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Plugged in reviews of movies now in theatres.

There are lots of new movies in theatres and maybe your child has mentioned one or two of them to you. But what are these movies really about and how can you find out without having to go see them yourself? 

With Plugged In movie reviews, you'll find a detailed breakdown of up-to-date films, including spiritual content, sexual content, violent content, the amount of crude or profane language, content involving drugs and alcohol, other negative elements as well as positive aspects of the film. 

Here are a few reviews of new releases you may want to read up on: 

Stronger (R)

The Lego Ninjago Movie (PG)

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (R)

Friend Request  (R)

Mother! (R)

American Assassin (R)

True to the Game (R)

Home Again (PG-13)

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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live.

Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

Each month, Plugged In is visited more than 1 million times by people looking for detailed information about what’s really in popular movies, videos, television episodes, songs and games. Entertainment industry ratings only tell you so much. We go deeper, diving into specific content and the meaning behind it. Our award-winning website also offers news and blogs.

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1,247 episodes

Take a minute to hear a family-friendly review of the hottest movie, YouTube video, streaming series, video game, or new technology to help you decide if it’s a good choice for your kids and family. Hosted by Focus on the Family’s media and culture analysts, these reviews for parents offer a fresh Christian perspective on entertainment from a Biblical worldview.

Plugged In Entertainment Reviews Focus on the Family

• Kids & Family
• 4.3 • 143 Ratings
• MAY 28, 2024

Pop Culture Remix: Fog & Fireflies

After a wizard’s war scarred the world, only children can face off with an ever-encroaching, deadly fog.   Read the Plugged In Review   If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback.

• MAY 27, 2024

Movie Review: Arthur the King

While the redemptive messages in this feel-good story might get many a tail a-wagging, its profanity is worth a growl or two.   Read the Plugged In Review   If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback.

• MAY 23, 2024

Movie Review: Sight

This Christian movie tells the story of famed eye doctor Ming Wang’s attempt to restore physical sight to a blind Indian girl … while moving toward spiritual sight himself.   Read the Plugged In Review   If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback.

TV Review: Dead Boy Detectives

Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.   Read the Plugged In Review   If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback.

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SiYP: AI Influencers

Magazines and social media have caused a decline in self-esteem. But how will new AI “influencers” impact youth today?   Read the Plugged In Blog   If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback.

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Pop Culture Remix: Pepper Grinder

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• © 2024 Focus on the Family

Customer Reviews

143 Ratings

Plugged In is Trying to Protect You!!!!

I know that many viewers out there don’t care about Plugged In and think they are trying to boss you around. NEWSFLASH: They are not!! They are only trying to protect you and your family. If you see a movie that is 0 stars, I think you know that that is a movie you do NOT want to take your kids to. If you have seen one, (which I HIGHLY recommend you don’t) you probably know that is not a great movie. Plugged In has reasons to rate these badly rated movies (violence, language, nudity etc.). Yes, people curse in real life, but I believe they don’t mention it because they want you to read the review. Another possible reason is that they want to protect kids who may not know what a bad word is. But the point is, this podcast wants your family to get the best out of a film in a cinema, and generally protect your early teens, younger kids, maybe even yourself. Some movies(I will chose not to mention them) are so bad that Plugged In doesn’t even rate them!!! So I encourage you to listen to these podcasts and look at the website and PLEASE take the time to see how they rate a movie before you go see it at the cinema.

Great reviews loved

Great podcast!!!

You got to check plugged in before you watch a movie. I mean, really, who wants to watch a bad movie? You can check any new movie through a Christian lens. Plugged in will let you know if there’s any cussing or murrdering, and will give you a 1-5 star rating Example: "spider-man into the spiderverse” has 4 out of 5 stars for family friendliness. So I’ll give plugged in 5 out of 5 stars.

