In the last round, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 was crowned best three-quel, and so now logically we move on to Part 4s…
Where are Wrong Turn 4 and Psycho IV you ask? They will be appearing the prequel edition in the future, so don’t be sad, they’ll get their moment. Or not, as neither is likely to win, are they!?
Onwards!
1984-1991
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter; A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master; Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers; Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil
Teenage Death Camp Massacre Part IV: Revenge of the Overlong and Quite Unnecessary Suffix Title. OK, I’ve always felt Friday 4 was a tad overrated. Yes, it’s gory. Yes, there’s lots of sex and nudity. No, there’s not much character development or plot. The best thing in it is actually the little Jason Megamix that opens the film. Elm Street 4 - the “MTV Nightmare” – is one of my favourites from that series, but it pales in comparison to Halloween 4, which went all out to be suspenseful and just a little bit more thoughtful than its cohorts. Prom Night IV is in-name only, with tenuous links to its predecessors – but it’s alright.
1994-2003
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation; Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering; Bride of Chucky; Cheerleader Massacre
Despite being a fairly uninteresting horror-icon, Chucky wins this round against quite pitiful competition from the worst Texas Chainsaw instalment so far (yes, even the new one was better), a plain boring Children of the Corn insert, and the is-it-isn’t-it fourth Slumber Party Massacre flick.
2003-2011
Saw IV; Return to Sleepaway Camp; The Final Destination; Scream 4
Why is Saw here, you squawk? Eleven is a prime number so I had to crowbar in another sequel to balance things up. Even so, I remember it being a bit of a dullard. Scream 4 runs off with the trophy with ease; though I’m quite fond of Return to Sleepaway Camp. The Final Destination was bitterly disappointing.
The Finalists
The longer they go on, the worse they seem to get, one could say. But let’s shut up and be thankful that THIRTEEN slasher franchises (I didn’t forget you, Psycho and Wrong Turn) made it to a fourth movie.
Now, let’s choose a winner…
- Bride of Chucky‘s out first. It’s easily the most entertaining Child’s Play entry, but the whole series is just a bit annoying in it’s we-know-we’re-taking-the-piss demeanor. I like it, I don’t love it.
- Scream 4, on the other hand, may have been hugely divisive when it came to audience reception, but the nostalgic value of going back to Woodsboro was a nice shot in the arm, as was the amusing opening scene extravaganza and the killer’s bitchy exposition.
So, the winner of this not-so-thrilling round of the contest is Mickey himself…
The slasher debut of now-genre-fixture Danielle Harris is a low-key event to say the least; it’s neither gory, booby, or high-octane. In many ways it’s a slasher film on a sedative; slow and occasionally plodding, but nevertheless faithful to the original outing and incredibly well made.
You may have noticed that the winners so far have come from the three big franchises… That’s a bit annoying really, but if these other schmucks can’t bring it, what are we to do?
Buckle up for those Part 5′s next month.
February 15th, 2013 at 10:53 am
Ewww, Halloween 4 is boring as all hell.
February 15th, 2013 at 11:31 am
Told ya it was a “less than thrilling” round.
February 15th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Liked:
* F13: The Final Chapter
* ANoES 4: The Dream Master
* Halloween 4
Passable:
* Prom Night IV
* Bride of Chucky
* Scream 4
Didn’t Care For:
* TCM: The Next Generation
* CoC IV
* Cheerleader Massacre
* Saw IV
* Return to Sleepaway Camp (hated it!)
* The Final Destination
Honorable Mention – Deadly Dares: Truth or Dare Part IV, Killjoy Goes to Hell, and Phantom Killer 4.
February 18th, 2013 at 6:16 pm
I find the lack of other slasher elements in H4 to be more than made up by the creepiness level in the flick. The town really seems under siege by Michael (the idea of him, especially) and it seems he can come out of nowhere. I have no problem with it’s 1st place in this article.
However . . .
“I’ve always felt Friday 4 was a tad overrated” . . . how dare you SIR! I declare a duel! Blunderbusses at noon!
February 18th, 2013 at 9:20 pm
I still like it… but it was the last of the 80s ones I saw, so its effect was diminished.