History DuelingWorks / FilmHorror

|| ''Franchise/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'' series\\

''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' series || ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' series\\

''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' series || '80s SlasherMovie series. || The earlier ''Friday'', ''Halloween'', and ''Texas Chainsaw'' movies are more straightforward slashers, only becoming explicitly supernatural with later installments. ''Nightmare'', on the other hand, featured a supernatural killer from the start. Also, while ''Texas Chainsaw'' and ''Halloween'' came first, helping to pioneer the genre in the '70s, they were only turned into franchises to [[FollowTheLeader capitalize on the success]] of ''Friday'' and ''Nightmare'' -- before that, ''Halloween'' had only two sequels ([[Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch one of which]] was InNameOnly), and ''Texas Chainsaw'' had none. || The rivalry between these four franchises, and more importantly their [[VillainBasedFranchise headlining killers]], may just be the horror equivalent of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' vs. ''Franchise/StarWars'' in terms of [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Ultimate Showdowns of Ultimate Destiny]]. Quality-wise, while the [[Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974 first]] [[Film/{{Halloween 1978}} film]] [[Film/FridayThe13th1980 in each]] [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984 franchise]] is revered as a classic, and each has some good sequels, the ''Halloween'' and especially ''Texas Chainsaw'' series are both often seen as cases where [[FirstAndForemost the original film stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the series]] in terms of quality, while some of the ''Friday'' and ''Nightmare'' sequels are seen as rivals to their original films. Nevertheless, there came a point where each franchise [[JumpingTheShark jumped the shark]] -- ''Friday'' when it [[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan sent Jason to New York]] (for [[NeverTrustATrailer only a third of the movie]]) and then turned him into a {{body surf}}ing [[Film/JasonGoesToHellTheFinalFriday demon]], ''Halloween'' with the Curse of Thorn storyline and the sight of [[Film/HalloweenResurrection Michael getting humiliated]] by Music/BustaRhymes, ''Nightmare'' when it turned Freddy into [[Film/FreddysDeadTheFinalNightmare a comedian with a Power Glove]], and ''Texas Chainsaw'' when it [[Film/TexasChainsawMassacreTheNextGeneration connected Leatherface's family to the Illuminati]].\\

|| ''Film/MyBloodyValentine3D'' || ''Film/FridayThe13th2009'' || Remakes of classic early 80s slasher films that were released in 2009. Both movies, like their predecessors, feature tons of gory kills, gratuitous nudity, and strangely enough, half of the Winchester brothers from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. The former stars JensenAckles and the latter JaredPadalecki. || While Valentine was labeled as an actual remake with a few notable changes to the story and some 3D effects, Friday was meant to be a reboot of the franchise and serve as a new origin story. However, its supposed sequel has been in DevelopmentHell for years. || Hard to say. Both movies made a ton of money and have their fair share of fans. Critically speaking however, Valentine holds a much higher rating on RottenTomatoes (57%) whereas Friday is only at 25%. In that regard, the former probably wins. Valentine also managed to make about 8 to 9 million more than Friday the 13th so it likely wins in terms of box office as well.

|| ''[[Literature/TheRing The Ring Two]]'' || ''Film/DarkWater'' || Water-centric supernatural horror films inspired by Japanese Hideo Nakata films based on Koji Suzuki stories. || Many observers noted the plot of ''The Ring Two'' is much closer to ''Dark Water'' than to any of the Japanese ''Ring'' sequels. || ''The Ring Two'' made much more money, but ''Dark Water'' was better-reviewed. ||

|| ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' || ''Film/CapeFear'' (1991) || 1991 released psychological thrillers/horror films. Both featuring a deranged criminal on the loose who needs to be stopped, but also a criminal (the same one in the latter) has a fixation on the lead hero (both of whom have something they feel the need to hide) and their life that leads to some disturbing interaction. || The original sources for the characters/stories of both films come from books: ''The Silence of the Lambs'' by Thomas Harris and ''The Executioners'' by John D. MacDonald. It is also notable that these were the second films to bring some of these characters to life on screen, most notably the villains that are most well remembered from them. Brian Cox having played Hannibal Lecter (in the film spelled Lecktor) in the 1986 film ''Manhunter'' based on the novel ''Red Dragon'', whilst Robert Mitchum played Max Cady in the 1962 film version of ''Cape Fear''. || Whilst ''Cape Fear'' was by no means a failure, ''Silence of the Lambs'' quite definitively takes the cake for this one. It not only grossed almost 100 million more at the box office, or also has received higher ratings from critics and audiences, but ''Silence'' also wound up winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards that year. Not to mention Anthony Hopkins beat out Robert DeNiro for Best Actor at the ceremony as well. Both having been nominated for their roles as psychotic criminals in their respective films. ||