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Focus on the Family Movie Reviews

Michael has spent years as a freelance writer and editor submitting works to several accomplished magazines as well as publishing his own works about freelancing as a business.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

There are many people who are interested in Focus on the Family movie reviews, because they can provide some guidance as to what is appropriate for their children to watch and what isn't. The organization isn't just about Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and other family-friendly fare; they review just about every flick that comes through Hollywood.

What Is Focus on the Family?

In case you are not familiar with the non-profit organization, Focus on the Family is an evangelical group based out of the United States. It was founded in 1977, and they say that they are dedicated to nurturing and defending families worldwide. More specifically, Focus on the Family -- which is aligned with the American Christian right -- aims to protect family values.

• 6 Reasons Family Communication Really Matters & Real-World Tips

Focus on the Family has several arms, to speak, which work toward this common goal. The Adventures in Odyssey radio show is perhaps one of their best known projects, but they also have all sorts of other Radio Theatre and political endeavors. One such endeavor is the reviewing movies.

As with any organization aligned with the Christian right, Focus on the Family has come under fire and into controversy from several groups. In 2006, for example, FOTF founder James Dobson was accused of manipulating research data that said gays and lesbians are not good parents. They naturally denied this allegation. Focus on the Family also fully supported Mel Gibson when the latter was accused of anti-Semitic content in relation to The Passion of the Christ .

Plugged In is a website of Focus on the Family and they offer reviews of just about any kind of mass market entertainment, including movies in theaters, video/DVD releases, music, television, and more. By and large, their reviews take on the same structure.

Parental Guidance Suggested

As a movie review site, Plugged In has an extensive library of films for you to consider. Each of the reviews is composed of seven key sections.

• Introduction : Although not labeled as such, the first paragraph or two outlines the plot summary to the film in question. You get an idea of what the movie is all about, perhaps with mention of where the film ties in to the world at large.
• Positive Elements : This is where FOTF describes what positive morals or ideas are expressed in the movie. These may include things like love for your fellow man.
• Sexual Content : They'll warn against things like scantily-clad women and sexual innuendo. Even verbal mentions of condoms and other sexual content will be described in this section.
• Violent Content : You are given a perspective on how brutal or gruesome the violence is. For horror and action films, this is probably more of a concern for parents. Chair-throwing in dramas may be mentioned here.
• Crude or Profane Language : In addition to coarse language, this section also reveals if "Jesus" or "God" are used inappropriately.
• Other Negative Elements : This serves as a catch-all for other undesirable content, like the consumption of alcohol and drugs.
• Summary : A final verdict on whether the film promotes good family values or not, citing both the good and the bad.

Example Movie Reviews

To get a sense of how the organization approaches movies, read these sample reviews.

• Cloverfield : The Focus on the Family movie review applauds Rob's dedication to Beth and his willingness to risk life and limb to save her. However, they are not pleased with the level of violence, the mild sexual content (pre-marital), and excessive use of "my God".
• Alien vs. Predator : The biggest complaint in this particular Focus on the Family movie review is that the PG-13 rating given to this classic alien movie is deemed inappropriate, given the extreme level of violence. AVP gets quite gruesome, even if the camera cuts away just in the nick of time.

Take Advantage of the Pre-Screening

If Focus on the Family seems to have the same views on movies and other media as you do, this may prove to be quite the time saver. If you trust their guidance, you'll no longer have to screen everything your kids want to watch (and in turn, you don't have to see or hear things you would prefer not to).

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Plugged In Movie Review

88 episodes.

Kung-Fu Panda4

Dune: Part Two

Ordinary Angels

Turning Red

Freud’s Last Session

The Color Purple

Haunted Mansion

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One

Sound of Freedom

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The Little Mermaid

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In Theaters

• Biography/History , Christian , Drama

Content Caution

• May 24, 2024
• Terry Chen as Dr. Ming Wang; Greg Kinnear as Dr. Misha Bartnovsky; Natasha Mumba as Ruth Tarik; Fionnula Flanagan as Sister Marie; Mia SwamiNathan as Kajal; Raymond Ma as Zhensheng; Wai Ching Ho as Alian; Garland Chang as Yu Wang; Donald Heng as Zhensheng (30s); Leanne Wang as Alian (30s); Jeffrey Pai as Lao Bing; Ben Wang as Ming (14); Sara Ye as Lili (14)

Home Release Date

• Andrew Hyatt

Distributor

• Angel Studios

Movie Review

When Jesus cured the blind man in John 9, all He needed was a little mud.

