History DuelingWorks / FilmHorror

!! Main: [[DuelingWorks/{{Film}} Dueling Movies]]

!! Navigation: [[DuelingWorks/FilmAnimated Animation]] | [[DuelingWorks/FilmComedy Comedy]] | [[DuelingWorks/FilmDrama Drama]] | Horror | [[DuelingWorks/FilmPeriodPieces Period Pieces]] | [[DuelingWorks/FilmSciFi Sci Fi]] | [[DuelingWorks/FilmSpyFiction Spy Fiction]] | [[DuelingWorks/FilmSuperhero Superhero]] | [[DuelingWorks/FilmWar War]] | DuelingWorks/FilmCrossGenre

* ''[[Film/{{Frankenstein1931}} Frankensein]]'' (1931) / ''[[Film/{{DrJekyllAndMrHyde1931}} Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1931)

* ''Film/{{Renfield|2023}}'' (2023) / ''The Last Voyage of the Demeter'' (2023)
** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' Both are adaptations of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''.

** '''Implementation:''' 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...

** '''Implementation:'''

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** '''Implementation:''' ''1408'' involves Creator/JohnCusack as a disillusioned occult writer who is goaded into staying in the strangely haunted Room No. 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, initially disbelieving that it will kill him but quickly descending into a living nightmare as the room psychologically tortures him. ''The Number 23'' has Creator/JimCarrey as an animal control officer who becomes obsessed with the titular number after reading a book on the subject, only to find his life descending into a paranoid nightmare based on the number - including staying in Room No. 23 at the Dolphin Hotel, which becomes key to the denouement.

* ''Film/1408'' (2007) / ''Film/TheNumber23'' (2007)

* ''Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile'' (1974) / ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974''

