10 Best Number 3s In Horror Movie History
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00:00 Horror often gets criticised for having too many sequels, and that is not an unfair criticism,
00:05 but a third go-around is not always a death sentence in the genre.
00:09 Some of the films carried on the momentum of the ones before it, some of them bounce
00:12 back from awful second instalments, and some aren't as good as the movies that preceded
00:17 them but are still good films that should not be overlooked.
00:20 So with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture here with the 10 Best Number 3s
00:25 in Horror Movie History.
00:27 10. The Conjuring 2
00:30 Hold your horses, we can explain.
00:34 Despite its misleading name, The Conjuring 2 is actually the third instalment in the
00:38 franchise.
00:39 After the initial Conjuring film, a spin-off was released called Annabelle, which was about
00:43 the evil doll featured in the first film.
00:45 The first proper Conjuring sequel arrived in 2016 and told a fictionalised version of
00:51 the Enfield Poltergeist story, in which a ghost haunted a family living in a London
00:56 council estate.
00:57 A third film bearing the Conjuring name was released in 2021, but that isn't as good,
01:01 so we're going to ignore it.
01:03 The Conjuring 2 made just as much money and scored just as highly among the critics as
01:08 the original.
01:09 Fans were impressed that the sequel kept up the suspense and terror of the first without
01:12 ever getting gimmicky or over the top.
01:15 On the whole, The Conjuring 2 is a solid horror sequel that builds on the foundations of what
01:19 came before it.
01:20 It would be a lot higher on this list, but considering we've pushed our luck by even
01:24 including it in the first place, 10th place will have to do.
01:27 9.
01:28 Puppetmaster 3 - Toulon's Revenge
01:32 The Puppetmaster films are quite hard to come by, considering they were all released straight
01:36 to DVD.
01:37 Those that have seen them will know that they're about a group of puppets brought to life by
01:41 an ancient Egyptian spell.
01:42 They will also know that there are loads of these films.
01:45 Of the 15 Puppetmaster films, which is hilarious when you consider that the fifth one was called
01:50 The Final Chapter, one of the best is the third one, subtitled Toulon's Revenge.
01:55 The Toulon in the title is André Toulon, a puppeteer living in Berlin during World
01:59 War 2.
02:00 After his wife is killed for her involvement in his Nazi-bashing puppet show, Toulon uses
02:05 his magically animated marionettes to seek revenge on the Third Reich.
02:08 Whilst that might sound like the ravings of a madman, Toulon's Revenge is a lot of fun
02:13 with a lot of interesting characters.
02:15 Who doesn't love murderous puppets?
02:17 Well maybe the Child's Play legal team.
02:19 Puppetmaster 3 is a great instalment in a franchise that is still going strong to this
02:23 day.
02:24 It's definitely worth a watch, if you can somehow get your hands on a copy.
02:27 8.
02:28 Insidious Chapter 3
02:31 Insidious, which came out in 2010, tells that classic horror story of a couple trying to
02:36 save their child from demonic possession.
02:38 Critics praised the film's suspenseful atmosphere and strong use of conventions, but were less
02:42 than complimentary about its second half.
02:44 Still, it did well enough to get a sequel, and for that sequel to get a sequel, which
02:49 hit cinemas in 2015.
02:51 Directed by Lee Wannell, who wrote the first two Insidious films and the first three Saw
02:56 movies, Insidious Chapter 3 is set before the events of the first two films and features
03:00 a young girl who becomes possessed while trying to contact the spirit of her dead mother.
03:05 Critics loved the darkness of Chapter 3, and we're not talking about the lighting design.
03:09 It's the creepiest Insidious film of the first three, which is really saying something,
03:14 and it was also praised for its concentration on grief as a central theme.
03:17 With a new Insidious film set to premiere in 2023, now is a great time to rewatch all
03:22 of the previous films to catch up, but if you do that, then you're in for a treat
03:26 when you reach number three.
03:28 Number 7 - Halloween 3 - Season of the Witch
03:32 A controversial pick, to say the least, the third film in the Halloween franchise is the
03:36 first and only not to feature signature antagonist Michael Myers.
