10 Horror Franchises You Forgot About (Or Never Knew Existed)

Horror franchises are big business, with the likes of Mike Meyers, Art the Clown, and Chucky among the few whose iconic status has gone far beyond the many films they feature in. At the same time, there are lesser-known but still beloved franchises that have a cult following, such as Phantasm, The Omen, The Howling, and Wrong Turn. The franchise offers a formula for creatives to build up their name, attaching it to something iconic, but beyond the most popular and modestly popular series, many fall under the radar entirely.

These 10 franchises, for various reasons, have either gone forgotten or remain undiscovered by the horror fandom. Still, each one has something to offer, even if it is just a solid foundation set with a first film, only to lose fan interest with each entry.

‘Xtro’ (1983)

The original Xtro spawned two sequels, Xtro II: The Second Encounter (1990) and Xtro 3: Watch the Skies (1995). The three are loosely connected through a malicious alien force. The first film remains the quintessential one to watch, a British sci-fi horror production with a very surreal approach to horror. In this entry, the film follows a father who returns after an abduction, and the experiences his son has, including developing telekinesis, which he uses to terrorize others.

A Strong Start to a Fizzle

Harry Bromley Davenport directed all three films, but despite this, they all exist as stand-alone experiences, and the franchise, arguably, has diminishing returns, with the final one being a barely passable B-film that is most notable for having Tom Hanks’ brother, Jim Hanks, in a significant role. The first film is one of the greatest sci-fi horror movies of the ’80s, but it is also under-championed as such due to its surreal approach to the genre, making it more niche. The sequels, not living up to the others, further pushed the franchise into obscurity.

‘Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi’ (2012)

Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi is a Japanese found footage series directed by Koji Shirashi, the director behind one of the most highly regarded films in the genre, Nori: The Curse. Each entry in the series focuses on a different urban legend or ghost story from Japan, presented as a documentary crew investigating an ‘actual’ encounter. There are technically six entries, starting with 2012’s File 01: Operation Capture the Slit-Mouthed Woman. However, if you include the spin-offs, the number increases, with the last one carrying a similar title and format, being 2023’s Senritsu Kaiki World Kowasugi!.

Digging into the Underbelly of Japanese Urban Legends

The movies are cheaply made and explore the monsters and ghosts of Japan, which already makes it a niche franchise. Yet, it is the fact that the films themselves are not available on streaming that pushes them into obscurity. Instead, the only way to watch Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi is on YouTube. The franchise has a cult following, and for those not interested in Japanese culture, the films are still masterfully crafted found footage horror; you can watch them in order or pick out ones that seem interesting.

‘Tombs of the Blind Dead’ (1972)

Tombs of the Blind Dead kicked off what is known as the “Blind Dead” series of films, which would include Return of the Blind Dead (1973), The Ghost Galleon (1974), and Night of the Seagulls (1975). There was then an attempt to revitalize the franchise with Curse of the Blind Dead in 2020, but the film would not reach the same infamy as the original. Each film follows the resurrected “Knights Templar,” who, while they are essentially zombies, appear as blind, skeletal revenants who work together to hunt their victims.

An Overlooked Atmospheric Franchise from Spain

Within the zombie genre, Tombs of the Blind Dead lacks the sensationalism and excess gore that defined many of the cult classics in the genre. Instead, the Spanish series of films is more about a gothic atmosphere and a slow, menacing horror in the gloriously crafted Knights Templar. This approach earned the movie a dedicated fan base, but it did not reach the level of recognition as notable as Zombi, The Living Dead, or Evil Dead. Those who appreciate atmospheric horror, particularly from the ’70s, will find every entry in the original series worth watching.

‘Killjoy’ (2000)

Featuring a twisted killer clown, Killjoy‘s first entry spun off into a rather expansive franchise, including Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil (2002), Killjoy 3 (2010), Killjoy Goes to Hell (2012), Killjoy’s Psycho Circus (2016), and Bunker of Blood 07: Killjoy’s Carnage Caravan (2019). Throughout the series, the demonic clown, summoned to aid in revenge, gets more silly, introducing side characters as part of his posse and leaning more heavily on the humor of it. Killjoy comes from Full Moon Pictures, which could have had any number of franchises listed here, as beyond series like Puppet Master, they continue to cater to an audience craving their style of B-movies.

In A World of Killer Clowns, it is Hard to Stand Out

Killjoy‘s limited infamy, beyond being part of Full Moon Productions’ line-up, arguably stems from a rather rough start. The demonic clown is at his best when being as silly as possible, with the semi-serious tone of the first film making for a rather full-on outing in a world saturated with twisted killer clown films. It can be a big ask to make audiences sit through passable origin films to get to the goofy chaos of the latter, but it is a trip worth taking. In general, Full Moon Pictures produces a lot of fun horror franchises that deserve more fanfare.

‘Tomie’ (1998)

Long before mangaka Junji Ito gained popularity in the West, one of his most notable characters, Tomie, was already being developed into a film franchise. There are nine films in total, with additional entries if you include shots and TV specials. The series started with 1998’s Tomie and was followed by Tomie: Another Face (1999), Tomie: Replay (2000), Tomie: Re-birth (2001), Tomie: Forbidden Fruit (2002), Tomie: Eternal (2005), Tomie: Revenge (2005), Tomie: Unlimited (2011), and Tomie: Final (2011).