|| Initiators || Followers || Description || Implementation || Winner? ||
|| ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'' (1920) || ''[[Film/{{TheGolem}} The Golem: How He Came into the World]]'' (1920) || 1920 released German expressionistic horror films that seem to have a plot about an old man and his killer "monster" that wreaks havoc. || || While both are held in high regard by film/horror enthusiasts, ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' is the more well known and influential of the two. Though both have the distinction of having a 100% Fresh rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. However, whilst both have highly positive ratings from audiences, ''Caligari'' wins out on that front by a good margin. ||
|| ''[[Film/{{Frankenstein1931}} Frankensein]]'' (1931) || ''[[Film/{{DrJekyllAndMrHyde1931}} Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1931) || Both films are horror films released in 1931 based on literary classics. They are both adaptations of stories with themes concerning the dangers of man playing God with science, leading to experiments that create disastrous results. || That was a big year for Universal Studios in general and charted the course for their horror legacy to come with not only the release of Creator/JamesWhale's ''Frankenstein'' but also Tod Browning's ''[[Film/{{Dracula1931}} Dracula]]'' starring Bela Lugosi. || Both are held in high-esteem by film buffs generally speaking, but ''Frankenstein'' and [[Franchise/UniversalHorror Universal's films]] at large still remain more popular and well known with general audiences. ||
|| ''Film/HorrorOfDracula'' (1958) || ''Blood of the Vampire'' (1958) || Full-color British GothicHorror vampire films with a daring amount of blood and gore for their time, both written by Jimmy Sangster. || ''Horror'' was [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer's]] second horror film, following ''Film/TheCurseOfFrankenstein''. ''Blood'' was made as a response to both films (re-interpreting vampire lore into more of a Frankenstein-esque mad science) and intended to ride Hammer's success; it was the first of ''many'' Hammer knockoffs to hit the market. || ''Horror,'' hands down. It was a colossal box office success, got rave reviews, cemented Creator/PeterCushing and Creator/ChristopherLee as major horror stars, and is still largely considered one of the best horror films ever made. ''Blood'' made decent money, but is now almost completely forgotten, and the only reason why anyone remembers it at all is because it was the first horror film to be released on home video. ||
|| ''Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile'' (1974) || ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974'' || Two movies from the year 1974 with [[GoryDeadlyOverkillTitleOfFatalDeath overselling titles]] that were inspired by the crimes of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gein Ed Gein,]] who murdered two women and exhumed several graves in the 1940s and 50s. || ''Deranged'' is a loose telling of the Gein case, replacing him with a fictional counterpart that commits similar crimes. ''TTCM'' took the facts about Gein's grave robbing and making masks and suits from human skin and ran with it, adding cannibalism into the mix. || Although ''Deranged'' retains a cult following, ''TTCM'' ultimately won by a long mile, being hailed as a horror classic with a lasting impact on horror pop culture. ||
|| ''{{Film/Eraserhead}}'' (1977) || ''Film/ThreeWomen'' (1977) || Surreal melodramas inspired by psychoanalysis and dream interpretation. || || ''3 Women'' won the battle, ''Eraserhead'' won the war. It's unknown which made more money, but both were almost universally praised by critics at the time (''3 Women'' slightly moreso). However, ''Eraserhead'' remains more popular today as the debut feature film of Creator/DavidLynch. ||
|| ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'' series (1974)\\
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''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' series (1978) || ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' series (1980)\\
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''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' series (1984) || 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]].\\
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Commercially, while ''Friday'' had the most sequels before it was remade, the series stands about neck-and-neck with the ''Nightmare'' series in terms of box office, with the ''Halloween'' films collectively in third and the ''Texas Chainsaw'' series in a distant fourth. All four films have been remade; the ''Film/{{Halloween|2007}}'' remake received [[Film/HalloweenII2009 a sequel]], and the ''[[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003 Texas Chainsaw]]'' remake [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacreTheBeginning a prequel]], while neither the ''Film/{{Friday|The13th2009}}'' nor ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010 Nightmare]]'' remakes were stand-alone, but both those respective follow-ups disappointed at the box office. As for the question of "who would win in a fight", that will likely never be settled, even after ''Film/FreddyVsJason''.\\
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However, this box office calculus changed with the release of ''{{Film/Halloween2018}}'', whose nearly record-setting October opening weekend (second best for a horror film ever) catapulted the series ahead of both ''Nightmare'' and ''Friday''. In addition, widespread critical acclaim for the movie makes ''Halloween'' the only franchise of the four to have two certified fresh movies on Rotten Tomatoes. One can only hope that the film's monster success will reignite the slasher wars. ||
|| ''Film/{{Piranha}}'' (1978) || ''Film/{{Barracuda}}'' (1978) || Aggressive schools of fish born from a government project kill people. || Both films were released in 1978 with few months between them. Former film is a tongue-in-cheek offering, while the latter is more straight-forward. || ''Piranha'' became a cult favorite among the movies that were inspired by ''Jaws'', even spawning [[Film/PiranhaPartTwoTheSpawning a sequel]] and two remakes, while the other movie was just forgotten. ||
|| ''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 Creator/RogerEbert's Great Movies List alongside the film it remade. ||
|| ''Film/TheProwler'' (a.k.a. ''Rosemary's Killer'') (1981) || ''Film/MyBloodyValentine'' (1981) || 1981 {{Slasher Movie}}s which feature a town that is willing to restart a celebration (Valentine's Day in ''MBV'', graduation in ''The Prowler'') openly again after murders were committed on that day several decades ago. The original perpetrator seemingly returns to bloodily remind them why this is a bad idea. || The killer in both is clad in an all-concealing outfit (WWII combat gear in the former, miner's outfit in the latter) and is primarily armed with a common tool (pitchfork in the former, pickaxe in the latter). || ''My Bloody Valentine''. Both films received an average reception, but it made its relatively budget small budget back over fifteen times at the box-office. ||
|| ''Film/BloodyBirthday'' (1981) || ''Film/HappyBirthdayToMe'' (1981) || 1981 slasher movies revolving around birthdays. || Though their initial releases were only a month apart, ''Bloody Birthday'' was not widely available in the US until 1986. || ''Happy Birthday to Me'' was a box-office success, while ''Bloody Birthday'' received only a limited release until its VHS release years later. Both films were poorly-reviewed by critics, but ''Happy Birthday to Me'' has a larger cult following and a higher Website/IMDb score. ||
|| ''Film/ParanormalActivity'' || ''Film/TheFourthKind'' || ({{very loosely|BasedOnATrueStory}})-BasedOnATrueStory films that use videotaped sequences to enhance the realism. || ''Paranormal'' is a FauxDocumentary about demonic spirits, while ''Fourth'' is a more conventional film about {{alien abduction}}s. || In terms of the cost-to-earnings ratio, ''Paranormal'' is the clear winner, being a $15,000 Website/YouTube series that earned hundreds of millions (and sequels!). ||
|| ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'' (1981) || ''Film/TheHowling'' (1981) || Two 1981 horror/comedy movies about werewolves. They were the first of their kind to show an "actual" transformation scene of men turning into wolves. || ''The Howling'' came first by a couple of months and has six sequels, all crappy stuff; ''AAWIL'' only has one, ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInParis'', which was mediocre at best. || ''American Werewolf'' is the better remembered of the two, although both are {{cult classic}}s. ||
|| ''Film/TheLostBoys'' (1987) || ''Film/NearDark'' (1987) || 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 both 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/ChildsPlay'' (1988) || ''Film/{{Leprechaun}}'' (1993) || Slasher franchises about [[PintSizedPowerhouse very short killers]] with [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic streaks]]. || In ''Child's Play'', the killer is a Good Guy doll [[CreepyDoll possessed by the spirit]] of a SerialKiller named Charles Lee "Chucky" Ray (voiced by Creator/BradDourif), while in ''Leprechaun'', the killer is, well, a {{leprechaun}} (played by Creator/WarwickDavis) who wants his gold back. || While neither series takes itself all that seriously, the ''Child's Play'' films do have a genuine fandom, while even the better ''Leprechaun'' films are seen as SoBadItsGood. ||
|| ''Film/TheHorrorShow'' (1989) || ''Film/{{Shocker}}'' (1989) || 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. ''The Horror Show'' also became a DolledUpInstallment in the ''Film/{{House}}'' series, initially being released as ''House III: The Horror Show''. There's no plot connection, though. || Neither faired well in the box office, but ''Shocker'' at least made its money back. ||
|| ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' (1991) || ''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. Creator/BrianCox having played Hannibal Lecter (in the film spelled Lecktor) in the 1986 film ''Film/{{Manhunter}}'' based on the novel ''Literature/RedDragon'', whilst Creator/RobertMitchum 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 Creator/RobertDeNiro for Best Actor at the ceremony as well. Both having been nominated for their roles as psychotic criminals in their respective films. ||
|| ''Film/PromNightIVDeliverUsFromEvil'' (1992) || ''Film/HappyHellNight'' (1992) || 1992 {{Slasher Movie}}s which feature a demonically possessed priest who, after awakening from a decades long catatonia, kill people. Both movies feature a scene where a statue of Jesus Christ moves on its own. || ''Deliver Us from Evil'' is the third and last sequel to ''Film/PromNight1980''. ''Happy Hell Night'' is a stand-alone film. || Draw. Neither movie was very successful on its release, but became cult films later. ||
|| ''Film/{{Mikey}}'' (1992) || ''Film/TheGoodSon'' (1993) || Early 90s horror films about a blonde EnfantTerrible who goes around killing people portrayed by a then-famous child actor who was PlayingAgainstType and were even banned in the UK (though the latter's was eventually lifted). || The big difference between the two evil child characters of both films is that Mikey is an EvilOrphan who kills one family and gets adopted by another thus repeating the cycle whereas Henry already did plenty of troublesome stuff even before he met his cousin Mark (to put it mildly). || While neither movie was particularly successful, ''The Good Son'' ended having a lasting impact on audiences thanks to having Creator/MacaulayCulkin as Henry. By contrast, ''Mikey'' had a limited release in theatres and faded into obscurity; only being known because its one of the few modern films banned by the BBFC, where it was supposed to release around the time of the James Bulger murder. ||
|| ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' (1992) || ''Film/JohnCarpentersVampires'' (1998) || Both are dark stories that take place in a world where vampires exist but their existence is not known by the general public. Both feature a "slayer" or a character that is specifically trained by a shady organization to hunt down and kill vampires. Both slayers also manage to put together a team to help them in killing vampires. || The movie ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' came out six years before ''Vampires'' (though the latter was released a year after the premiere of the TV series based off of the former). Due to ExecutiveMeddling the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' movie ended up being much campier than the horror comedy that Creator/JossWhedon originally intended. The show is fairly dark, but somewhat idealistic. ''Vampires'' is a lot grittier. ''Buffy'' takes place in an urban environment, with both the show and series involving the title character protecting a town, while ''Vampires'' mostly took place in a rural desert environment. The "slayers" were also two very different characters in each; Buffy Summers was a ValleyGirl who was chosen through supernatural means by a secret society, while Jack Crowe was trained from birth by the Vatican and is the perfect example of a PoliticallyIncorrectHero. Buffy tended to rely on more supernatural means, while Jack Crowe manages to awesomely use conventional weaponry (though both primarily use stakes). ''Vampires'' also did not have as strong a female presence. || ''Vampires'' did okay at the box office, but both were ultimately overshadowed by the TV series of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. ||