03:40 Instead, the main villain of this movie is a plastic jack-o'-lantern mask.
03:44 Uh, really?
03:45 Season of the Witch was a risky move for the franchise, and one that ultimately didn't
03:49 pay off as Myers was back for the next film.
03:52 However, just because it wasn't a commercial success, that doesn't mean we shouldn't
03:56 applaud Season of the Witch for trying something new.
03:58 So many horror franchises find themselves stuck in a holding pattern, especially when
04:02 it comes to their villains.
04:04 How many monsters and murderers have we seen watered down through years of overexposure?
04:08 Michael Myers was able to take seven years, meaning that, when he made his return to cinema,
04:13 he was exciting and fresh again.
04:15 Anyway, Season of the Witch isn't as bad as people say it is.
04:19 Sure, the plot sounds goofy on paper, but in reality, it's actually quite chilling
04:23 and really well told.
04:24 This was also the last Halloween film to involve original director John Carpenter for 36 years,
04:30 which gives it enough pedigree to be worth checking out.
04:33 Number 6 - The Exorcist 3 Now, the fact that there's one sequel to
04:38 The Exorcist, let alone multiple, is for want of a better word sacrilegious.
04:42 However, this 1990 release isn't as bad as you'd think.
04:46 For starters, it brings original Exorcist writer William Peter Blatty back into the
04:50 fold as scriptwriter and director.
04:52 Secondly, it completely ignores the events of The Exorcist 2 The Heretic, which is a
04:57 good thing because that is widely considered one of the worst films ever made.
05:00 The Exorcist 3 is based on Legion, the third book in the Exorcist novel series, also written
05:05 by Blatty.
05:06 It follows Lieutenant William Kinderman, who fans of the original film will remember as
05:11 the detective who investigates the murders caused by a possessed Raegan.
05:15 This time, Kinderman is on the trail of the Gemini Killer, a serial murderer who had been
05:19 executed 15 years earlier.
05:21 Whilst it's not up to the level of the first Exorcist film, the third instalment in the
05:25 franchise still offers some great scares and continues the stories of many of the characters
05:30 from the original film.
05:32 Don't count this film out based on what it's not.
05:34 See it first, then make up your mind.
05:37 5.
05:38 Hellraiser 3 – Hell on Earth
05:39 Everyone's favourite Cernobite, Pinhead, returns once more in this 1992 flick.
05:45 Now imprisoned in a stone pillar, Pinhead manipulates an arrogant nightclub owner into
05:50 setting him free, whilst a plucky rapport attempts to stop him.
05:53 Hell on Earth does a great job in building on the character of Pinhead, particularly
05:57 after the revelation in Hellraiser 2 that he used to be human.
06:00 Pinhead's human form, World War I soldier Captain Elliot Spencer, contacts protagonist
06:05 Joey's summer skill throughout the movie, using his insight into the demon to help her
06:09 defeat him.
06:10 As well as some strong character development, Hellraiser 3 is all chock full of blood, guts
06:15 and gore.
06:16 Pinhead's trademark hooked chains make mincemeat out of several people in the film, which will
06:20 more than satisfy any viewer's bloodlust.
06:23 The film was viewed as being more commercial than previous Hellraiser films, something
06:27 that was applauded and criticised in equal measures.
06:30 Either way, Hellraiser 3 is a marked improvement on its predecessor and a really good watch.
06:35 Also, it gave the world Motorhead's version of the song Hellraiser, so it deserves all
06:39 the praise in the world.
06:41 4.
06:42 Paranormal Activity 3
06:44 The first Paranormal Activity movie changed the horror landscape forever when it was released
06:49 in 2007.
06:50 It took over the mantle of "most profitable film of all time" from the Blair Witch Project
06:55 and helped boost the found footage craze that the film had started.
06:58 It's not surprising that the success of the original led to a wave of sequels, the first
07:02 coming in 2010 and the second just one year later.
07:06 This prequel - oh boy, horror franchises do love their third movie prequels, don't they?
07:11 - is set during the childhood of main protagonist Katie, who appears as a young girl through
07:15 old home movies.
