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Some horror franchises never made it past the first cut. Join us as we count down the would-be horror franchises that crashed and burned before they ever got off the ground! From botched cinematic universes to slashers that couldn't sustain a sequel, these films had big ambitions and bigger disappointments. Which of these failed horror franchises do you wish had actually succeeded?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at 10 would-be horror franchises that just failed to catch on.
00:05Brandon, do you feel bad about what you did to Caitlyn?
00:11Number 10, The Exorcist Believer.
00:14Something they did out there opened them up for an unholy spirit to enter.
00:19That's how demonic possession works.
00:21In 2021, Universal and Blumhouse agreed to partner up
00:25and spend $400 million on the distribution rights for a planned trilogy of new Exorcist films.
00:30Directed by David Gordon Green of Halloween fame,
00:33Believer served as a direct sequel to the 1973 classic, with Ellen Burstyn returning as Chris McNeil.
00:39I may not have witnessed the exorcism, but I sure as all held witness the possession.
00:45I spent the next 10 years trying to understand what I saw with my own eyes.
00:51The film earned just $137 million, and was widely condemned by both critics and general audiences.
00:58Pretty much everything about the film was criticized, including its recycled tropes,
01:02the mishandling of Chris, and the watered-down tone compared to the transgressive original.
01:06The Exorcist's deceiver was planned to follow, but pretty much everyone wrote it off after seeing Believer.
01:11Green departed the project following the severe critical backlash,
01:14and Universal scrapped the trilogy entirely, giving the reins to Mike Flanagan for a reboot.
01:19I know who you are, and you know who I am. We've met before.
01:27Number 9. Van Helsing
01:34You're a big one. You'll be hard to digest.
01:37Directed by Stephen Sommers, Van Helsing starred Hugh Jackman as the titular monster hunter,
01:42battling Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolfman.
01:46Universal positioned the movie as a tentpole franchise,
01:49commissioning an animated prequel movie, video games, and a television spin-off series.
01:54They were banking on this thing being a huge success, but it was not.
01:57Well, I'll say this for you. You've got courage.
02:01He's the first one to kill a vampire in over a hundred years.
02:05I'd say that's earned him a drink.
02:07Although it grossed over $300 million worldwide, its massive $160 million production budget and extensive marketing costs,
02:15then it barely broke even for the studio.
02:17Panned by critics for its heavy reliance on CGI and convoluted plot, Van Helsing failed to meet expectations.
02:23As a result, Universal cancelled most of its plans.
02:26While a video game and theme park attraction went forward, all theatrical sequels and the TV spin-off were cancelled.
02:34There's something down here.
02:38It's carnivorous.
02:43Whatever it is, it appears to be human.
02:47Number 8. Flatliners
02:49What if we could actually document what happens to us after we die?
02:53What do you mean?
02:55Nothing happens. We're dead.
02:57What if we could prove otherwise?
02:59Sony Pictures attempted to revive the 1990 cult hit with its 2017 Legacy sequel starring Elliot Page and Diego Luna,
03:06and even featuring Kiefer Sutherland returning from the original film.
03:09We are here to educate students who push themselves, those who are capable of making new discoveries,
03:15and actually move the dial on human knowledge.
03:18Following a group of medical students who deliberately stopped their hearts to experience the afterlife,
03:22the project was intended to kickstart a modernized franchise for a new generation.
03:27However, the film was a critical disaster, holding just a 4% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes due to a
03:32formulaic plot and a reliance on generic jump scares.
03:35The vicious critical thrashing and tepid box office performance was not what Sony wanted,
03:41and all hopes for a Flatliners franchise was flatlined.
03:44That does it. I'm going next.
03:46Okay.
03:47Tonight, I am, and you're all going to be there.
03:54It's a good day to die.
03:56Number 7. My Bloody Valentine
03:58Roses are red, violets are blue.
04:04One is dead.
04:05And so are you.
04:07The 1981 original was released during the slasher boom, the golden era, some may call it,
04:12and was actually conceived as a modest one-and-done cash-in.
04:15But that didn't stop them from trying to cash in on the cash-in.