|| ''Film/{{Scream}}'' series (1996) || ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'' series (1997) || Late '90s {{slasher movie}} series created by Kevin Williamson that were rooted in [[PostModernism post-modern]], {{genre savvy}} takes on the horror genre. || ''IKWYDLS''[[note]]God, that's a mouthful of an acronym.[[/note]] was adapted from a novel by Creator/LoisDuncan, while ''Scream'' had the star power of Creator/WesCraven (the maker of ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984'') behind it. || ''Scream'' had a far greater and longer-lasting impact that is still felt in the horror genre, and made a ton more money to boot and had three sequels. ''IKWYDLS'', while also successful, is often seen as a [[FollowTheLeader copycat]], only got two sequels (one of which went DirectToVideo), and is today remembered mainly for Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt's [[{{Fanservice}} tight tank top]] and for Creator/SarahMichelleGellar. ||
|| ''Film/TheLastBroadcast'' (1998) || ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' (1999) || The basic plot of both of these movies, released within a year of each other, is identical: a documentary film crew ventures into the woods of a rural community, hoping to uncover secrets of the local legend (''TBWP'' has the fictional witch Elly Kedward, ''Broadcast'' uses the actual myth of the Jersey Devil), only to meet a horrific fate. Some time after, the footage is recovered and presented to the viewer to try and make sense of what happened. || Some have accused the makers of ''The Blair Witch Project'' of ripping off the earlier ''Last Broadcast'', but ''TBWP'' actually started production several months before ''Broadcast'' was released, and was conceived several years before that. Neither film is really the first in the "found footage" genre; 1981's ''Cannibal Holocaust'' can make a fair claim to that. || This one's not even close; ''The Last Broadcast'' earned less than $13,000 in its theatrical run before going to home video. ''The Blair Witch Project'' was screened at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival before being released in theaters that summer to positive reviews. It earned $250 million worldwide - on a budget of about $60,000 (if you don't count the promotion campaign, which was still only a few million dollars more) - and would go on to spawn a franchise of two sequels and numerous book & video game tie-ins, and is the TropeCodifier for a wave of imitators. ||
|| ''Film/TheHaunting1999'' || ''Film/HouseOnHauntedHill1999'' || Remakes of classic HauntedHouse movies, both released within a few months of each other in 1999. || Both films were backed by big-name directors Creator/StevenSpielberg for ''The Haunting'' and Creator/RobertZemeckis for ''House on Haunted Hill''. || The two films made about the same level of profit compared to their respective budgets. However, ''The Haunting'' was expected to be a summer blockbuster, but only ended up moderately profitable and was critically reviled. ''House on Haunted Hill'' did what was expected of it in terms of box office and critical reaction, and got an eventual (if belated) sequel, so on the whole it wins out. ||
|| ''Film/TheSixthSense (1999, Shyamalan)'' || ''Film/TheOthers2001 (2001, Amenábar)'' || Two thriller/horror movies with the same TwistEnding. || Though ''The Sixth Sense'' was released two years before ''The Others'', Amenábar wrote his script much before ''The Sixth Sense'' was released and the pre-production started before the Shyamalan film showed in theatres. || ''The Sixth Sense'' easily wins in terms of fame and box office turnover, launching Shyamalan's career and putting ''The Others'' in its shadow ''solely'' because they share a twist ending (and little else). Both movies were equally well received by critics and audience. ||
|| ''Film/ScaryMovie'' (2000) || ''Film/ShriekIfYouKnowWhatIDidLastFridayTheThirteenth'' (2000) || Parodies of horror films in general, and late '90s slashers (such as ''Film/{{Scream|1996}}'') in particular. || ''Shriek'' wound up going DirectToVideo after the makers of ''Scary Movie'' threatened to sue. || While ''Shriek'' has a small cult following, ''Scary Movie'' is the clear-cut winner, having made several times more money and spawning four sequels of varying quality. ||
|| ''Film/{{They}}'' (2002) || ''Film/DarknessFalls'' (2002) || 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/HouseOf1000Corpses'' (2003) || ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003'' || 2003 released horror films about a group of young adults who whilst venturing across rural Texas find themselves in the clutches of a family of murderers. || The director of ''House of 1000 Corpses'' Creator/RobZombie has stated that his film was made in homage to 70's horror including the original ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre''. Whilst it's competitor is a slick update of that original film. || ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' wins in all departments. It was a box office hit and whilst still getting mixed-to-negative notices from film critics still surpassed ''Corpses'' in that area. Audiences were easier on both of them to some degree, though ratings are higher for TCM there as well. ||
||''Film/TheDescent'' (2005) || ''Film/TheCave'' (2005) \\
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''Film/TheCavern'' (2005) || Horror movies with similar titles, made in the same year, and all three about a group of cavers who go spelunking, meet something unpleasant, and die. || || When it was released in America one year afterward, ''Film/TheDescent'' ended up becoming known as "Like ''Film/TheCave'', but it doesn't suck." ''Film/TheCavern'' is much more obscure than the other two, but definitely the worst of the lot, with truly horrendous cinematography (to the point where people have called it physically unwatchable) and an infuriating NoEnding. Also on the financial side, ''The Descent'' is the only one of these three films with the distinction of [[Film/TheDescentPart2 getting a sequel]]. ||
|| ''Film/TheRingTwo'' (2005) || ''Film/DarkWater'' (2005) || 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/{{The Dark|2005}}'' (2005) || ''Film/SilentHill'' (2006) || Supernatural horror about a mother searching for her daughter and comes across the identical ghost of a little girl who wants to take her daughter's place. Mother has to search a mysterious "Otherworld" to find her daughter, aided by her husband, who is played by Creator/SeanBean in both. || Both films feature religious cults, an Otherworld, missing daughters and a Mama Bear as the main protagonist. In the video game ''VideoGame/SilentHill1'', it's a PapaWolf, but the director thought it the female spin was more believable. || Despite being [[VideoGameMoviesSuck a video-game adaptation]], ''Silent Hill'' found some success with franchise fans, newcomers and even a few critics, and received a sequel. Of course, they didn't have to do all that well to beat ''The Dark'', which basically no one noticed. (''Film/SilentHillRevelation3D'', for what it's worth, has a 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.) ||
|| ''Film/HannibalRising'' (2007) || ''Film/Halloween2007'' || 2007 installments to iconic horror franchises that seek to provide an origin story for their central villain-protagonist. || The big difference in approach between these two films is that ''Rising'' is set within the same continuity as the previous Hannibal Lecter films that starred Anthony Hopkins, whilst Rob Zombie's ''Halloween'' is instead a straight-up reboot of its franchise with his own revamped Michael Myers. || ''Hannibal Rising'' made marginally more money at the box office, around 2 million dollars, but also had more than three times the budget of ''Halloween'' to begin with which does technically make it the more profitable film. Both got largely negative reviews from critics, but ''Halloween'' did manage to get a bit more positive notices on tat front. Both garner strong mixed-opinions from general audiences without a firm consensus on which is preferred. With all that in mind ''Halloween'' seems to edge out with the victory in this face-off. ||
|| ''Film/{{Rogue}}'' (2007) || ''Film/BlackWater'' (2007) || 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/{{Clash of the Titans|2010}}'' 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. ||
|| ''Film/OneMissedCall'' (2008) || ''Film/TheEye'' (2008)\\
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''Film/{{Shutter}}'' (2008)\\
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''Film/{{Mirrors}}'' (2008) || 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 Website/RottenTomatoes, plus it wasn't [[NotScreenedForCritics screened for critics]]) and ''The Eye'' being best (22%).\\
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In North America, ''The Eye'' was the most successful while ''Shutter'' was the lowest-grossing; worldwide, ''Mirrors'' made the most money and ''One Missed Call'' made the least. ||
|| ''Film/{{Pontypool}}'' (2009) || ''Film/DeadAir2009'' (2009) || 2009 films about a viral infection that turns people into [[OurZombiesAreDifferent mindless and violent lunatics]], both from the perspective of a DJ stuck inside the recording studio while everything is going to hell. || In ''Pontypool'' it is ''language itself'' that triggers the infection, while in ''Film/DeadAir2009'' the cause is a more conventional terrorist attack. || ''Pontypool'' has gained better reviews overall. ||
|| ''Film/{{Orphan}}'' (2009) || ''Film/{{Splice}}'' (2009) || 2009 released horror/thriller films about a couple who raises a strange "girl" of some kind, with terrible things ensuing. || || Overall, ''Orphan'' takes it. Whilst ''Splice'' won in critical circles, it was beaten in terms of both the general audience's reception and box office gross. ||
|| ''Film/MyBloodyValentine3D'' (2009) || ''Film/FridayThe13th2009'' (2009) || 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 Creator/JensenAckles and the latter Creator/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 Website/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. ||
|| ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010'' || ''Film/MySoulToTake'' (2010) || 2010 horror flicks focusing on supernatural events and a killer targeting teenagers. || Creator/WesCraven wrote and directed ''Film/MySoulToTake'', while ''Elm Street'' was a remake of Craven's [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984 original]]. || While both films were poorly received by critics, ''Nightmare'' was the clear winner in terms of box-office take, earning over $135 million, while ''My Soul to Take'' failed to make back its budget. ||
|| ''Film/Piranha3D'' (2010) || ''Film/SharkNight'' (2011) || 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 ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes2006'', 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/{{Detention}}'' (2011) || ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'' (2012) || [[PostModernism Post-modern]], GenreBusting [[SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror horror-comedies]] that were released the same weekend. || ''Detention'' was made by Joseph Kahn,[[note]]Maker of the CultClassic action film ''Film/{{Torque}}'', a StealthParody of ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious''[[/note]] opened in limited release, and is chiefly a satire of modern teenage life. ''Cabin'' was made by the team of Creator/JossWhedon and [[Film/{{Cloverfield}} Drew]] [[Series/{{Lost}} Goddard]], got a wide release after spending years [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment sitting on the shelf]] due to MGM crashing and burning, and is a DeconstructorFleet for horror movies. || ''Cabin'' got near-universal praise, made much more money, and is already being revered as one of the greatest horror-comedies ever made, while ''Detention'' is a CultClassic but very much a divisive film. ||
|| ''Film/TheApparition'' (2012) || ''Film/ThePossession'' (2012) || Two supernatural ghost/demon films released within a week of one another in August 2012. || ''The Apparition'' has Creator/AshleyGreene and is about a parapsychology experiment GoneHorriblyWrong, while ''The Possession'' is produced by Creator/SamRaimi and is a Jewish take on DemonicPossession. || ''The Possession'' by a landslide, though admittedly it had a pretty low bar to clear. While reviews for it were pretty critical, they were still miles better than the single-digit [[Website/RottenTomatoes Tomatometer]] score of ''The Apparition'', which didn't even make back half of its ''$17 million'' budget. ''The Possession'' made more in its first day than ''The Apparition'' did in its entire run. ||
|| ''[[Film/ScaryMovie Scary Movie 5]]'' (2013)\\
\\
''Film/AHauntedHouse'' (2013) || ''30 Nights of Paranormal Activity with the Devil Inside the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (2013)\\
\\
