, directing, and producing. The most recent installment in the franchise, 2017's "Alien: Covenant," was directed by series creator Ridley Scott, who returns as an executive producer for this film (there's an unrelated TV show by "Fargo" and "Legion" creator Noah Hawley on the way, too). While the film was originally slated for release on Hulu, it'll now receive a theatrical debut on August 16, 2024.