04:18In the 1990s and early 2000s, director George Michalka and producer John Dunning
04:22started developing a direct sequel and pitched it to Paramount in 2001.
04:27Waiting in the shadows of the Hennigar mine
04:30just for someone to kill,
04:33should they not heed his warning.
04:38However, they balked owing to the poor box office performance of the original.
04:42Lionsgate later acquired the rights and produced a remake, which was released in 2009.
04:47Just two weeks before it hit theaters,
04:49a sequel was officially pitched to Lionsgate Executives,
04:52which would expand on the killer's backstory.
04:54However, Lionsgate Executives decided against developing it,
04:57leaving the franchise ambitions of My Bloody Valentine stuck down in the mines.
05:01The talk is out there, Sheriff.
05:03A lot of folks remember 10 years ago like it was yesterday.
05:05And there's a lot of minor suits in this town, Martin.
05:08It's not Harry Warden, he's dead, remember?
05:10Number six, The Green Inferno.
05:13Have you ever had fantasies of saving a dying tribe?
05:19Of protecting them from encroaching civilization?
05:23Well, an opportunity has come up to turn that fantasy into reality.
05:27For those of you who care enough to join us.
05:30Directed by Eli Roth, this homage to 1970s cannibal cinema
05:34follows a group of student activists who are captured by a flesh-eating Amazonian tribe.
05:39Production confidence was high enough that a sequel, titled Beyond the Green Inferno,
05:43was officially announced at TIFF well before the first film's theatrical premiere.
05:47However, severe financial issues with its distribution company
05:50delay the film's release by two years.
05:53All we have to do is stay calm and not upset them.
05:58Be thankful that they killed Jonah first.
06:00He can feed them for a week.
06:02When it finally debuted in 2015,
06:04The Green Inferno received poor reviews
06:06and grossed us $13 million.
06:08Bound by a poor public reception,
06:10a controversial storyline,
06:12and niche sub-genre appeal,
06:13the planned sequel was quietly abandoned and forgotten.
06:26Number 5. Brightburn
06:42Produced by James Gunn,
06:44Brightburn inverted the superhero origin story
06:46by asking what would happen if an alien child with Superman-like powers turned evil.
06:50The film ended with an explicit setup for a broader cinematic universe,
06:54featuring mid-credits news footage teasing evil iterations of Aquaman and Wonder Woman.
06:59Just like that half-man, half-seed creature
07:01capsizing fishing vessels in the South China Sea.
07:05Like what we were talking about last week.
07:07Some kind of witch woman
07:08choked people out with ropes and cords.
07:10They are all out there.
07:13Built on a modest $6 million budget,
07:15the film earned $33 million globally,
07:18yielding a small profit,
07:19but failing to generate mainstream audience traction.
07:22Mixed reviews noted that while the premise was strong,
07:24the execution lacked depth.
07:26In 2024,
07:27Gunn confirmed that legal rights complications
07:29and modest financial returns
07:30put an official end to any sequel prospects.
07:33I've realized I'm special.
07:35Because my real parents aren't from a stupid place like here.
07:39Brandon, you don't think of your mom and dad as your real parents?
07:42I do.
07:43I just know I'm something else.
07:46Something superior.
07:47Number 4. Vampires
07:49Y'all work together?
07:51That's right.
07:53What'd you do?
07:54We kill vampires.
07:57Directed by the legendary John Carpenter,
07:59Vampires follows a team of Vatican-sponsored mercenaries
08:02hunting ancient bloodsuckers across the American Southwest.
08:05Columbia Pictures envisioned the film
08:07as a theatrical action horror franchise
08:10centered on Jack Crow,
08:11played by James Woods.
08:12Although the movie opened at number one,
08:14its momentum quickly stalled
08:16and it ended up grossing just $20 million at the domestic box office.
08:20It's a search pattern, Padre.
08:22You're looking for something.
08:24You know what it is?
08:25I heard stories when I was young.
08:29Something about a black cross.
08:31About vampires walking in the sunlight.
08:34Mitt's critical reviews and audience reception
08:36further derailed plans for big-budget theatrical sequels.