''Ghost Team One'' (2013) || Parodies of horror movies, particularly the ''Film/ParanormalActivity'' series and other FoundFootageFilms, released in winter 2013. || ''A Haunted House'' comes partially from the Wayans Brothers, the writers and stars of the first two ''Film/ScaryMovie'' films, making it something of a SpiritualSuccessor to those films. Meanwhile, the only returning alumni for ''Scary Movie 5'' are David Zucker (who has been KickedUpstairs to Producer this time around) and actor Creator/CharlieSheen, who is [[CelebrityParadox playing a different character]]. Lastly, ''30 Nights'' is a DirectToVideo film, while ''Ghost Team One'' is an indie film premiering at Slamdance. || ''A Haunted House'' got thrashed by critics but did well at the box office. ''Scary Movie 5'' received even worse reviews and while it made back its budget, it was nowhere near as successful as the previous entry in the series. ||
|| ''Film/NoOneLives'' (2013) || ''Film/YoureNext'' (2013) || 2013 horror movies about a group of murderers meeting their match when one of their putative victims turns out to be far more dangerous than they anticipated. || In ''No One Lives'', the criminals are highway killers with established names and faces, and the person killing them is an even more villainous man. In ''You're Next'', they are home invaders whose identities are concealed with masks, and the person killing them is a heroic woman. || ''You're Next'' did only modest business, but was acclaimed as one of the year's best horror films, while ''No One Lives'' was a BoxOfficeBomb that received mixed reviews. ||
|| ''Film/ThePurge'' (2013) || ''You're Next'' (2013) || Home invasion thrillers released in summer 2013. || ''The Purge''[='=]s gimmick is that it's set in a dystopian world where, for one night a year, all crime is legalized. ''You're Next'' is a more straightforward film, albeit with a BlackComedy take on the genre. || A clear case of CriticalDissonance. ''You're Next'' won the praise of those who actually saw it, but disappointed at the box office, while ''The Purge'' was trashed by critics but a hit at the box office (enough to get [[Film/ThePurgeAnarchy a better-received sequel]]). ||
|| ''Film/AsAboveSoBelow'' (2014) || ''Film/ThePyramid'' (2014) || 2014 FoundFootage (-ish) horror films about archaeologists trapped underground with evil things. || ''As Above So Below'' is set in the Catacombs beneath Paris, while ''The Pyramid'' is set in a newly-discovered ancient Egyptian pyramid. While ''As Above'' is entirely FoundFootage, ''The Pyramid'' only uses the device sporadically and is largely shot in a traditional fashion. || ''As Above So Below'' won - while it was badly-reviewed (26% on Website/RottenTomatoes) and disappointed at the box office ($21.3 million domestic), ''The Pyramid'' got even worse reviews (11%) and made a pathetic $2.8 million. \\
\\
It's worth noting some of the box office discrepancy is because ''The Pyramid'' was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed by the distributor]] - 20th Century Fox gave it almost no promotion and only showed it in 685 North American theatres, compared to the decent promotional push and 2,650 theatres Universal gave ''As Above So Below''. ||
|| ''Film/LifeAfterBeth'' (2014) || ''Film/BuryingTheEx'' (2014) || 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/It2017'' || ''Film/Mother2017'' || Horror films released in September with comparable budgets around the 30 million mark or so. || Loads. The former is an adaptation of one of Creator/StephenKing's most famous [[Literature/{{It}} books]] while the latter is an original property by Creator/DarrenAronofsky. ''IT'' is more of a straightforward horror film mostly filled with unknowns while ''mother!'' is of the surrealist, [[RuleOfSymbolism heavily symbolic]] kind with an AllStarCast. || ''IT'' wins on both fronts, almost to the point of it looking like a CurbStompBattle. While ''mother!'' earned some solid critical notices, it has not been doing well financially and caused a nasty rift between [[CriticalDissonance critics and audiences]], with the latter giving the film a rare F grade on Cinemascore. ''IT'', on the other hand, received positive reviews and incredibly strong box office to the point of becoming the highest grossing horror film ever, even surpassing ''Film/TheExorcist''. While ''IT'' will probably go down as one of the great horror movies of the decade, ''mother!'' seems to be slowly getting a Cult Following instead. ||
|| ''Film/BloodFest'' (2018) || ''Film/HellFest'' (2018) || Horror films where a small group of friends have to survive in a horror-themed festival that turns out to contain legitimate dangers instead of just theatrics. || ''Blood Fest'' was a horror-comedy indie film made by Creator/RoosterTeeth that premiered at the SXSW film festival and got a limited theatrical release. ''Hell Fest'' was a bigger budget, traditionally released horror flick. || According to Rotten Tomatoes, ''Blood Fest'' did better with critics (62% vs 35%) but ''Hell Fest'' did better with audiences (66% vs. 45%). Box office totals are hard to compare due to ''Hell Fest'' being much more widely released. ||
|| ''[[Film/Mother2017 mother!]]'' (2017) || ''Film/{{Suspiria|2018}}'' (2018) || Divisive, female-centric horror films (with emphasis on {{body horror}} and the {{supernatural|fiction}}) directed by auterish filmmakers (Creator/DarrenAronofsky & Creator/LucaGuadagnino) that star young actresses best known for prior [[Film/TheHungerGames franchise]] [[Film/FiftyShadesOfGrey roles]] (Creator/JenniferLawrence & Creator/DakotaJohnson). || ''mother!'' is an original property, while ''Suspiria'' is a remake of [[Film/Suspiria1977 the 1977 film of the same name]]. || Hard to say. ''mother!'' has a slightly higher score on Rotten Tomatoes than ''Suspiria'' (69% to 62%), but ''Suspiria'' boasts a far better audience score (73% to ''mother!'''s 50%) and carries some goodwill from its source material. ||
|| ''Film/AQuietPlace'' || ''Film/TheSilence2019'' || Both sci-fi horror films set in a postapocalyptic [[TwentyMinutesInTheFuture very near future]] brought about when the nations of Earth are unable to protect their populations from attacks by swift and deadly creatures with finely developed hearing who use that to hunt humans. Both films also focus on the survival struggles of a family with a deaf daughter. || ''The Silence'' was based on a 2015 novel; the script that became ''A Quiet Place'' had been in development since 2013. The film adaptation of the former had been completed before the latter was even shot, but ''A Quiet Place'' was released first since ''The Silence'' hadn't found a distributor.[[note]]When a teaser ad for it ran during that year's Super Bowl, many fans of the novel assumed that the adaptation's title had been changed.[[/note]] || ''A Quiet Place'' was a critical and commercial success in theaters and has spawned a sequel; ''The Silence'' had to settle for Netflix a year later. ||
|| ''Film/ReadyOrNot2019'' || ''Film/TheHunt'' || 2019 horror films in which a young woman is thrown into a HuntingTheMostDangerousGame scenario by a group of [[RichBitch depraved rich people]]. || ''Ready or Not'' is a BlackComedy take on the idea, in which the protagonist marries into a wealthy family who turns out to have selected her as a HumanSacrifice, and is set in the confines of a mansion. ''The Hunt'', meanwhile, comes from Creator/BlumhouseProductions and is more of a "social horror" film in the mold of that studio's ''Film/ThePurge'', with more focus given to the SlobsVersusSnobs dynamic of the villains seeing the [[WorkingClassHero working-class protagonists]] as less than human, and has multiple people beyond the heroine being hunted in a "game" preserve. || ''Ready or Not''. As Universal put ''The Hunt'' on TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment after a pair of back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents less than two months before its planned release]] and was ultimately released the week before the mass [[UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic COVID-19]] theater closures. ''Ready or Not'' was also warmly received by those who saw it, and made back nearly double its budget in its first weekend, while ''The Hunt'' was screwed over by the COVID-19 situation. Its Rotten Tomatoes score (56%) is also lower than ''ReadyOrNot'' (88%). ||
|| ''Film/ItChapterTwo'' (2019) || ''Film/DoctorSleep'' (2019) || Two Creator/StephenKing-based supernatural horror movie sequels released two months apart in 2019, with adult protagonists who were children in the first installment. || ''It: Chapter Two'' is the sequel to 2017's ''Film/{{It|2017}}'' and both adapt one part of [[Literature/{{It}} the eponymous novel]], while ''Doctor Sleep'' adapts the [[Literature/DoctorSleep sequel novel]] to ''Literature/TheShining'' and is a sequel to Creator/StanleyKubrick's ''Film/TheShining''). || ''It Chapter Two'', by a mile. Though it declined from the monstrous grosses seen by the previous film, ''Chapter Two'' still opened to a sizable $91 million domestic and finished with nearly $500 million worldwide, making it very profitable on an estimated $79 million budget. ''Doctor Sleep'', despite better reviews than ''It: Chapter Two'', drastically underperformed expectations with a mere $31 million domestic gross and $72 million worldwide performance on an estimated $55 million budget, making it a likely BoxOfficeBomb given ancillary costs. ||
|| ''Film/Spiral2021'' || ''Film/EscapeRoomTournamentOfChampions'' (2021) || The latest installments of two similar trap-centric horror franchises, opening nearly head-to-head. Both are expected to push past the relatively small-scale confines of their respective predecessor(s), whether with bigger stars (''Spiral'' will feature Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/SamuelLJackson) or a bigger setting (''Escape Room 2'' sees the first film's survivors taking the fight to their mysterious former captors). || While ''Saw'' is a long-dormant franchise that had only briefly been revived in the 2010s with 2017's ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (to mixed success), ''Escape Room 2'' will be released just 2.5 years after the first film, a surprise hit[[labelnote:*]] notably bigger than ''Jigsaw''[[/labelnote]] that offered a PG-13 variation on ''Saw'''s modus operandi. Assuming both sequels retain their franchises' historical MPAA ratings, this will be a showdown of the old-school, R-rated legacy sequel vs. a new LighterAndSofter variation of the same template. Incidentally, ''Spiral'' will be the first film in the franchise to eschew a traditional Halloween release frame, instead launching May 2021, while ''Escape Room'' jumps from the first film's January date to July. || A weak victory for ''Escape Room''. ''Spiral'', after a year of [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]]-related delays, opened below expectations and ultimately scored the lowest box office of the series, $23 million domestic and $37 million global. Critical reviews were [[DamnedByFaintPraise slightly kinder toward the film than most prior installments]], but it still received a low 37% on Website/RottenTomatoes; audience response was divided, with Rotten Tomatoes users giving one of the higher grades of the series while Website/{{IMDb}} gave it the absolute lowest, even below ''Film/Saw3D''. Two months later, ''Tournament of Champions'' opened with box office figures nearly identical to ''Spiral''; critical reviews are slightly superior (though still weak at 46%), while audience reactions are identical to ''Spiral'' on Rotten Tomatoes and somewhat higher on [=IMDb=]. With a slightly lower budget ($15 million vs. $20 million), ''Escape Room'' wins by a hair. ||
|| ''[[Film/Draug2018 Draug]]'' (2018) || ''[[Film/HuntressRuneOfTheDead Huntress: Rune of the Dead]]'' || Both films are low budget zombie films set in Swedish wilderness during the viking age, featuring a ActionGirl hero who has visions of things to come. || The later film was produced and co-written by Faravid af Ugglas who provided production design for both Huntress and Draug, as well as actors Urban Bergsten and Ralf Beck. The later even makes a similar comment about the smell of the zombies in both films. Huntress was filmed in English with an American producer, while Draug is in Swedish with emphasis of the dialects of the characters as part of the world building. || TBD. ||
|| ''Film/{{Peninsula}}'' (2020) || ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'' (2021) || Amid an area ravaged by a zombie pandemic, a team attempt to pull off a major money heist. || ''Peninsula'' is a stand-alone sequel to the South Korean film ''Film/TrainToBusan'', from the same creative team, centering on a group of surviving soldiers attempting to steal a truck filed with millions for TheMafia in exchange for half the take. Meanwhile, ''Army of the Dead'' is an American film, directed by Creator/ZackSnyder for Creator/{{Netflix}}, in which a group of mercenaries attempt to rob a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak. || ''Army of the Dead''. ''Peninsula'' was a success in South Korea and a hit with $42.7 million worldwide (against a $16 million budget), but it fell well short of its predecessor (it was released as South Korea recovered from the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic) and received mixed reviews. ''Army of the Dead'' received mixed-positive reviews from critics and mixed reception from audiences (largely positive on Rotten Tomatoes but notably lower on [=IMDb=]; interestingly, both are nearly even with ''Peninsula''). It also performed well on Netflix according to both the streamer's own data and Nielsen ratings, enough to justify the franchise Netflix pre-emptively built around it. It's a close call, but with ''Army'' meeting expectations while ''Peninsula'' fell somewhat short, ''Army'' wins.||