|| ''Film/MyBloodyValentine3D'' || ''Film/FridayThe13th2009'' || Remakes of classic early 80s slasher films that were released in 2009. Both movies, like their predecessors, feature tons of gory kills, gratuitous nudity, and strangely enough, half of the Winchester brothers from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. The former stars JensenAckles and the latter JaredPadalecki. || While Valentine was labeled as an actual remake with a few notable changes to the story and some 3D effects, Friday was meant to be a reboot of the franchise and serve as a new origin story. However, its supposed sequel has been in DevelopmentHell for years. || Hard to say. Both movies made a ton of money and have their fair share of fans. Critically speaking however, Valentine holds a much higher rating on RottenTomatoes (57%) whereas Friday is only at 25%. In that regard, the former probably wins.

|| ''Film/TheLostBoys'' || ''Film/NearDark'' || 1987 released horror films that are about a young man who finds himself sucked into the world of a gang of vampires. || || ''The Lost Boys'' trounced ''Near Dark'' at the box office. Whilst bot have received generally positive reviews from critics, ''Near Dark'' actually won on that front. However, in terms of the general audience ''The Lost Boys'' won easily, tipping the scales in its favor in this match. ||

|| ''Film/TheHorrorShow'' || ''Film/{{Shocker}}'' || Both movies center around {{serial killer}}s who meet their demise in the electric chair. The killer in question has made supernatural precautions and returns from death to torment those who captured him. || Both films were released 1989 with a six month gap between them. || Neither faired well in the box office, but ''Shocker'' at least made its money back. ||

|| ''Film/{{Dracula|1979}}'' (1979) || ''Film/NosferatuTheVampyre'' (1979) || ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' adaptations that draw upon previous adaptations -- Universal's ''Dracula'' is based on the same play as their famous 1931 version, and Creator/WernerHerzog's ''Nosferatu'' is based on the F.W. Murnau version from 1922. Both feature A-list casts and lavish production values. || The former was intended as a SummerBlockbuster, while the latter played the arthouse circuit that fall. American International Pictures got in on the vampire hype when they brought out ''Film/LoveAtFirstBite'', a comedy about the Count finding love in TheSeventies, three months prior to the former's release. It was a surprise hit and subsequently blamed for the fact that... || ''Dracula'' only did okay at the box office. Reviews were mixed and though it predates other films and books that romanticize the lead character, it is largely forgotten today. By comparison, ''Nosferatu'' got great reviews and appears on the RogerEbertGreatMoviesList alongside the film it remade. ||

|| ''Film/{{Rogue}}'' || ''Film/BlackWater'' || 2007 Australian movies about crocodiles that were based on true stories released within months of one another. || ''Rogue'' stars [[Film/PitchBlack Radha Mitchell]], [[Film/OneHourPhoto Michael Varten]] and a then-unknown Sam Worthington from ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans'' and ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', and was directed by Greg Mclean who directed ''Film/WolfCreek''. ''Black Water'''s stars are more or less unknown outside of Australia. || Both movies faired poorly at the box office, but ''Rogue'' has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the CGI crocodile impressed across the board. ''Black Water'' was not as well received, and though it utilised footage of real crocodiles, some critics felt this led to a great amount of inconsistency. ||

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|| ''Life after Beth'' || ''Burying the Ex'' || Two horror comedies released in 2015 which revolved around a young man who loses his girlfriend in a sudden, tragic accident and tries to cope with his loss until she suddenly and inexplicably reappears, carrying on like everything's normal. Well, that is until she begins to decay and eat human flesh. || Both movies take very different approaches to a similar premise. While Ex is more of a straightforward comedy with some horror moments and gory kills mixed in, Beth is far more disturbing and horrific in some parts, but is not without its comedic and even romantic elements as well. The films' messages are also vastly different: Ex is about the boyfriend standing up for himself against his resurrected AlphaBitch girlfriend while Beth focuses more thoughtfully on dealing with the loss of a loved one and finding ways to make peace with yourself. || Hard to tell. Neither film was successful critically or financially, although Beth probably wins simply because it has a higher Website/RottenTomatoes score.

