17 Movie Sequels Most People Don’t Even Know Exist
Enjoy reading about these Hollywood missteps, but don’t bother adding them to your watchlist.
Published 4 minutes ago in Facepalm
Hollywood has an obsession with pumping out sequels, prequels, and remakes. Movie fans everywhere roll their eyes when they see studios pushing out yet another ill-advised reboot. It may seem like a recent issue, but it’s always been a thing, and there are probably a lot of sequels you haven’t even heard of.
This list rounds up 17 movie sequels that should never have existed, ranging from passable to excruciating. Most of these movies have been forgotten, so it’s time to exhume their bones, however disjointed they may be. Enjoy reading about these Hollywood missteps, but don’t bother adding them to your watchlist. Just go watch the original again.
1
American Psycho II (2000)
The screenplay for this movie originally had nothing to do with American Psycho. During production, the script was changed to include a scene where a young girl kills Patrick Bateman. This young girl grows up to be the main character of the movie, played by Mila Kunis, a criminology student who murders her classmates to get ahead. This travesty was directed by Morgan J. Freeman. No, not that Morgan Freeman.
2
The French Connection II (1975)
This one isn’t so bad, but The French Connection definitely didn’t need a sequel. Gene Hackman is one of just two actors to return for The French Connection II, which follows Popeye Doyle’s attempts to track down a drug dealer in Marseille, France. The French Connection II never quite made the same splash as its predecessor.
3
Psycho II (1983)
Both produced and set 22 years after Psycho, Psycho II sees Anthony Perkins return as the, well, psychotic Norman Bates. This is another lesser known sequel that actually isn’t half bad, with even Quentin Tarantino saying that he prefers Psycho II to the first one. Psycho II was followed by Psycho III, Psycho IV: The Beginning, and a 1998 remake starring Vince Vaughn, of all people.
4
The Birds II: Land's End (1994)
Another sequel to a beloved Hitchcock movie, this one not nearly so passable. The Birds II: Land’s End was a 1994 made-for-TV movie directed by Rick Rosenthal but credited to Alan Smithee, which is the name directors use when they don’t want to be associated with a project. It’s not hard to see why you’d try to distance yourself from this movie, as it is absolutely horrible.
5
More American Graffiti (1979)
George Lucas did not return for this creatively titled sequel to his 1973 classic, because he was busy doing some dinky sci-fi movie that nobody’s ever heard of. Everybody in the cast returned, though, except for Richard Dreyfuss. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to get audiences excited, and More American Graffiti has been relegated to the sands of time.
6
Grease 2 (1982)
The sequel to Grease has become a bit of a cult classic, but it’s still puzzling why it exists. The one thing it has going for it is that it’s the movie that gave us Michelle Pfeiffer. Look, if even a guy like John Travolta, who doesn’t have the best track record, doesn’t want to return for your sequel, you probably shouldn’t be making it.
7
The Two Jakes (1990)
It’s hard to imagine a movie that ends as definitively as Chinatown. Not because the characters die or anything, it just has one of the best ending lines of all time: “Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown.” How anybody could watch the best ending ever and decide to tack on another movie is beyond me, but I guess Jack Nicholson felt the need to, because he directed this unnecessary sequel to the classic noir flick where he reprises his role as the hardboiled Jake Gittes to solve a new mystery.
8
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
Carrie pretty famously ends with both Carrie and her mother (you know, the two main characters) dying gruesome and extremely final deaths. Carrie shouldn’t exactly be high on the list to get a sequel, but more than 20 years later, it happened. The plot of this movie follows the younger half-sister of Carrie as she develops similar powers. The gymnastics required to connect this to the first movie rendered it a goofy mess.
9
My Summer Story (1994)
It seems like the 90s were a great time for sequels that nobody asked for. This one is a sequel to A Christmas Story. How do we do a sequel to one of the most famous Christmas movies of all time? Oh, I know! Let’s do one about summer. My Summer Story uses the same characters, but they’re now played by different actors, with Kieran Culkin as Ralphie.
10
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
Dirty Dancing was a massive touchstone for the 1980s. I guess it’s not a huge surprise that they would try to recapture that magic, but maybe a made-for-TV movie that only features Patrick Swayze in a brief cameo isn’t the way to do it. Plus, this isn’t a sequel: it’s a prequel, set in Cuba in the 1950s. There’s pretty much nothing here to like for a Dirty Dancing fan.
11
Titanic II (2010)
Okay, this one is an unofficial sequel, but it merits inclusion just for that title alone. You can’t get much bolder than that. How on Earth are you going to do Titanic II? The Titanic very famously sank to the bottom of the ocean! Well, Titanic II centers on a replica of the Titanic that is setting sail to travel the exact same route as the Titanic once did. All I can say is bravo.
12
U.S. Marshals (1998)
U.S. Marshals is the much lesser-known sequel to the incredibly successful movie The Fugitive. The sequel doesn’t feature Harrison Ford at all, and rather focuses on Tommy Lee Jones’s character as he pursues another fugitive played by Wesley Snipes. It’s not the worst idea for a sequel, but a mixed critical response and opening alongside the all-time box office smash Titanic rendered it forgotten and unloved.
13
Soldier (1998)
Soldier was a science fiction movie starring Kurt Russell that underperformed at the box office and faced negative reviews. Because it’s not a well-known movie today, most people don’t know that it was written by one of the co-writers of Blade Runner, who said that he intended Soldier to be a prequel spinoff to Blade Runner. The movie contains various references to Ridley Scott’s much more famous movie.
14
Staying Alive (1983)
John Travolta refused to appear in Grease 2, but he had no problem headlining this ill-advised sequel to Saturday Night Fever, co-written, co-produced, and directed by none other than Sylvester Stallone. Saturday Night Fever is a stone cold classic that made a huge splash when it released and has staying power even today. Staying Alive? Not so much.
15
S. Darko (2009)
Richard Kelly’s mindbending film Donnie Darko is more of a cult classic than some of the blockbusters mentioned on this list. But if some people haven’t heard of Donnie Darko, then the majority DEFINITELY haven’t heard of S. Darko, a terrible sequel set seven years after Donnie’s death. The movie was made without the involvement of Richard Kelly, and it really shows.
16
Son of Kong (1933)
King Kong is one of the most famous and influential movies of all time, completely changing the landscape of film as we know it. You might be surprised to learn that a sequel to King Kong was hastily greenlit and came out the same year: Son of Kong. How they rushed a sequel fast enough for it to come out in the exact same year is baffling to say the least. The movie isn’t terrible if you like stop motion beasties, but it had zero impact on film compared to its seminal big brother.
17
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976)
This made-for-television sequel to Roman Polanski’s horror classic follows Rosemary Woodhouse’s baby as he grows up from the age of eight, coming to terms with being the Antichrist. If you’re interested in watching a little-known sequel to a legendary horror movie about a grown-up Antichrist, skip this one and watch The Omen 3 instead. That one at least has Sam Neill in it.