The Horror Franchise That 39% Of Fans Agree Is Their Favorite Of All Time
As far back as the early Universal Frankenstein and Wolf Man films, franchising horror movies into multiple sequels has always been a staple of the genre. No matter how ridiculous the circumstances, audiences love seeing the bad guy come back from the dead to kill again — and again and again. This means the Halloween franchise currently spans a total of 11 films, including two separate reboots years apart!
The generally low budgets and quick turnarounds mean that the sequels can rarely match or exceed the originals, but sometimes it can result in the audacious, hilarious likes of Jason X, where the infamous killer is revived ... in space. (Liquid nitrogen mayhem ensues.)
Looper recently asked viewers about which horror franchise they'd pick for their favorite. Around 174,000 people responded, and while this spooky choice makes sense, it may come as a shock compared to the other poll options. Here's the number-one pick for favorite horror franchise of all time.
39 percent of horror fans think The Conjuring is the best horror franchise
The choice was overwhelmingly clear: 39 percent of Looper voters chose The Conjuring as their favorite horror franchise, which isn't a huge surprise considering the franchise's classic scares and current ubiquity at the box office.
The Conjuring films follow married paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren – loosely based on real-life figures who also investigated the case that inspired The Amityville Horror – and their often dangerous encounters with the supernatural, including the possessed doll Annabelle and a witch's curse. Since the first film was a massive box office hit, the franchise has become a full-on movie universe. The series now includes hit prequels such as The Nun and Annabelle, which explore the origins of the entities the Warrens fight.
And while the Conjuring films arguably aren't the scariest movies on this list, their mix of pathos and heavy atmospherics have firmly earned them a place in the hearts of viewers.
A three-way tie between these longtime favorites
Three other horror franchises tied behind Conjuring, with each one polling at exactly 16 percent.
First up was Sam Raimi's gory, hilarious The Evil Dead series. Starring beloved cult actor Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, the chainsaw-armed Midwesterner who battles demonic ghouls, the franchise has been dormant since the Starz show Ash Vs. Evil Dead wrapped up. Director Sam Raimi, however, is apparently optimistic about the films returning.
Next is the aforementioned Halloween. The recent direct sequel to the original was a huge success, and perpetually masked killer Michael Myers is already set to return in Halloween Kills – and would have sooner if COVID-19 hadn't delayed the release of the sequel.
The Friday the 13th series was the third franchise to tie with Evil Dead and Halloween, even if Jason hasn't graced our screens in a decade thanks to legal issues and creative dead ends. And as for the rest, 13 percent of respondents wrote in their own suggestions for us. No matter what you pick, being a horror fan means always having a lot of wonderful, wild options to choose from for favorites.