|| ''Film/Piranha3D'' || ''Film/SharkNight'' || Cheesy 3D horror movies about killer fish eating young pretty people, released almost exactly a year apart. || ''Piranha'' is an InNameOnly remake of the 1978 B-movie classic, from the director of ''Film/HighTension'' and the remake of ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes'', with copious blood, guts, and boobs. ''Shark Night'' is a LighterAndSofter PG-13 alternative from the director of ''Film/SnakesOnAPlane'' and the second and fourth ''Film/FinalDestination'' movies. || While neither film did well at the domestic box office, ''Piranha'' made over twice as much money as ''Shark Night'' worldwide. It also got genuinely good reviews, while ''Shark Night'' was panned by critics and horror fans alike. (''Piranha'' eventually got a sequel, which wasn't nearly as well-received.) ||

''Film/{{Mirrors}}'' || American remakes of Asian supernatural horror films released in 2008. || The trend had been going on for years, but hit its peak with this four-way brawl. Each film originated in a different country (Japan for ''One Missed Call'', China for ''The Eye'', Thailand for ''Shutter'', and South Korea for ''Mirrors''). || All four films were poorly-reviewed, with ''One Missed Call'' being worst (0% on RottenTomatoes) and ''The Eye'' being best (22%).\\

|| ''Film/MyBloodyValentine3D'' || ''Film/FridayThe13th2009'' || Remakes of classic early 80s slasher films that were released in 2009. Both films, like their predecessors, feature tons of gory kills, gratuitous nudity, and strangely enough, half of the Winchester brothers from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. The former stars JensenAckles and the latter JaredPadalecki. || While Valentine was labeled as an actual remake with a few notable changes to the story and some 3D effects, Friday was meant to be a reboot of the franchise and serve as an new origin story. However, its supposed sequel has been in DevelopmentHell for years. || Hard to say. Both movies made a ton of money and have their fair share of fans. Critically speaking however, Valentine holds a much higher rating on RottenTomatoes (57%) whereas Friday is only at 25%. In that regard, the former probably wins.

|| ''film/{{MyBloodyValentine3D}}'' || ''film/{{FridayThe13th(2009)}}'' || Remakes of classic early 80s slasher films that were released in 2009. Both films, like their predecessors, feature tons of gory kills, gratuitous nudity, and strangely enough, half of the Winchester brothers from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. The former stars JensenAckles and the latter JaredPadalecki. || While Valentine was labeled as an actual remake with a few notable changes to the story and some 3D effects, Friday was meant to be a reboot of the franchise and serve as an new origin story. However, its supposed sequel has been in DevelopmentHell for years. || Hard to say. Both movies made a ton of money and have their fair share of fans. Critically speaking however, Valentine holds a much higher rating on RottenTomatoes (57%) whereas Friday is only at 25%. In that regard, the former probably wins.

|| ''film/MyBloodyValentine3D'' || ''film/FridayThe13th(2009)'' || Remakes of classic early 80s slasher films that were released in 2009. Both films, like their predecessors, feature tones of gory kills, gratuitous nudity, and strangely enough, half of the Winchester brothers from ''Supernatural''. The former stars JensenAckles and the latter JaredPadalecki. || While Valentine was labeled as an actual remake with a few notable changes to the story and some 3D effects, Friday was meant to be a reboot of the franchise and serve as an OriginStory. However its supposed sequel has been in DevelopmentHell for years. || Hard to say. Both movies made a tin of money and have their fair share of fans. Critically speaking however, Valentine holds a much higher rating on RottenTomatoes (57%) whereas Friday is only at 25%. In that regard, the former probably wins.

|| ''MyBloodyValentine3D'' || ''[[Film/FridayThe13th(2009)]]'' || Remakes of classic early 80s slasher films that were released in 2009. Both films, like their predecessors, feature tones of gory kills, gratuitous nudity, and strangely enough, half of the Winchester brothers from [[Series/Supernatural]]. The former stars JensenAckles and the latter JaredPadalecki. || While Valentine was labeled as an actual remake with a few notable changes to the story and some 3D effects, Friday was meant to be a reboot of the franchise and serve as an OriginStory. However its supposed sequel has been in DevelopmentHell for years. || Hard to say. Both movies made a tin of money and have their fair share of fans. Critically speaking however, Valentine holds a much higher rating on RottenTomatoes (57%) whereas Friday is only at 25%. In that regard, the former probably wins.

