10 Worst Sequels of All Time

Curiosity got the best of me the other night, and I watched Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, and it got me thinking: What are the worst sequels of all time? I don’t mean bad movies that are a sequel to a film that has nothing to do with it.

Nor do I mean a fourth, fifth, or sixth of a franchise. I mean a direct sequel to a widely considered classic or masterpiece. That’s the criteria for my list: A direct sequel of a film it is actually meant to be a sequel to, and it has to be the second film, and its predecessor has to be a classic/masterpiece.

The list is in chronological order, not be any ranking.

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) – John Boorman

Linda Blair comes back for the sequel that Ellen Burstyn had enough sense to avoid. Though helmed by acclaimed director John Boorman, this is no Deliverance. Honestly, I don’t know what this is. I watched the whole damn thing, and it still made no sense. It was like a train wreck you couldn’t look away from. Fascinatingly perplexing.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) – Steven Spielberg

Probably a controversial pick for many people. However, I find this sequel (technically a prequel, more to come) to be dark and mean-spirited. It feels like it’s written by a man/men who were recently spurned by a woman and took it out on the character of Willie Shaw.

It’s shocking to know this is where Spielberg met Kate Capshaw and later would marry. If I were Kate and I watched him put a female character through everything she’s put through and how meanly she’s written, I probably wouldn’t date that man.

This is the worst Indiana Jones sequel; argue with a wall if you feel otherwise.

Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) – Jan de Bont

This movie should’ve been called Speed 2: Modes of Transportation. The characters of this movie watch Lolita, then a 14-year-old girl professes her love for Jason Patric, which he does not outright reject. What are we doing?

Not only all of the above, but the movie is a slog, to put it nicely. The original Speed is the perfect action blockbuster; the sequel…The antithesis of that.

Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997) – John R. Leonetti

Now, this sequel stretches the parameters of this list. I cannot say the original Mortal Kombat is a masterpiece. But if you watch these two films in succession, you will believe the original is Lawrence of Arabia compared to its successor.

The CGI is heinous, the story makes no sense, and it kills off one of the best characters 2 minutes into the film. Even if you’re a fan of this game, avoid this film; the original does have some merit at least.

Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) – John Landis

I rewatched this a couple of years ago, and during my watch I got a call that my Dad was in the ER (Nothing serious). The original Blues Brothers is one of his favorite films. I took this as a sign from the universe that I should never watch this again, because doing so almost killed my Dad.

Too many ideas from Dan Akroyd in this film, a bad idea from minute one. This film is a major slog with a third act that has weird Dan written all over it.

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) – Joe Berlinger

It’s never a good sign when the franchise name comes second in your title. The movie that was the inspiration for this list. Curiosity got the best of me a bit ago, and I watched this on a free Friday night, maybe one of the worst ways to have spent that night.

It’s stupid, makes no sense, and barely has anything to do with the original. This truly might be the worst sequel of all-time.

Red Dragon (2002) – Brett Ratner

Now maybe this is a hot or controversial take. But I think Red Dragon is very bad. I know most of this stems from my love of Michael Mann’s Manhunter. Which came five years prior to The Silence of the Lambs.

Brian Cox plays Dr. Lecter. It’s a good performance, but there is no denying Anthony Hopkins is iconic in The Silence of the Lambs. So, of course, the studio had to capitalize on a sequel with Hopkins back.

The problem is there is no improving on Manhunter, even with recasting Dr. Lecter. Tom Noonan as “The Tooth Fairy” is incredible and terrifying. William Petersen’s simmering rage is perfect and something Ed Norton cannot replicate in Red Dragon. In comparison to The Silence of the Lambs and knowing we already had Manhunter, this feels like a waste of everyone’s time.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) – Michael Bay

Keeping this list to direct sequels leaves me with a lot fewer truly bad sequels. I thought to venture out and watch Caddyshack 2. I couldn’t bring myself to watch that film, but I’ve heard how bad it is. I do wonder if it’s worse than Revenge of the Fallen…probably.

The first Michael Bay Transformers is really fun. This sequel? Filled with toilet humor and racist stereotypes, as if it were written by a ten-year-old boy. At 150 minutes, it’s grating at best.

The Hangover Part II (2011) – Todd Phillips

I’ll never forget just how ripped off I felt when leaving the theater at the midnight showing of The Hangover Part II. The original Hangover was a wholly original R-rated comedy that was as raunchy as it was hilarious. Plus, it made a ton at the box office.

So I was excited when the inevitable sequel was made. With the high expectations comes a major fall-off. Watching a rehash of the original film just set in Thailand, it was one of the clearest examples of a cash grab. I’ve never been actually angry after leaving a film like I did that night.

Easy Rider: The Ride Back (2012) – Dustin Rikert

A baffling sequel. Phil Pitzer essentially got the rights to Easy Rider and wrote a sequel looking at Wyatt’s family and their dynamics. Essentially, Phil plays Wyatt, though he actually plays his brother Morgan. Except he wears Wyatt’s iconic jacket and rides his motorcycle.

The biggest issue is that, instead of feeling like a fan-fiction film, it’s as if the person making it hated the original’s themes. They made it a more conservative film that almost has nothing to do with the original.

Honestly, it doesn’t; maybe it shouldn’t be on here, but I love the original deeply, and Phil might argue otherwise; he shits all over the original. I can see how the boomer hippies of the free-love 60s became mega MAGA Trumpers. They never understood the assignment in the first place.