07:17 Paranormal Activity 3 pays off the conversations Katie and her sister Christy had in the second
07:22 film about being haunted by a demon in their youth.
07:24 This nicely ties the first three films together, creating a fuller, more well-rounded universe.
07:29 The scares as strong as ever, the atmosphere as unsettling as ever, and the older setting
07:34 breathes some new life into a franchise that was in danger of getting stale.
07:38 Whilst the series would take a nose dive after this film, Paranormal Activity 3 is still
07:42 a great follow-up to a horror innovator.
07:45 3.
07:46 Army of Darkness
07:47 Let's get this out of the way early.
07:50 Army of Darkness is nowhere near as good as The Evil Dead or Evil Dead 2, but let's give
07:55 it some credit here because that was always going to be a tough ask.
07:58 Still, as we mentioned with The Exorcist, let's not count this movie out based on what
08:02 came before it.
08:03 Army of Darkness picks up right where Evil Dead 2 left off, with Bruce Campbell's Ash
08:07 Williams trapped in the Middle Ages.
08:09 To return to the present day, he must find and use the Necronomicon, the mythical book
08:13 of the dead that got him into this mess in the first place.
08:15 There's plenty of gore, brutality, and zombie killing in this movie, or the usual Evil Dead
08:20 sense of humour, except this time Ash is truly out of his depth in a time that he knows nothing
08:26 about.
08:27 If you're taking this film off because you heard it wasn't as good as the first two,
08:30 then you're doing yourself a massive disservice.
08:32 Army of Darkness is still a lot of fun, especially for Evil Dead, so get online and get yourself
08:36 a 3-disc box set right this instant.
08:39 2.
08:41 Day of the Dead
08:42 Seven years after the seminal Dawn of the Dead, and almost two decades after the release
08:46 of Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero unleashed his third zombie horror classic on
08:51 the world in the form of 1985's Day of the Dead.
08:54 This movie features none of the characters in the previous two films, instead focusing
08:58 on a group of scientists working to find a cure for the ongoing zombie apocalypse.
09:02 One scientist insists that the undead can be domesticated with proper training, and
09:06 keeps several of them captive to experiment on.
09:09 Yeah, that'll end well.
09:10 Being part of a legendary franchise certainly helps a film, but Day of the Dead also stands
09:15 up on its own.
09:16 It's a much bigger production in terms of characters and ideas, as well as having the
09:19 biggest budget of any of Romero's zombie films at that point.
09:23 Despite being the lowest rated of the first three Dead films, Day of the Dead still captures
09:27 the series' perfect blend of bloody horror, tense action, and scathing social commentary.
09:32 And the best part is that you can watch it without having seen any of the others.
09:36 Although you should also watch the others.
09:37 They're also very good.
09:39 1.
09:40 A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors
09:43 After missing out on the second Nightmare on Elm Street movie, series creator Wes Craven
09:48 was back for the third instalment.
09:50 And it shows.
09:51 Dream Warriors is set in a mental hospital, a great setting for any horror, and follows
09:55 the exploits of a group of children as Freddy Krueger hunts them down in their dreams.
09:59 The kids, aided by original protagonist Nancy Thompson, have to then track down Krueger's
10:04 bones in order to lay his spirit to rest and end his killing spree.
10:08 The third Elm Street movie is often regarded as one of the best in the entire series, and
10:12 with good reason.
10:13 It takes the series in a new direction, giving Freddy multiple adversaries instead of one.
10:18 The kills are inventive, the characters are likeable, and this film is also very, very
10:23 funny.
10:24 Humour is an underrated part of horror, strange considering how inherently silly the genre
10:28 is, but the laughs, both accidentally and on purpose, are present throughout this film.
10:33 Later Elm Street movies would go off the deep end, but this one manages to capture the spirit
10:37 of the original whilst giving its own, often side-splitting twist.
10:42 And that concludes our list.
10:43 If you think we missed any, then do let us know in the comments below and while you're
10:46 there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification bell.
10:50 Also head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across various social medias
10:54 just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
10:56 I've been Ellie with WhatCulture, I hope you have a magical day and I'll see you real
11:00 soon.
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