Why 80’s Horror Franchises Had So Many Comedy Sequels
The 80s reinvented horror movies by introducing the viewing audiences to a plethora of iconic franchises filled with terrifying slashers and demonic forces. As franchises like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Evil Dead, and Child's Play expanded, iconic characters like Leatherface and Freddie Krueger began to delve into a new genre beyond horror. Horror-comedy sequels of popular horror franchises became a common trend that was as profitable as it was entertaining, far before series like the Scary Movie franchise were produced.
The horror-comedy sequels of popular 1980s horror franchises like Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Bride of Chucky differ from horror-comedy movies like Shaun of the Dead or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. The later films were designed to be comedies from the start, whereas the comedic horror sequels evolved from the purely horror-based source material. Franchises like Friday the 13th and The Evil Dead Movies grew away from their strictly horror-centric origins to insert sight gags, jokes making fun of their established tropes, and stretch the limits of how absurd they could make their sequels. Every major horror franchise from the 80s managed to produce a comedic sequel; even Freddie Krueger became a quipping comedic monster before the original A Nightmare on Elm Street series came to a close. Eventually, these comedic horror sequels evolved into a new trend of self-aware/self-satirizing horror films like Scream.
Related: Tragedy Girls Does Horror Satire The Right Way
These 80s horror franchises produced comedic sequels because they allowed the filmmakers to expand the franchise’s mythology, increase the film’s impact on the audience, and become more marketable to more people. At first, it seems impossible
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