In Name Only: A History of Kind-of, Sort-of Sequels

By Harrison Pierce

Hollywood lives by the assumption that familiarity breeds content, and we prove them right by showing up for endless sequels. But sometimes the only thing these follow-ups have in common with their predecessors is a shared name; not the people, places and things we fell in love with during round one. Case in point: this week’s The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, and the following sort-of sequels...

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

When you think of the Halloween movies, you picture mask-wearing, knife-wielding human carver Michael Myers. But the producers of this third sequel thought they could hang a potentially lucrative series on the name Halloween alone. When this oddball, Myers-less sequel about a demented mask maker failed to scare up much box office, they wisely brought Myers--and fans--back with the aptly titled Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.

Evan Almighty (2007)

When you can’t get Bruce Almighty stars Jim Carrey or Jennifer Aniston back for a sequel, how about the guy who played the news anchor? Thankfully for this follow-up’s producers, that “guy” had become The Office star Steve Carell, who reprised his role as Evan Baxter for this modern-day retelling of the Noah’s Ark story that otherwise has nothing to do with the original.

The Exorcist III (1990)

After production wrapped on this tenuously connected Exorcist sequel, the filmmakers realized it was missing an actual exorcism scene. Oops. So they quickly added one in, giving this follow-up more (unholy) common ground with the original…and its own title.

Grease 2 (1982)

Those hoping for the further adventures of bad boy Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and good girl-gone-bad Sandy Olsen (Olivia Newton-John) instead got bad girl Stephanie Zinone and good boy-going-bad Michael Carrington, played by then-unknowns Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield.

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)

Nobody puts Baby (Jennifer Grey) in a corner…or in a sequel, apparently. This Baby-less follow-up to 1987’s surprise hit tells the story of another young American girl (Romola Garai) traveling with her family to a remote location – this time Havana, Cuba – and falling for a dancing bad boy (Diego Luna).

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)

After 1999’s faux horror documentary The Blair Witch Project scared up nearly $140 million dollars at the U.S. box office, film studio Artisan Entertainment quickly ordered a second chapter. But instead of sending a fresh group of victims back into the woods for more videotaped fun-with-a-witch, the filmmakers decided to make this strange meta-sequel examining the effect the first film’s success had on the world.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Originally intended as a direct sequel to 1967’s Valley of the Dolls, Beyond ended up a shockingly different kind of Doll in the hands of soft-core porn director Russ Meyer, who traded Valley’s more dramatic tone for an over-the-top Hollywood satire ripe with sex, violence and more sex!

Teen Wolf Too (1987)

Instead of hirsute teenager Scott Howard (Michael J. Fox), this sort-of sequel to 1985’s Teen Wolf features Scott’s cousin, Todd Howard (Jason Bateman), who shares a similar predisposition for acid-washed jeans and wolfman genes.

Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985)

After killing off Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, the series’ producers thought they could launch “a new beginning” with this slasher sequel in which someone dressed up like him goes on a murderous rampage. This flimsy sequel murdered fan enthusiasm until the series resurrected Jason for Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.

Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)

The first Open Water was based on a true story about a couple trapped at sea and starred unknown actors. When it became a box office hit, this in-name-only sequel thriller, based on a script written before the original, was quickly renamed Open Water 2: Adrift to capitalize on its success. Adriftis a far more conventional oceanic thriller featuring a few known faces, including Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane.

American Psycho 2 (2002)

In order to link their stand-alone thriller to 2000’s cult classic, American Psycho 2’s filmmakers added an opening that connects their lead psycho, Rachael Newman, to American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman. Although Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis publicly denounced the film for having nothing to do with his novel, there’s a certain guilty pleasure to be had watching the usually chipper Mila Kunis portray a conniving, Bateman-esque college student.

Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

Speed star Keanu Reeves wisely sat out this bus-less bomb, leaving co-star Sandra Bullock to take over the driver’s seat. Doing wacky-villain duty is a scenery-chewing Willem Dafoe, who hijacks the cruise ship Bullock’s on and sends it on a collision course with an oil tanker. The non-speed at which the ship moves is one of the film’s many unintentionally hilarious pleasures.

Troll 2 (1990)

Speaking of misleading titles, this legendarily bad sequel has no trolls! Originally titled Goblins, its name was changed to position it as a sequel to 1986's Troll. What it does have, however, is a crazy plot involving goblins that turn meat-eating humans into plants, bad acting, bad filmmaking and absolutely no connection to the original.

So what’s your favorite sequel, thinly connected or otherwise?