Dr. Ming Wang requires more.

Oh, sure, some might say that Ming is a miracle worker in his own right. But the good doctor knows that curing someone’s sight takes more than mud. It takes knowledge . It takes skill . And Ming (he might say with all due modesty) has plenty of both. You’d expect nothing less from the country’s best eye surgeon.

That knowledge and those skills didn’t come through any sort of miraculous intervention, either—at least not in Ming’s thinking. He earned both. Boy, did he earn them.

Ming grew up in China during its brutal Cultural Revolution, when activists shut down schools, tried to sweep away millennia of history and repaint Chinese society in red. It’s hard to learn medicine when no one will teach you. It’s hard to become a healer when the country’s powers would rather turn you into a killer.

Ming’s journey to Harvard, MIT and, ultimately, Tennessee contained plenty of twists and turns, dips and dead ends. But after decades of work and study and sacrifice, he made good on his promise to his parents and himself. He became a doctor, the sort of doctor that people from all over the world ask—sometimes beg —for help. And when the surgery is successful (as it so often is), he poses with his grateful patients as the cameras flash and the people applaud.

But Ming knows that even he has his limits.

Take Kajal, a young girl from the slums of Calcutta. Those who are blind there make better beggars, we learn. So Kajal’s stepmother intentionally poured sulfuric acid into the girl’s eyes.

But Kajal’s life took a turn for the better. Now in the care of kindly Sister Marie, she’s in the U.S. to see if Dr. Wang just might be able to find what she lost: Perhaps he can help this little blind girl see again.

Ming takes a look at Kajal’s eyes and doesn’t see a lot of hope for her. Might Ming do something? Perhaps. But it’s a small chance. And if the surgery fails, there will be no applause.

But something about the girl reminds him of another he used to know, long, long ago. Ming’s touched by her story. And even though he tells Sister Marie how slim the chances are for success, Marie reminds him how much Kajal has already been through.

“She has traveled across the world for a chance,” Marie says. “Even a slim chance.”

Ming works miracles, some say. But he’ll need more than mud to bring sight to this little girl. He’ll need all his knowledge, all his skill—and even then, it might not be enough.

Positive Elements

Based on the true story of Dr. Ming Yang and his revolutionary work, Sight splits the narrative between following Ming on his way to becoming a doctor (both in China and stateside) and his work as a doctor in Tennessee—particularly his work with Kajal. He’s an easy guy to root for on both timelines.

As a boy and a young man, Ming works furiously to make good on his own and his family’s ambitions for him. Faced with tremendous obstacles, Ming somehow manages to find a way over or around or through. When he does become a doctor, he obviously cares for his patients (as most doctors do).

But he seems to feel particularly responsible for Kajal, working some incredibly long hours to try to return the girl’s sight. After the surgery, we learn that Ming started his own charitable foundation to restore sight to the world’s most needy, free of charge. (The film tells us his foundation has helped people from more than 40 states and 55 countries.)

But as admirable and as laudable as Ming’s story might be, I was struck by the people who came alongside him, led him forward and, sometimes, nudged him back on the right track.

Obviously, Ming’s parents played a huge role in Ming’s life, serving as strong, brave role models as Ming grows to maturity. When the Cultural Revolution unleashes its horrors on Chinese society, Ming’s mom and dad bravely push on. His father, a doctor himself, instills in Ming a love of his native China, too, pushing back against the Revolution’s aims of sweeping away the country’s past. “They don’t understand the reason why China is great [is] because of the tradition, because the people here believe in honor and sacrifice,” he tells young Ming.

