We have all seen bad movie sequels, haven’t we? Cinema that simply stinks so much it appears rotten to all of us. There are plenty of these in the world. The history of cinema is littered with horrible sequels. Also, what we find more pathetic is the fact that some of them are sequels to perfectly good movies. When decent movies get such a moldy follow-up, you know something is genuinely wrong. Therefore, it is time to discuss some of the worst movie sequels in the history of cinema.
The Hangover Part III
IMDb: 5.8/10
The Hangover franchise keeps repeating the same jokes, making it feel like a repetitive dad joke. The third movie is a disappointing sequel where the characters face constant repetition, and Zach Galifianakis’ character, Alan, loses his funny charm. Also, we have no idea why they keep making movies in this particular franchise.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
IMDb: 4.6/10
The Ghost Dimension, a sequel to Paranormal Activity, disappoints with its cheap jump scares and mediocre acting. The repetitive storyline and predictable plot make it the worst in the franchise. Have you heard of the hamster wheel effect? Sometimes, some franchises go on for so long that the original idea is wrung out of them and future movies are all horrible.
Teen Wolf Too
IMDb: 3.4/10
While the original Teen Wolf had its charm, the sequel, Teen Wolf Too, fails to deliver. Despite Jason Bateman’s efforts, the plot and jokes feel repetitive and lackluster. Replacing the original star proved to be a risky move that didn’t pay off. Also, we hear there is a spin-off in the works. Seems like they are going to reboot the entire thing.
Son of the Mask
IMDb: 2.2/10
While the original movie was enjoyable and filled with cartoonish fun, the sequel feels like an exaggerated imitation. Jaime Kennedy tries his best in the lead role, but the plot lacks effort and the special effects are excessive. With the high expectations set by the first film and Jim Carrey’s outstanding performance, it’s hard to imagine anything other than a cringeworthy failure. Also, compare it to the first movie and you get a horrible sequel of course.
Mean Girls 2
IMDb: 4.1/10
When Tina Fey declined to write a sequel to her funny and meaningful comedy, Mean Girls (2004), Paramount went ahead and made it anyway – but as a lackluster TV movie. The creators themselves were so ashamed of the film that they didn’t even release it in theaters.
Mean Girls 2 tries to replicate the themes of the original film, but fails to capture its magic. It lacks the humor and most of the original cast, except for Tim Meadows reprising his role as the Principal. The movie is relatively unknown compared to its predecessor, receiving only two critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience rating of 31%.
The Rage: Carrie 2
IMDb: 4.7/10
They named it ‘The Rage’ for a reason, as fans of the original movie and book must have felt enraged while watching it. If there was an award for the most pointless sequel, this one would win hands down. Also, this is one of the worst movies ever made in itself. We wonder why.
Carrie 2 tries desperately to mimic the elements of Stephen King’s story, but lacks its own charm and fails to deliver a compelling narrative. Honestly, there shouldn’t have been a sequel at all, but that’s Hollywood for you.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2: The Secret of the Bell
IMDb: 4.7/10
The ‘straight-to-DVD/VHS’ sequels are another category of disappointing follow-ups. Disney had many of these, some being decent like The Lion King II or The Return of Jafar, and others like The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2… not so much. Also, imagine an animated movie crashing this hard.
The animation quality in this sequel is disappointing. The plot and villain feel like something you’d find in a generic TV episode, and the songs are forgettable. Plus, they have a bell with diamonds in it. Seriously, Disney, do you understand how bells work?
Jaws 2
IMDb: 5.8/1O
The first movie was thrilling and filled with tension, delivering everything you’d expect from a horror film about a ruthless shark hunting beach visitors. Unfortunately, the second installment feels like someone just filmed the same movie from different angles.
Despite having a plot that could have been equally entertaining, the second film lacks the same tone and quality as the first. The characters become annoying, and the shark’s actions become predictable and lose their scare factor. At some point, you might even find yourself wishing the shark would just devour everyone already.
Grease 2
IMDb: 4.4/10
This sequel is one of the worst to follow a great movie. Seriously, how could they do this? And Michelle Pfeiffer, what were you thinking? In this sequel that’s easy to mock, The Pink Ladies and the T-birds continue their high school antics at Rydell High, two years after the original characters graduated.
The plot is another love story, similar to the first film, but this time, it’s the guy who needs to change if he wants to date a Pink Lady. The songs are dull and easy to forget, and some of them lack choreography altogether. Critics have given the movie a dismal 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s definitely not what anyone wanted. Also, it stinks hard.
Titanic 2
IMDb: 1.6/10
Produced by The Asylum, known for movies like Sharknado and Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, this failure revolves around a new ship called “Titanic II” that, just like before, collides with an iceberg, this time caused by a tsunami. It’s completely exaggerated and different from the original, belonging to a completely different genre—transforming into a cheesy adventure and action movie instead of an award-winning drama. Definitely one of the worst sequels ever made.
Return to Oz
IMDb: 6.7/10
The Wizard of Oz is a timeless classic. It’s hard to understand why anyone thought it was a good idea to make a sequel. Return to Oz was not only confusing and lacking in magic, but it was also truly terrifying.
While the original was a delightful musical for kids, Return to Oz was a horrifying nightmare. That scene with electroshock therapy on a child and those dreadful wheelers were absolutely dreadful. No child should have to endure such a terrible movie. Despite its decent ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, it is definitely one of the worst sequels ever made.
Scary Movie 5
IMDb: 3.5/10
The first Scary Movie was amazing, the second was fantastic, the third and fourth were pretty good, but the fifth… oh, the fifth Scary Movie was just terrible. It has an incredibly low Rotten Tomatoes score of only 4%, making it a complete waste of time. Honestly, we had completely forgotten about it until now. Also, it is best forgotten by one and all across the water. The Scary Movie franchise needs a wonderful makeover, we think.
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
IMDb: 5.2/10
The third movie in 2017 was a bad idea. Diesel returns as Xander Cage, but there isn’t much of a story for him. The plot about a dangerous digital device feels lazy and tries to recreate the excitement of the first film, but the action scenes are not as exciting. They even added a strange martial-arts DJ character just to appeal to the pop audience of the mid-2000s. Overall, it’s just a forced and meaningless movie. Also, Diesel should simply stop making these movies now. Let us see what happens.
Also read: Best Low Budget Movies That Made a Lot of Money