08:40Rather than continuing as a major studio series,
08:42the property was downgraded to low-budget direct-to-video follow-ups,
08:46ending its chances of becoming a mainstream cinematic franchise.
08:49What do we got?
08:50Three slayers.
08:51Two slayers.
08:55It's time to kill some vampires.
08:58You with us, Padre?
08:59Number three.
09:00The Bye-Bye Man.
09:01Don't say it.
09:05Don't say it.
09:06Don't think it.
09:08Don't say it.
09:09Don't think it.
09:10Don't say it.
09:10Don't think it.
09:11Don't say it.
09:13Don't think it.
09:14Don't say it.
09:15Don't think it.
09:15Don't say it.
09:16Don't think it.
09:16Don't say it.
09:17Don't think it.
09:18Don't say it.
09:18Don't think it.
09:20Don't say it.
09:21Don't think it.
09:21positioned The Bye-Bye Man as the launchpad for a new supernatural horror icon who could be
09:26widely merchandised. The film introduced an entity that targets anyone who speaks or thinks of its
09:32name, which many people considered a rip-off of other urban legends and movies. Despite turning
09:49a modest profit by grossing $26 million on a $7 million budget, the film was a critical failure
09:55and was relentlessly mocked on the internet. The negative notoriety and weak audience reception
10:00prevented the studio from turning the character into something more, and The Bye-Bye Man went
10:04bye-bye for good.
10:06It's horrible.
10:12Bye-Bye Man's not real. It's just something that's in our heads.
10:17That's real. Ideas are real. If it's not, Elliot, we're all losing our minds at the same time.
10:28Number 2, Halloween 3, Season of the Witch.
10:31Hey, Mr. Cochran, just what is the final process?
10:34I assure you it's just a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Quality inspection,
10:38the seal of approval, you know, the usual. And of course, a couple of trade secrets.
10:46Yes, this is technically part of a huge and ongoing franchise, but Halloween 3 was actually
10:51meant to kickstart its own spin-off series. After Halloween 2, John Carpenter and Deborah
10:56Hill attempted to eliminate Michael Myers and rebrand the franchise into an annual anthology
11:00series centered on the holiday itself. Season of the Witch focuses on a corporation using
11:05Celtic witchcraft and deadly masks to murder trick-or-treaters.
11:09All you lucky kids with silver shamrock masks, gather round to a TV set. Put on your masks and watch.
11:16Honey, don't get too close. You'll ruin your eyes.
11:19Jack-o'-lanterns. Gather round and watch. Watch the magic pumpkin. Watch.
11:25However, moviegoers expected the return of the iconic slasher villain and were enormously confused
11:31and put off by the outlandish story. Grossing $14 million, it was deemed a commercial disappointment,
11:36and the negative fan reaction forced the producers to abandon the anthology format
11:41and bring Michael Myers back for a traditional Halloween 4.
11:44Michael?
11:51Why now?
11:56You waited 10 years.
11:59I knew this day would come.
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12:09Always on, always live.
12:12Are you not entertained?
12:14Number 1. The Mummy
12:16Welcome to Prodigium, Mr. Morton.
12:19From the Latin, Monstrum Bel Prodigium.
12:24A warning of monsters.
12:26And here we come to the most infamous botched attempt at franchising in horror history.
12:31Universal Pictures hope to launch a Dark Universe franchise with all its classic characters,
12:36and they began in 2017 with The Mummy.
12:38The studio invested heavily in promoting an interconnected cinematic universe,
12:42even releasing a promotional cast photo of all its new stars before release.
12:46However, The Mummy was an enormous disappointment at the box office,
12:50and was considered one of the worst movies of 2017.
12:53Hello?
12:55She's out. She has the data.
12:57We think she's coming to you, so are we.
12:59Lock your doors and secure that stone.
13:02Factoring in global marketing expenses, sources reported that the film lost up to $95 million.
13:08The poor box office returns, and widespread mocking of The Mummy prompted Universal to cancel all future projects.
13:14And that was a wrap on the Dark Universe.
13:16Welcome to a new world of gods and monsters.
13:20Would you have liked to see more of these movies?
13:22Let us know in the comments below.
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