Should classic horror franchises stop making new movies?

Almost every year like clockwork it’s announced that another Friday the 13th, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Child’s Play or Nightmare on Elm Street is in the works. They might not always pan out, but you can bet that at any given moment, someone in Hollywood is doing their darndest to bring back one of these iconic horror franchises.

The question is, when do we reach the limit on Michael Myers’ killings? Or does the limit not exist?

Later this year, we’ll be getting Halloween Kills and a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film. Fans continue asking for these franchises to continue, although some horror purists would prefer to live and die by the originals and nothing else.

It’s interesting that when it comes to the remake/sequel argument, most of these classic horror franchises don’t get brought up. Most people don’t seem to mind if these characters continue existing and killing.

Iconic horror franchises: Maybe it’s okay to keep making them if it’s for the right reasons

I wonder if that’s a mixture of nostalgia for horror’s golden age of slasher films and the fact we don’t see many new slashers getting made anymore. Will there ever be an original slasher introduced in the modern era who can join the ranks of Freddie, Jason and Michael? Or are they relics of a bygone era?

I’m firmly in the camp of, “Yes keep making these movies because I can’t get enough,” but I can see the other side, too. And obviously, they aren’t quite as popular with mainstream audiences as they once were. It’s been years since we’ve gotten a new Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street. It went from cranking them out annually like the next big Marvel film to radio silence.

But they’re still chugging along. Apart from Halloween Kills and the Fede Alvarez-produced Texas Chainsaw on the way, we’ve also got Scream 5 coming out in January of next year and a Chucky television series in production.

So, Hollywood hasn’t given up on these guys yet. But it’s hard not to wonder if the dependence on horror’s glory days is holding the genre back from forging ahead with new stories.

Hollywood is oversaturated with reboots, remakes and reimaginings. So maybe it’s best if we keep these franchises alive, but far and few between instead of a constant stream. As it stands, I think there is room for the classics in the current horror landscape alongside the newcomers.

It’d be great to see more of the up-and-coming horror auteurs try their hand at making a Halloween film or Nightmare on Elm Street — like Jordan Peele doing with Candyman. Next, let’s get some female directors in the ring.