They serve as strong role models for the grown Tennessee doctor, too. His mother, Alian, frets that her son just might drop from exhaustion. And his dad, Zhensheng, comes alongside Ming when the doctor might be at his lowest—reminding Ming of a beloved Chinese poet and encouraging him to move forward.

Dr. Misha Bartnovsky, Ming’s associate, serves Ming as his assistant, his friend and, at times, his conscience. When Ming worries that Kajal’s case is too difficult, Misha gently prods him to take it. When Ming spins through a crisis of confidence, Misha helps tether him. “We can only do our best,” he tells Ming. “It’s all we can do.”

When Ming arrives in the U.S. to begin his medical education, a college professor encourages Ming’s ambitions—telling him that he’s destined for great things.

And Kajal, too, inspires Ming. I’ll have more to say about that in the section below. But here, I’ll simply say this: While Ming did his best to save Kajal’s eyesight, the doctor was in need of a little healing, too—and Kajal was instrumental in helping his own healing process along.

Spiritual Elements

The real Dr. Wang is a committed Christian. But Sight presents us with a portrait of Ming Wang who, through most of the film, really doesn’t express much religious interest at all.

Part of that may stem from the communist, atheistic society he was raised in. Religion was always looked down upon in the China ruled by Mao Zedong, and exponentially more so during the Cultural Revolution. One question does haunt Ming, though: “What happens when we die?” his longtime friend, Lili, asked him once. “Is it just darkness?” It’s an important question—so important that the movie itself opens with it.

The question is all the more haunting in that soon he and Lili would be separated—apparently forever. But then, about the time that Kajal arrives at his clinic, Ming starts seeing Lili again—walking the halls or staring at him from across a room. Ming wonders whether he’s seeing ghosts or going mad.

Ming is very interested in clearing away the physical darkness caused by blindness when he can. But it takes some time for him to realize that the greater darkness is spiritual . Kajal, his small patient, may be blind, but her spiritual sight surpasses that of Ming. Before surgery, she expresses her gratitude not only to her doctors, but “to God.” Afterward, she gives him the gift of a Catholic rosary—one that Ming thoughtfully toys with. “I’ll be praying for you,” she tells him.

And Sister Marie tells Ming that Kajal is, blind or not, a miracle herself: “Look what God uses when we refuse to believe there is no purpose,” Sister Marie says.

Sister Marie expresses her own hope in God as well. And during Kajal’s surgery, we see her praying in the hospital chapel. She tells Ming that Kajal, in spite of her own difficulties, facilitates prayers for others, “asking God to give them strength through their difficulties.”

Ming looks at a nearby cross toward the end of the movie—another indication, it would seem, that he’s moving toward faith. One of Ming’s patients was brought to his office by an American couple, who met the patient while on a mission trip.

Sexual Content

Ming and Lili started out as the best of friends back in China. She seems to be a part of his life from the very beginning. And while we never see any real physical affection between the two, Ming’s attachment to Lili grows much stronger over time. In fact, Ming tells Lili that as long as they’re together, they’ll always be just fine—and he invites Lili to come with him when Ming becomes a doctor. (The destination is uncertain, but the implication is that they might leave China.)

They’re not able to run off together, of course: We know that Ming continues to think about Lili often, and Ming’s younger brother kids him about never dating. But about the time of Kajal’s surgery, Ming does meet someone else, and they begin seeing each other.

Misha, meanwhile, is married. And at his 20 th anniversary party, he tells Ming that he needs to leave his company and “flirt with my wife.”

Violent Content

Sight lands its PG-13 rating primarily because of some disturbing (though not overly graphic) scenes of violence. All feel germane to the movie itself, but viewers should nevertheless be warned.

Most of Kajal’s blinding is kept off screen. But we do see her stepmother pay some shadowy merchant for the powdered chemical. It’s added to boiling water. The stepmother takes the concoction to Kajal’s bedside, forces the girl to face her and then (again, just off camera) pours it into the girl’s eyes as we hear her scream.