|| ''Film/HorrorOfDracula'' (1958) || ''Blood of the Vampire'' (1958) || Full-color British GothicHorror vampire films with a daring amount of blood and gore for their time, both written by Jimmy Sangster. || ''Horror'' was [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer's]] second horror film, following ''Film/TheCurseOfFrankenstein''. ''Blood'' was made as a response to both films (re-interpreting vampire lore into more of a Frankenstein-esque mad science) and intended to ride Hammer's success; it was the first of ''many'' Hammer knockoffs to hit the market. || ''Horror,'' hands down. It was a colossal box office success, got rave reviews, cemented Creator/PeterCushing and Creator/ChristopherLee as major horror stars, and is still largely considered one of the best horror films ever made. ''Blood'' made decent money, but is now almost completely forgotten. ||

|| ''Film/TheSixthSense (1999, Shyamalan)'' || ''Film/TheOthers (2001, Amenábar)'' || Two thriller/horror movies with the same TwistEnding. || Though ''The Sixth Sense'' was released two years before ''The Others'', Amenábar wrote his script much before ''The Sixth Sense'' was released and the pre-production started before the Shyamalan film showed in theatres. || ''The Sixth Sense'' easily wins in terms of fame and box office turnover, launching Shyamalan's career and putting ''The Others'' in its shadow ''solely'' because they share a twist ending (and little else). Both movies were equally well received by critics and audience. ||

