Best Horror Film Franchise
Horror has been embraced by the film industry almost since its beginnings. The moving image is ideally suited to evoke the chills and thrills inherent in the genre. And perhaps greater than any other genre, horror has evolved over the ensuing century, reinventing itself so that it continues to compel new audiences long after monsters and maniacs and demons lose their fright value over subsequent generations. Many of these horror properties have resonated so intensely, they've spawned long-running film franchises that have spawn new films over and over again, some going on for decades themselves. Now, the Great Pop Culture Debate podcast wants to consider those scare factories, as we determine the best horror film franchise of all time. Franchises discussed include The Conjuring Universe, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Child’s Play, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, Living Dead, Hellraiser, Poltergeist, Halloween, Psycho, and more.
Listen as Host Eric Rezsnyak, GPCD panelist Kate Racculia, and special guests alternative-drag icon Peaches Christ and screenwriter and journalist Kellee Terrell discuss and debate 16 of the most iconic horror film franchises of all time, ultimately naming the best of the best.
Want to play along at home? Here's the Listener Bracket! Go to File > Make a Copy, fill it out, and then see how your picks stack up against our panel.
To listen to Round 1, showing how we got to the Sweet 16 down from the Top 32, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today to access the exclusive Part 1 episode.
RELATED CONTENT
TOP 10 Best Final Scares in Horror Films
Round 2 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a quick rundown of the decisions we made in Round 1.
Note that, for the purposes of this debate, we looked at the franchises listed as a whole, not as individual films.
Match-Up 1: Nightmare on Elm Street (1) vs. Child's Play (5)
Match-Up 2: Universal Monsters (3) vs. Gremlins (2)
Match-Up 3: Evil Dead (1) vs. Poltergeist (4)
Match-Up 4: Hellraiser (3) vs. Conjuring Universe (2)
Match-Up 5: Halloween (1) vs. Hannibal Lecter Series (4)
Match-Up 6: Living Dead Series (Romero) (3) vs. Scream (2)
Match-Up 7: Alien (1) vs. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (5)
Match-Up 8: Psycho (3) vs. Friday the 13th (2)
Have a say in future episodes!
Finally, if you want to have a say in what episodes we tackle next, vote in our Topic Polls! And we would love to have you pick your faves in the polls currently open for your votes!
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
Every Monday we tell you about the new movies, TV shows, albums, and video games coming up this week, PLUS we spotlight podcast episodes, polls, and more! Subscribe today!
EPISODE CREDITS
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Kate Racculia
Special Guests: Kellee Terrell, Peaches Christ
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Jack Kwait-Blank