Cultural Revolution activists instigate their own forms of violence. The Revolution’s apparent leader in Ming’s hometown is a youth named Lao Bin. We first meet him and his posse when they storm into Ming’s history class. They force the class to shut down, punch the teacher in the stomach and forces an unwilling Ming to write on the chalkboard, “Down with teacher Zhao!” (Lao Bin shortly thereafter slaps Ming across the face, bloodying it. Books are burned and “teacher Zhao” is led away, with others, to an uncertain fate.)

Ming and Lao Bin’s paths continue to intersect. He demands that Ming join the Revolution. When an old, blind friend tries to intercede, the revolutionaries knock the man down and kick him until he’s bloodied and motionless. Later, Lao Bin slugs Ming in the face, knocking him to the ground, and drags Lili away.

Revolutionaries also storm the medical university laboratory where Ming’s parents work. We see them begin to rampage through the halls, tossing papers and throwing punches. Ming’s father pushes him into a closet and tells him to keep quiet, no matter what. (He holds the doorknob still when someone tries to open the door.) When the chaos subsides and Ming opens the door, he discovers that his mother has been particularly hurt by the mob. Her face is a mass of cuts and bruises. And while we don’t hear how far the assault went, a viewer might well surmise that Ming’s mom could have been sexually assaulted as well.

We see Ming’s father try to treat someone whose eyes were hurt in a chemical accident (to no avail). Some close-up images of eyes can get a little gruesome.

Crude or Profane Language

One use each of “d–n” and “crap.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Ming and Misha drink whiskey at a party. Ming drinks elsewhere, and during a very difficult time, he may over-imbibe. (Ming doesn’t seem drunk. But he does accidentally break a treasured instrument he learned how to play in China, and a telltale bottle of booze sits by his phone in one scene.)

Ming also gets to know a bartender. (She tells him that, as his bartender, “We can now engage in the very sacred ritual where you tell me your problems, I listen, and you spend a tenth of a price of a therapist.”) Characters drink champagne at a gala event. (Wine is quaffed as well.)

Other Negative Elements

When Ming was in China, he had to deal with the Cultural Revolution. When he arrives in the States, he has another issue to deal with: racism. It takes the form of a college professor barely glancing at his application for medical school before telling him to go into something else. It takes the form of a restaurant patron who tells Ming (who’s working at the restaurant), “Give me some Kung Fu chicken, boy!”

While Ming definitely wants his patients to see, he’s also quite aware that successful surgeries bring great publicity. Because of that, there’s a certain selfishness about his success at first. And when the work isn’t going as well, he and Misha clash at times. “Go crash and burn by yourself,” Misha tells Ming when Ming is overworking. “I’m always the one picking up the pieces around here anyway.”

“You can’t do any of this without me,” Ming mutters.

Sight , the movie’s title, comes with a double meaning. Yes, it’s about Dr. Ming Wang’s work restoring sight to the blind. But it reminds us that the most crippling blindness isn’t that of the eyes, but of the heart.

Yes, Kajal comes into the movie blind. But Sight suggests that, in some ways, she sees better than the driven, publicity-minded Dr. Wang. She sees the love of God. She sees the everyday miracles. She sees the needs of people around her in ways that Ming can’t—or won’t—take the time to see.

Sight does this without diminishing the important, near-miraculous work that Ming does (and that the real Dr. Wang continues to do). But it reminds us that sometimes, when we keep our eyes focused on the Hollywood happy ending, we lose sight—truly—of the underlying, saving truth: God is with us. God loves us . And even when heartbreak happens, when tragedy visits, when we suffer unimaginable difficulties, God can redeem it all.

God loves His twists. He likes taking our expectations and flipping them on their heads, creating a beauty and power we’d never expect.