|| ''Film/{{Rogue}}'' || ''Black Water'' || 2007 Australian movies about crocodiles that were based on true stories released within months of one another. || ''Rogue'' stars [[Film/PitchBlack Radha Mitchell]], [[Film/OneHourPhoto Michael Varten]] and a then-unknown Sam Worthington from ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans'' and ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', and was directed by Greg Mclean who directed ''Film/WolfCreek''. ''Black Water'''s stars are more or less unknown outside of Australia. || Both movies faired poorly at the box office, but ''Rogue'' has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the CGI crocodile impressed across the board. ''Black Water'' was not as well received, and though it utilised footage of real crocodiles, some critics felt this led to a great amount of inconsistency. ||

|| ''Life after Beth'' || ''Burying the Ex'' || Two horror comedies released in 2015 which revolved around a young man who loses his girlfriend in a sudden, tragic accident and tries to cope with his loss until she suddenly and inexplicably reappears, carrying on like everything's normal. Well, that is until she begins to decay and starts eating human flesh. || Both movies take very different approaches to a similar premise. While Ex is more of a straightforward comedy with some horror moments and gory kills mixed in, Beth is far more disturbing and horrific in some parts, but is not without its comedic and even romantic elements as well. The films' messages are also vastly different: Ex is about the boyfriend standing up for himself against his resurrected AlphaBitch girlfriend while Beth focuses more thoughtfully on dealing with the loss of a loved one and finding ways to make peace with yourself. || Hard to tell. Neither film was successful critically or financially, although Beth probably wins simply because it has a higher Website/RottenTomatoes score.

|| ''Life after Beth'' || ''Burying the Ex'' || Two horror comedies released in 2015 which revolved around a young man who loses his girlfriend in a sudden, tragic accident and tries to cope with his loss until she suddenly and inexplicably reappears, carrying on like everything's normal. Well, that is until she begins to decay and starts eating human flesh. || Both movies take very different approaches to a similar premise. While Ex is more of a straightforward comedy with some horror moments and gory kills mixed in, Beth is far more disturbing and horrific in some parts, but is not without its comedic and even romantic elements as well. The films' messages are also vastly different: Ex is about the boyfriend standing up for himself against his resurrected AlphaBitch girlfriend while Beth focuses more thoughtfully on dealing with the loss of a loved one and finding ways to make peace with yourself. || Hard to tell. Neither film was successful critically or financially, although Beth probably wins simply because it has a higher [[Website/RottenTomatoes]] score.

|| ''Life after Beth'' || ''Burying the Ex'' || Two horror comedies released in 2015 which revolved around a young man who loses his girlfriend in a sudden, tragic accident and tries to cope with his loss until she suddenly and inexplicably reappears, carrying on like everything's normal. Well, that is until she begins to decay and starts eating human flesh. || Both movies take very different approaches to a similar premise. While Ex is more of a straightforward comedy with some horror moments and gory kills mixed in, Beth is far more disturbing and horrific in some parts, but is not without its comedic and even romantic elements as well. The films' messages are also vastly different: Ex is about the boyfriend standing up for himself against his resurrected AlphaBitch girlfriend while Beth focuses more thoughtfully on dealing with the loss of a loved one and finding ways to make peace with yourself.

|| ''Film/{{They}}'' || ''Film/DarknessFalls'' || Horror films released two months apart about people being stalked by monsters they had encountered as children, which lurk in the darkness and are WeakenedByTheLight. || The origin of the monsters in ''They'' is left unknown, though they're heavily identified with the boogeyman. The monster in ''Darkness Falls'', meanwhile, is a {{Grimmifi|cation}}ed take on the tooth fairy. ''They'' was also produced by Creator/WesCraven; he had little creative input, but the marketing [[DirectorDisplacement heavily emphasized his involvement]]. || In terms of critical reception, ''They'' wins by a hair, with a [[Website/RottenTomatoes Tomatometer]] of [[DamnedByFaintPraise 38%]] vs. ''Darkness Falls''[='=] 9%; both films notably underwent heavy ExecutiveMeddling that likely explains their poor reception. ''Darkness Falls'', however, won the box-office battle by making over four times its budget back, while ''They'' was a BoxOfficeBomb that couldn't even recover its $17 million budget.

''Film/{{Dracula1931}}'' may be a third contender. || All three films are horror classics released in 1931 based on literary classics. The first two listed in particular, both adapt stories with themes concerning the dangers of man playing God with science, leading to experiments that create disastrous results. Though ''Dracula'' doesn't meet that same piece of criteria and came from the same studio as ''Frankenstein'', it still came out close enough to the others to at least deserve a mention in this match-up. || || All three are held in high-esteem generally speaking, but Universal's films still remain more popular and well known with general audiences. ||