Entertainment Swindon

For as long as man has sat around the campfire, scary stories have been told, and since the dawn of film, the horror genre has captivated audiences. Franchises within the horror genre have been at the centre of bringing film goers back to the cinemas time and time, giving them recurring characters throughout each iteration, becoming some of the most recognisable faces of the big screen.

10: The Ring Franchise

In the late 90s and early 00s, the world saw a rapid growth of technology, and people were endlessly fascinated by human’s growing reliance on screens. Enter 1998’s Ringu, where a cursed videotape has the ability to kill viewers a week after they watched the tape.

The franchise and its famous well-dwelling star Sadako quickly took the world by storm and is largely credited with the J-horror boom during the 2000s. Including eight films, manga adaptations, video games, and series for Japanese television, the films also had English and Korean remakes. Beyond the franchise, Ring led the way to other movies that saw technology be the centre of the horror like the 1994 VHS, Sinister starring Ethan Hawke and the 2003 One Missed Call.

9: Hammer House of Horror

Hammer House of Horror has to be one of the most influential production company in the horror genre who revitalised the gothic monster into pop culture. Hammer during the 60s and 70s brought us the old horror characters such as Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Frankenstein, the Mummy and of course Dracula back to the screen.

Hammer particularly brought back Dracula to the screen which would lead to more reboots and twists of the Dracula tale though to the 21st century.

8: The Omen

The film that propelled Donner to becoming one of the most acclaimed genre directors of his generation, as well as inspiring an entirely new movement within horror filmmaking, The Omen is not only truly terrifying but a deeply influential one as well, having a profound impact on a lot of later developments within the genre.

Some horror films make you question whether it is a good idea to remain seated or retreat from the very first moments. They’re rare but they certainly exist, and from the first haunting note of Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Omen, we are immediately plunged into a state of terror and despair, with the carefully-constructed cacophony of choral chaos making it abundantly clear what this film had in store for the viewer.

Nearly half a century since its release, and several sequels, prequels and reboots that followed, Richard Donner’s tale of a wealthy couple dealing with the aftermath of realising that their beloved son is the Antichrist remains one of the most terrifying and unsettling films ever made, and a true classic of the genre for numerous reasons.

Decades later, The Omen remains as terrifying today as it was when it was first released, a rare feat for many horror films and something that immediately sets this apart from others within the genre. 

7: The Exorcist

The Exorcist shocked audiences around the world, with the director William Friedkin coming from a documentary background, provided us with the ultimate battle of good vs evil in a very realistic documentary style making you feel like you are in the room with them.

The Exorcist’s ability to terrify with realism, not relying on predicable horror movie tropes. The movie is more than just a horror movie, its a morality tale, Friedkin’s moralistic approach is a genius move and one that personally connects the viewer to the movie: no one is safe from demonic forces. But what is even more powerful is that, for the viewer, the inescapable evil depicted in The Exorcist has the potential to stay with them long after the movie ends.

6: The Universal Pictures Monster Movie Franchise

Arguably the first horror franchise to exist, the franchise spanned over twenty years and features some of horror’s biggest icons. With Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the series saw immense success and impact on the horror genre.

This franchise paved the way for all horror films to come due to its cultural impact and exploration of several sub-genres of horror. Universal has also been rebooting several of the characters within the past few years, like with 2023’s Renfield and 2019’s The Invisible Man.

5: The Evil Dead Franchise

Long before there was the likes of ‘The Walking Dead’ came to television, The Evil Dead offered audiences a truly unique look at the undead. The original trilogy spanned over ten years and became cult classics for its unique production, campiness, and over-the-top nature of the world.

The Evil Dead has also taken over television with Ash Vs. Evil Dead, and also saw several video games throughout the 2000s. With Bruce Campbell being the face of the series as Ash Williams aside from the two reboot films from 2013 and 2023, the series is a definitive franchise of zombie horror.

4: Scream Franchise

When the first Scream hit theatres in 1996, re-igniting the slasher genre which was thought to have been dead and buried. However, horror director icon Wes Craven’s franchise brought new life to the sub-genre while also incorporating a Hitchcock whodunit atmosphere that has been preserved through each entry.

The franchise leaned heavily into slasher tropes rather than reinventing, making each film a fascinating piece of meta-horror apt for what was popular in the genre at the time. With an MTV series, six movies, and a seventh in production (at the time of writing), the series is still going strong.

3: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Similarly to Halloween, 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre began as a low-budget slasher film. However, the film’s extreme realism and gore are notably different from its contemporary peers. The series began to delve into the Sawyer family’s backstory and their murderous rampages across Texas.

The series has also gone through several reboots and revivals throughout the years, including a 2022 entry. From his appearance in Dead by Daylight to his origin story films, Leatherface is a horror icon worthy of his deadly status.

2: Friday The 13th Series

Few film symbols are as recognisable as Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask. Acting as the main antagonist for the majority of the franchise, Jason terrorised teens across twelve movies, video games, and television series, Friday the 13th set the tone for teen slashers, including several tropes and themes.

The franchise is also notorious for its constant outrageousness, with one entry leaving Crystal Lake behind for Manhattan, a crossover with A Nightmare on Elm Street, and even an entry in space with a sci-fi tone.

1: Halloween Franchise

Without Halloween, we wouldn’t have had Maniac Cop, Friday 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. There have been slasher movies prior to Halloween, but this was the franchise that put the slasher genre on the map.

John Carpenter’s original 1978 Halloween was a film of humble beginnings; with a tiny budget, an unknown Jamie Lee Curtis, and a script written in 10 days. The original film sent shockwaves across the nation.

Michael Myers became the face of the slasher genre and a series of films revolving around him was born. Across thirteen movies, the series has remained a mainstay for horror lovers. With the Halloween III: The Season of the Witch, the Rob Zombie entries, and the reboot trilogy, the Halloween series has never been shy for reinvention either, making it still feel fresh as Michael’s first visit to Haddonfield, Illinois.