In the film, a young Ming Wang learns to play an instrument called the erhu , a sort of two-stringed fiddle. He learns from Lili’s blind father that one of his favorite erhu pieces, “Two Springs Reflect the Moon,” was written by a blind composer—one who had never seen a spring, or a reflection, or a moon. The composer, Ah Bing, had to imagine it all, and in so doing brought beauty and meaning to the image that a sighted composer could never have equaled.

“It’s because of this I have hope to hang on to,” the old man says. “Ah Bing imagined beauty even though he could not see.”

Those who go to see Sight will see some difficult, violent images. But they’ll also be witness to a powerful story. In a film titled Sight , the physical meaning of the title becomes almost an afterthought. Instead, we may be reminded of another great composition:

I once was lost, but now am found Was blind, but now I see.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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Best Apple TV Movies and TV for Families to Watch Together

Last updated: May 28, 2024

When a movie or TV show is a Common Sense Selection, you know you're in for a great family-viewing experience. Age-appropriate? Check! Entertaining? Definitely! Able to inspire excellent discussions with kids and families? You bet. All of these official Selections are available to watch now on Apple TV, making it easier than ever for you to find your family's next favorite thing to watch together. See more best-of lists like this .

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Heartfelt, diverse film about love, life; strong language.

Shooting Stars

Well-acted basketball biopic has language, teen drinking.

The Miracle Club

Heartwarming comedy-drama has mature themes, some language.

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Next Rock Island Unplugged is Wed.

In an effort to encourage open dialogue between Rock Island officials and residents, the city will hold another Rock Island Unplugged on Wednesday night, this time featuring Mayor Mike Thoms and department directors.

The casual public-forum event allows residents to engage in a question-and-answer session with city officials and department directors outside the City Hall setting. The city has been holding “Rock Island Unplugged” events since 2018, and the next one is at Stern Center, 1713 3 rd  Ave., Rock Island, on Wednesday, May 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Residents may ask any city-related questions or bring up concerns about city business, projects, plans, services, public safety and more. The public may also share ideas or suggestions they have.

“We are excited to hold another Rock Island Unplugged. It is a great opportunity to meet and engage with the public,” Mayor Mike Thoms said in a news release. “This is an opportunity for the community to ask questions, get answers and provide input.”

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and panel discussions will begin at 6 p.m. Hot appetizers, non-alcoholic beverages and a cash bar will be provided to attendees.

In addition to Thoms, the event will feature City Manager Todd Thompson, Public Works Director Mike Bartels, Community and Economic Development Director Miles Brainard, Economic Development Director Tom Flaherty, Interim Police Chief Tim McCloud, Fire Chief Bob Graff, Parks and Recreation Director John Gripp, Finance Director Jessica Sager, Library Director Angela Campbell, MLK Community Center Director Jerry Jones, City Clerk Samantha Gange and Community Engagement Manager Sarah Hayden.

An opening statement will be given by Mayor Thoms, followed by introductions of department directors and summaries of current projects or events. The floor will then be opened to questions from citizens.

If unable to attend, residents may send questions in advance to Sarah Hayden at  [email protected] . Submitted questions will be read out loud during the event.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.

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The 30 best horror film franchises

Posted: March 7, 2024 | Last updated: March 7, 2024

The 30 best horror franchises

For almost as long as there have been horror films, there have been horror franchises. The first explosion of horror sequels detonated in the 1930s when audiences went gaga for fiends like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and so on. Over the next few decades, studios (primarily Universal) wrung every last bit of profitability out of these creatures while looking for the next commercially viable ghoul or ghost or what-have-you. More than 80 years later, nothing has changed. Horror is still one of the most reliable (and affordable) genres out there. Which series of films have most adeptly mixed artistry with business? Here are 30 franchises (of three films or more) that maintained our enthusiasm without insulting our intelligence...too much (ranked from least to best).