|| ''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/{{Mikey}}'' (1992) || ''Film/TheGoodSon'' (1993) || Early 90s horror films about a blonde EnfantTerrible who goes around killing people portrayed by a then-famous child actor who was PlayingAgainstType and were even banned in the UK (though the latter's was eventually lifted). || The big difference between the two evil child characters of both films is that Mikey is an EvilOrphan who kills one family and gets adopted by another thus repeating the cycle whereas Henry already did plenty of troublesome stuff even before he met his cousin Mark (to put it mildly). || While neither movie was particularly successful, ''The Good Son'' ended having a lasting impact on audiences thanks to having Creator/MacaulayCulkin as Henry. By contrast, ''Mikey'' had a limited release in theatres and faded into obscurity. ||

|| ''Film/Spiral2021'' || ''Film/EscapeRoomTournamentOfChampions'' (2021) || The latest installments of two similar trap-centric horror franchises, opening nearly head-to-head. Both are expected to push past the relatively small-scale confines of their respective predecessor(s), whether with bigger stars (''Spiral'' will feature Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/SamuelLJackson) or a bigger setting (''Escape Room 2'' sees the first film's survivors taking the fight to their mysterious former captors). || While ''Saw'' is a long-dormant franchise that had only briefly been revived in the 2010s with 2017's ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (to mixed success), ''Escape Room 2'' will be released just 2.5 years after the first film, a surprise hit[[labelnote:*]] notably bigger than ''Jigsaw''[[/labelnote]] that offered a PG-13 variation on ''Saw'''s modus operandi. Assuming both sequels retain their franchises' historical MPAA ratings, this will be a showdown of the old-school, R-rated legacy sequel vs. a new LighterAndSofter variation of the same template. Incidentally, ''Spiral'' will be the first film in the franchise to eschew a traditional Halloween release frame, instead launching May 2021, while ''Escape Room'' jumps from the first film's January date to July. || A weak victory for ''Escape Room''. ''Spiral'', after a year of [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]]-relate delays, opened below expectations and ultimately scored the lowest box office of the series, $23 million domestic and $37 million global. Critical reviews were [[DamnedByFaintPraise slightly kinder toward the film than most prior installments]], but it still received a low 37% on Website/RottenTomatoes; audience response was divided, with Rotten Tomatoes users giving one of the higher grades of the series while Website/{{IMDb}} gave it the absolute lowest, even below ''Film/Saw3D''. Two months later, ''Tournament of Champions'' opened with box office figures nearly identical to ''Spiral''; critical reviews are slightly superior (though still weak at 46%), while audience reactions are identical to ''Spiral'' on Rotten Tomatoes and somewhat higher on [=IMDb=]. With a slightly lower budget ($15 million vs. $20 million), ''Escape Room'' wins by a hair. ||