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

Each film follows the titular Tomie, with each entry offering a different angle on the character or attempting to deepen the surrounding lore. Essentially, Tomie is a woman whose existence causes those around her to become obsessed and kill her; though she always revives, often causing her ‘victims’ to go mad in the process. Despite its somewhat repetitive nature spanning over so many films, each entry has some solid moments of psychological terror, and the final movie offers a shift to a more over-the-top take on the character.

‘The Legend of Boggy Creek’ (1972)

1972’s The Legend of Boggy Creek spawned several sequels, including Return to Boggy Creek (1977), Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues (1985), and Boggy Creek (2010). The films began to deviate stylistically, with the first garnering infamy for its unique approach to bringing local folklore to life, employing a semi-documentary style. The monster in question, a Bigfoot-like creature from Alabama known as the Fouke Monster, is the connecting element of each film; Charles B. Pierce directed the first two films, but all exist as stand-alone experiences.

Shoes That Were Too Big To Fill

The initial The Legend of Boggy Creek took a novel approach to Bigfoot horror that garnered it enough of a cult following to make it a notable franchise. Each subsequent entry lost the charm of the first, and the franchise as a whole is not necessarily held in high regard; there is no one championing the franchise as a whole. Still, the first film is a solid entry, especially for those who like Bigfoot films that approach the subject with authenticity.

‘Things’ (1989)

Possibly the most unlikely and strangest horror franchise in existence, Things started with the 1989 shot-on-video Canadian stinker, arguably a contender for the worst movie ever made in every conceivable aspect. The movie would gain infamy for being horrible, it would get a direct sequel almost a decade later in Things II (1998), followed by several films that took complete creative freedom: Things 3: Old Things (1998), Things 4 (2017), Things 5 (2019), and Things 666 (2021). The first two films, which focused on bizarre alien creatures landing on Earth, would switch to an anthology format of sci-fi horror films.

An Unlikely Franchise From Failure

Want to kill a franchise in the modern era completely? Name it something innocuous, like “things,” ensuring the franchise is almost unsearchable. Things is for fans of so-bad-it’s-good films, and even then, each entry is testing in its own right, whether it be the confusing anthology format of the third entry, or the thinly disguised fetish piece of the fifth. The first film is definitely worth watching, as it is both bafflingly bad and entertaining. From there, only a few will continue with the other entries in the franchise, if they even realize that there are any.

‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ (1984)

What started as a successful anthology horror film would become one of the longest-running franchises of all time. Currently, there are 16 films in the franchise, with a new entry slated for the end of 2025. Each entry is numbered up to 15, with the latest and soon-to-be-released one titled Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme and Shake, Rattle & Roll Evil Origins. The series explores folklore and urban legends, often with a moral twist to its macabre tales. While not all the movies are held in equal regard, the series has become an annual tradition of sorts, similar to the V/H/S franchise on Shudder.

A Region-Locked Horror Anthology Franchise

So what makes this long-running franchise obscure? Truthfully, here you are looking at the global recognition of Filipino films being less pronounced than the West’s recognition of other countries’ cinematic output, despite the rich history and ample talent. While there is some inconsistency among the entries, those who love anthology horror should take a chance with the long-standing, popular franchise; there are plenty of dark gems to uncover that will introduce one to the broader world of Filipino cinema.

‘Watchers’ (1988)

Based on the work of Dean Koontz, the film about a genetically enhanced dog, Einstein, with high intelligence, fighting off a monster with the help of an outsider, managed to gain enough notoriety to start a franchise. The first film, Watchers (1988), was followed by Watchers II (1990), Watchers 3 (1994), and an attempt to reboot the franchise in Watchers Reborn (1998).

A Doggone Adorable Horror Franchise

The initial film, carrying name value with Koontz as creator and Corey Haim starring, was backed by an ample budget to escape the B-label. Each movie would be made cheaper, and remove itself further from the source material. Watchers Reborn saw a second attempt, backed by a bigger budget and trying to stay true to the source, but by then, the interest in the Franchise was non-existent.

Looking back on Watchers, it seems that even the first movie, as passable as it was, should not have been enough to warrant the following sequels. Yet, the series has an undeniable charm in having a dog at the forefront and center of the fight against an otherworldly force, and the casting of a lead actor throughout each film is pure B-movie perfection: Corey Haim, Marc Singer, Wings Hauser, and Mark Hamill. The franchise is both fun and flawed, deserving to be forgotten in the annals of time, yet also worth visiting decades later.

‘Pumpkinhead’ (1989)

The first entry in the Pumpkinhead franchise, released in 1989, garnered a following thanks, primarily, to its spectacular creature design. The movie may be an outlier choice on various best of the ’80s lists, but it’s never an assured pick when discussing the era. Despite Pumpkinhead carrying some notoriety and name value among others on this list, the franchise itself is not as revered; it was followed by Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994), Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006), and Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud (2007).

From One of the Best Creature Designs of the ’80s to Obscurity

The sequel, bereft of the same emotional storytelling of the first, is, at best, passable. Followed by an absence of over a decade to return as a SyFy channel original movie, further hurt the franchise’s staying power. While the franchise could be revived based on Stan Winston’s creature design alone, for now, all the notoriety is attached to the first film, and rightfully so. Many who loved the dark moral tale of revenge in the first Pumpkinhead will likely forget that there were sequels, if they were even aware of them.