"Sleepaway Camp"

If you’ve never seen the original “Sleepaway Camp," drop everything you’re doing (unless you’re delivering a baby or something; maybe finish that up), and fire up a stream of this slasher classic immediately. What Robert Hiltzik’s original lacks in craftsmanship (and it lacks a lot ), it more than makes up for in bizarre moments and a mind-blowing finale that turned it into one of the most talked-about cult horror films of the 1980s. Sequels were inevitable, and director Michael A. Simpson maintains the lo-fi aesthetic while injecting an overt tone of self-parody that’s alternately amusing and grating. Pamela Springsteen (the sister of The Boss) has a great time as the killer/protagonist. Stay far away from Hiltzik’s botched “Return to Sleepaway Camp."

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"Slumber Party Massacre"

This slasher series boasts an all-female roster of directors, though only Amy Holden Jones’ original fully succeeds at toying with the sexist tropes of the subgenre. Deborah Brock introduces a ghostly rockabilly driller killer into the mix with “Slumber Party II," which is good for a few laughs. It’s far superior to Sally Mattison’s joyless, by-the-numbers “Slumber Party III," which can’t even muster up one memorable kill. Not a great franchise, but the subversive brilliance of the first movie gives the series all the juice it needs.

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"Ju-On" aka "The Curse"

Of the big J-Horror franchises, “Ringu” contains the best film (the original), but in terms of variety and sheer quantity, “Ju-On” has much more to offer. The interesting aspect of this series is how the Japanese and American iterations have essentially worked in tandem. (For instance, the film’s creator, Takashi Shimizu, eagerly signed on to direct two of the U.S. movies). Are they little more than strung-together set pieces? Not really. But when the set pieces work, they stay with you.

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Universal's "The Mummy"

Universal got six films out of its Mummy franchise but only managed to retain Boris Karloff for one go-round as the resurrected Imhotep. Tom Tyler, Lon Chaney Jr. and Eddie Parker would all take their turns under the gauze, but unlike the other Universal franchises, none of the sequels came close to matching the quality of the original. It’s the least interesting of the classic franchises (reboots included).

"Candyman"

Director Bernard Rose’s reconfiguring of Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden” is a slasher film with soul. The haunting combination of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green projects and Philip Glass’ minimalist score sets a uniquely unnerving mood; this isn’t one to howl at over a case of beer (or the intoxicant of your choice) with buddies. Tony Todd cuts a terrifying figure as the mythical murderer who can be conjured by five utterances of his name while looking in a mirror. The first sequel, “Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh” (directed by Bill Condon), delves into the characters back story with mixed results. The final film in the trilogy, “Candyman: Day of the Dead," is straight-up dreadful. Here’s hoping the Jordan Peele-produced remake can make good on the franchise’s squandered promise.

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"The Howling"

Few horror franchises suffer a more precipitous drop-off from the first film to the second than “The Howling." Joe Dante’s 1981 adaptation of Gary Brandner’s werewolf novel is both a terrifyingly tale of a young couple unwittingly caught in a colony of werewolves and a knowing riff on the sub-genre’s well-established rules and conventions. It’s one of the best horror films of the 1980s. “Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf," directed by Aussie auteur Philippe Mora, is not (though it’s a must for Sybil Danning fans). Mora’s “Howling III” is a loopy improvement on the atrocious first sequel, and if you’re wise you’ll make it the last “Howling” movie you ever watch. The next five movies attempt to reboot, retcon and restore continuity with little in the way of invention or effort.

"The Wolf Man"

Director George Waggner and screenwriter Curt Siodmak collaborated for one of Universal’s finest horror films, which stars Lon Chaney Jr. as the cursed Larry Talbot. The highlight of the movie is Talbot’s progressive transformation into a werewolf, which set a high standard for creature visual f/x. (Makeup maestros like Rick Baker still marvel at it.) While "The Wolf Man" was a celebrated part of the Universal Monsters franchise, the furry fella never got another sequel unto himself. Many fans include 1935’s unrelated “Werewolf of London” as part of the series, with “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” and the June Lockhart-starring “She-Wolf of London” as official follow-ups (even though the latter has nothing to do with the Talbot story).