''Film/TheCavern'' (2005) || Horror movies with similar titles, made in the same year, and all three about a group of cavers who go spelunking, meet something unpleasant, and die. || || When it was released in America one year afterward, ''Film/TheDescent'' ended up becoming known as "Like ''Film/TheCave'', but it doesn't suck." ''The Cavern'' is much more obscure than the other two, but definitely the worst of the lot, with truly horrendous cinematography (to the point where people have called it physically unwatchable) and an infurating NoEnding. Also on the financial side, ''The Descent'' is the only one of these three films with the distinction of [[Film/TheDescentPart2 getting a sequel]]. ||

|| ''Film/Spiral2021'' || ''Film/EscapeRoomTournamentOfChampions'' (2021) || The latest installments of two similar trap-centric horror franchises, opening nearly head-to-head. Both are expected to push past the relatively small-scale confines of their respective predecessor(s), whether with bigger stars (''Spiral'' will feature Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/SamuelLJackson) or a bigger setting (''Escape Room 2'' sees the first film's survivors taking the fight to their mysterious former captors). || While ''Saw'' is a long-dormant franchise that had only briefly been revived in the 2010s with 2017's ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (to mixed success), ''Escape Room 2'' will be released just 2.5 years after the first film, a surprise hit[[labelnote:*]] notably bigger than ''Jigsaw''[[/labelnote]] that offered a PG-13 variation on ''Saw'''s modus operandi. Assuming both sequels retain their franchises' historical MPAA ratings, this will be a showdown of the old-school, R-rated legacy sequel vs. a new LighterAndSofter variation of the same template. Incidentally, ''Spiral'' will be the first film in the franchise to eschew a traditional Halloween release frame, instead launching May 2021, while ''Escape Room'' jumps from the first film's January date to July. || TBD. ''Spiral'', after a year of [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]]-relate delays, opened below expectations and ultimately scored the lowest box office of the series, $23 million domestic and $37 million global. Critical reviews were [[DamnedByFaintPraise slightly kinder toward the film than most prior installments]], but it still received a low 37% on Website/RottenTomatoes; audience response was divided, with Rotten Tomatoes users giving one of the higher grades of the series while Website/{{IMDb}} gave it the absolute lowest, even below ''Film/Saw3D''. Two months later, ''Tournament of Champions'' opened with box office figures nearly identical to ''Spiral''; critical reviews are slightly superior (though still weak at 46%), while audience reactions are identical to ''Spiral'' on RottenTomatoes'' and somewhat higher on [=IMDb=]. ||

|| ''Film/Spiral2021'' || ''Film/EscapeRoom: Tournament of Champions'' (2021) || The latest installments of two similar trap-centric horror franchises, opening nearly head-to-head. Both are expected to push past the relatively small-scale confines of their respective predecessor(s), whether with bigger stars (''Spiral'' will feature Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/SamuelLJackson) or a bigger setting (''Escape Room 2'' sees the first film's survivors taking the fight to their mysterious former captors). || While ''Saw'' is a long-dormant franchise that had only briefly been revived in the 2010s with 2017's ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (to mixed success), ''Escape Room 2'' will be released just 2.5 years after the first film, a surprise hit[[labelnote:*]] notably bigger than ''Jigsaw''[[/labelnote]] that offered a PG-13 variation on ''Saw'''s modus operandi. Assuming both sequels retain their franchises' historical MPAA ratings, this will be a showdown of the old-school, R-rated legacy sequel vs. a new LighterAndSofter variation of the same template. Incidentally, ''Spiral'' will be the first film in the franchise to eschew a traditional Halloween release frame, instead launching May 2021, while ''Escape Room'' jumps from the first film's January date to July. || TBD. ''Spiral'', after a year of [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]]-relate delays, opened below expectations and ultimately scored the lowest box office of the series, $23 million domestic and $37 million global. Critical reviews were [[DamnedByFaintPraise slightly kinder toward the film than most prior installments]], but it still received a low 37% on Website/RottenTomatoes; audience response was divided, with Rotten Tomatoes users giving one of the higher grades of the series while Website/{{IMDb}} gave it the absolute lowest, even below ''Film/Saw3D''. ''Tournament of Champions'' releases July 16, 2021. ||

|| ''Film/Spiral2021'' || ''Film/EscapeRoom: Tournament of Champions'' (2021) || The latest installments of two similar trap-centric horror franchises, opening nearly head-to-head. Both are expected to push past the relatively small-scale confines of their respective predecessor(s), whether with bigger stars (''Spiral'' will feature Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/SamuelLJackson) or a bigger setting (''Escape Room 2'' sees the first film's survivors taking the fight to their mysterious former captors). || While ''Saw'' is a long-dormant franchise that had only briefly been revived in the 2010s with 2017's ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (to mixed success), ''Escape Room 2'' will be released just 2.5 years after the first film, a surprise hit[[labelnote:*]] notably bigger than ''Jigsaw''[[/labelnote]] that offered a PG-13 variation on ''Saw'''s modus operandi. Assuming both sequels retain their franchises' historical MPAA ratings, this will be a showdown of the old-school, R-rated legacy sequel vs. a new LighterAndSofter variation of the same template. Incidentally, ''Spiral'' will be the first film in the franchise to eschew from a traditional Halloween release frame, instead launching May 2021. || TBD. Following several [[ReleaseDateChange delays]] due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, ''Spiral'' is set to open May 2021 while ''Escape Room: Tournament of Champions'' is set for July. ||

|| ''Film/{{Peninsula}}'' (2020) || ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'' (2021) || Amid an area ravaged by a zombie pandemic, a team attempt to pull off a major money heist. || ''Peninsula'' is a stand-alone sequel to the South Korean film ''Film/TrainToBusan'', from the same creative team, centering on a group of surviving soldiers attempting to steal a truck filed with millions for TheMafia in exchange for half the take. Meanwhile, ''Army of the Dead'' is an American film, directed by Creator/ZackSnyder for Creator/{{Netflix}}, in which a group of mercenaries attempt to rob a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak. || TBD. ''Peninsula'' was a success in South Korea and a hit with $42.7 million worldwide (against a $16 million budget), though it fell well short of its predecessor (it was released as South Korea recovered from the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic) and received mixed reviews. ''Army of the Dead'' is set for a May 2021 theatrical and streaming release. ||

|| ''Film/{{Mikey}}'' (1992) || ''Film/TheGoodSon'' (1993) || Early 90s horror films about a blonde EnfantTerrible who goes around killing people portrayed by a then-famous child actor who was PlayingAgainstType and were even banned in the UK (though the latter's was eventually lifted). || The big difference between the two evil child characters of both films is that Mikey is an EvilOrphan who kills one family and gets adopted by another thus repeating the cycle whereas Henry already did plenty of troublesome stuff even before he met his cousin Mark (to put it mildly). While neither movie was particularly successful, ''The Good Son'' ended having a lasting impact on audiences thanks to having Creator/MacaulayCulkin as Henry. By contrast, ''Mikey'' had a limited release in theatres and faded into obscurity. ||

|| ''Film/{{Mikey}}'' (1992) || ''Film/TheGoodSon'' (1993) || Early 90s horror films about a blonde EnfantTerrible who goes around killing people portrayed by a then-famous child actor who was PlayingAgainstType || The big difference between the two evil child characters of both films is that Mikey is an EvilOrphan who kills one family and gets adopted by another thus repeating the cycle whereas Henry already did plenty of troublesome stuff even before he met his cousin Mark (to put it mildly). While neither movie was particularly successful, ''The Good Son'' ended having a lasting impact on audiences thanks to having Creator/MacaulayCulkin as Henry. By contrast, ''Mikey'' had a limited release in theatres and faded into obscurity. ||

|| ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' (1992) || ''Film/JohnCarpentersVampires'' (1998) || Both are dark stories that take place in a world where vampires exist but their existence is not known by the general public. Both feature a "slayer" or a character that is specifically trained by a shady organization to hunt down and kill vampires. Both slayers also manage to put together a team to help them in killing vampires. || The movie ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' came out six years before ''Vampires'' (though the latter was released a year after the premiere of the TV series based off of the former). Due to ExecutiveMeddling the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' movie ended up being much campier than the horror/comedy that Creator/JossWhedon originally intended. The show is fairly dark, but somewhat idealistic. ''Vampires'' is a lot grittier. ''Buffy'' takes place in an urban environment, with both the show and series involving the title character protecting a town, while ''Vampires'' mostly took place in a rural desert environment. The "slayers" were also two very different characters in each; Buffy Summers was a ValleyGirl who was chosen through supernatural means by a secret society, while Jack Crowe was trained from birth by the Vatican and is the perfect example of a PoliticallyIncorrectHero. Buffy tended to rely on more supernatural means, while Jack Crowe manages to awesomely use conventional weaponry (though both primarily use stakes). ''Vampires'' also did not have as strong a female presence. || ''Vampires'' did okay at the box office, but both were ultimately overshadowed by the TV series of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. ||

|| ''Film/NoOneLives'' (2013) || ''Film/YoureNext'' (2013) || 2013 horror movies about a group of murderers meeting their match when one of their putative victims turns out to be far more dangerous than they anticipated. || In ''No One Lives'', the criminals are highway killers with established names and faces, and the person killing them is a man. In ''You're Next'', they are home invaders whose identities are concealed with masks, and the person killing them is a woman. || ''You're Next'' did only modest business, but was acclaimed as one of the year's best horror films, while ''No One Lives'' was a BoxOfficeBomb that received mixed reviews. ||

|| ''Film/Spiral2021'' || ''Film/EscapeRoom 2'' (2021) || The latest installments of two similar trap-centric horror franchises, opening nearly head-to-head. Both are expected to push past the relatively small-scale confines of their respective predecessor(s), whether with bigger stars (''Spiral'' will feature Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/SamuelLJackson) or a bigger setting (''Escape Room 2'' sees the first film's survivors taking the fight to their mysterious former captors). || While ''Saw'' is a long-dormant franchise that had only briefly been revived in the 2010s with 2017's ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (to mixed success), ''Escape Room 2'' will be released just 2.5 years after the first film, a surprise hit[[labelnote:*]] notably bigger than ''Jigsaw''[[/labelnote]] that offered a PG-13 variation on ''Saw'''s modus operandi. Assuming both sequels retain their franchises' historical MPAA ratings, this will be a showdown of the old-school, R-rated legacy sequel vs. a new LighterAndSofter variation of the same template. Incidentally, ''Spiral'' will be the first film in the franchise to eschew from a traditional Halloween release frame, instead launching May 2021. || TBD. Following several [[ReleaseDateChange delays]] due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, ''Spiral'' is set to open May 2021 while ''Escape Room 2'' is set for July. ||

|| ''Spiral2021'' || ''Film/EscapeRoom2'' (2021) || The latest installments of two similar trap-centric horror franchises, opening nearly head-to-head. Both are expected to push past the relatively small-scale confines of their respective predecessor(s), whether with bigger stars (''Spiral'' will feature Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/SamuelLJackson) or a bigger setting (''Escape Room 2'' sees the first film's survivors taking the fight to their mysterious former captors). || While ''Saw'' is a long-dormant franchise that had only briefly been revived in the 2010s with 2017's ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (to mixed success), ''Escape Room 2'' will be released just 2.5 years after the first film, a surprise hit[[labelnote:*]] notably bigger than ''Jigsaw''[[/labelnote]] that offered a PG-13 variation on ''Saw'''s modus operandi. Assuming both sequels retain their franchises' historical MPAA ratings, this will be a showdown of the old-school, R-rated legacy sequel vs. a new LighterAndSofter variation of the same template. Incidentally, ''Spiral'' will be the first film in the franchise to eschew from a traditional Halloween release frame, instead launching May 2021. || TBD. Following several [[ReleaseDateChange delays]] due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, ''Spiral'' is set to open May 2021 while ''Escape Room 2'' is set for July. ||

|| ''Film/EscapeRoom 2'' (2021) || ''Film/{{Spiral|2021}}: From the Book of Franchise/{{Saw}}'' (2021) || The latest installments of two similar trap-centric horror franchises, opening nearly head-to-head. Both are expected to push past the relatively small-scale confines of their respective predecessor(s), whether with bigger stars (''Spiral'' will feature Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/SamuelLJackson) or a bigger setting (''Escape Room 2'' sees the first film's survivors taking the fight to their mysterious former captors). || While ''Saw'' is a long-dormant franchise that had only briefly been revived in the 2010s with 2017's ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (to mixed success), ''Escape Room 2'' will be released just two years after the first film, a surprise hit[[labelnote:*]] notably bigger than ''Jigsaw''[[/labelnote]] that offered a PG-13 variation on ''Saw'''s modus operandi. Assuming both sequels retain their franchises' historical MPAA ratings, this will be a showdown of the old-school, R-rated legacy sequel vs. a new LighterAndSofter variation of the same template. Incidentally, ''Spiral'' will be the first film in the franchise to open away from a traditional Halloween release frame, instead launching May 2021. || TBD. ||

|| ''Film/{{Peninsula}}'' (2020) || ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'' (2021) || Amid an area ravaged by a zombie pandemic, a team attempt to pull off a major money heist. || ''Peninsula'' is a stand-alone sequel to the South Korean film ''Film/TrainToBusan'', from the same creative team, centering on a group of surviving soldiers attempting to steal a truck filed with millions for TheMafia in exchange for half the take. Meanwhile, ''Army of the Dead'' is an American film, directed by Creator/ZackSnyder for Creator/{{Netflix}}, in which a group of mercenaries attempt to rob a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak. || TBD. ''Peninsula'' was a success in South Korea and a hit with $42.7 million worldwide (against a $16 million budget), though it fell well short of its predecessor (it was released as South Korea recovered from the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic) and received mixed reviews. ''Army of the Dead'' is set for a May 2021 streaming release. ||

|| ''Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula'' (2020) || ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'' (2021) || Amid a world ravaged by a zombie pandemic, a group of survivors attempt to pull off a major money heist. || ''Peninsula'' is a stand-alone sequel to the South Korean film ''Film/TrainToBusan'', from the same creative team, centering on a group of surviving soldiers attempting to steal a truck filed with millions for TheMafia in exchange for half the take. Meanwhile, ''Army of the Dead'' is an American film, directed by Creator/ZackSnyder for Creator/{{Netflix}}, in which a group of mercenaries attempt to rob a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak. || TBD. ''Peninsula'' was a success in South Korea and a hit with $42.7 million worldwide (against a $16 million budget), though it fell well short of its predecessor (it was released as South Korea recovered from the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic) and received mixed reviews. ''Army of the Dead'' is set for a May 2021 streaming release. ||