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"The Creature from the Black Lagoon"

While Harry Essex and Arthur A. Ross wrote a perfectly fine script, and Jack Arnold brought his usual visual mastery to the film, the only reason we’re still obsessed with “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” today is Milicent Patrick’s brilliant Gill-Man design — and of course, the gorgeous Julie Adams, who captured more than the Creature’s heart as ichthyologist Kay Lawrence. The first sequel, “Revenge of the Creature," feels like a rush job. “The Creature Walks Among Us," however, at least tries to put a Frankenstein’s Monster spin on the story, but the writing isn’t sharp enough and worst of all, the creature design has lost all of Patrick’s artistry and charm.

"Paranormal Activity"

This ultra-low-budget scare machine from writer-director Oren Peli was a surprise box office smash in 2009, raking in $107 million domestically and providing the spendthrifts at Paramount Pictures their first bargain-basement horror franchise since “Friday the 13th." This time the success was well earned: The first movie takes full advantage of its stripped-down conceit. After stumbling with the ho-hum “Paranormal Activity 2," the franchise found new life via “Catfish” directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman in the third and fourth films. The series seemed to have stalled out with 2015’s “The Ghost Dimension," but Paramount claims a seventh film is in the offing.

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"Hellraiser"

Clive Barker had recently been dubbed “the future of horror” when he knocked the horror world sideways with this unremittingly kinky and gory adaptation of his novella “The Hellbound Heart." The otherworldly, torture-happy Cenobites (led by Doug Bradley’s aptly-named Pinhead) were a huge hit with moviegoers, and the first two sequels, “Hellbound” and “Hell on Earth," were worthy follow-ups to the sadomasochistic original. Aside from the Cenobites, the series drew much of its terrifying power from Christopher Young’s magnificent score, which remained the musical template for a while after he departed the series. The final theatrical effort, “Bloodline," was an Alan Smithee-directed mess, but the first direct-to-video release, “Hellraiser: Inferno” (directed by future “Doctor Strange” helmer, Scott Derrickson), is pretty good. The series nadir by far is 2011’s “Revelations," which dropped Bradley in favor of a… notably full-faced Pinhead. 

"Friday the 13th"

Unlike most of the franchises on this list, there’s not a single great entry that wholly redeems this series’ existence. At their 1980s peak, they were cheaply produced stalk-and-kills that occasionally got an infusion of craft (Joseph Zito’s “The Final Chapter," featuring A-plus f/x work from Tom Savini) or a sense of humor (Tom McLoughlin’s “Jason Lives” and James Isaac’s space-bound “Jason X”). They’re also the purest expression of the low-aiming slasher ethos, and, as such, are either very much your thing or very much not. These movies are at their bloody best when they get a bunch of horny, pot-smoking kids together and let Jason Voorhees pick them off one by one in inventively gruesome fashion. The only completely unwatchable installment is the telekinetically awful “The New Blood."

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"Re-Animator"

Stuart Gordon’s Grand Guignol take on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “Herbert West – Re-Animator” is a gore-drenched hoot starring Jeffrey Combs as the titular medical student who’s developed a reagent that brings the dead back to life. The only problem is that the dead aren’t quite who they once were and aren’t terribly pleased to be back among the living. Brian Yuzna took over the directing reins for the sequels, “Bride of Re-Animator” and “Beyond Re-Animator," and placed a greater emphasis on the comedic elements. “Bride” is enjoyable, but “Beyond” is a waste of Combs’s deranged genius as West.

"Saw"

One of the standout entries at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival wound up launching one of the longest-running horror franchises in the history of the medium. Along with Eli Roth’s “Hostel," James Wan’s film also played a crucial role in creating the “torture porn” sub-genre. While the deadly Rube Goldberg antics of Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) didn’t yield any great films over its nine-movie run (though we’ll see what’s what with Darren Lynn Bousman-directed, Chris Rock-starring “The Organ Donor” in 2020), some of the sequels, particularly the Kevin Greutert-helmed “Saw VI” and “Saw 3D," delivered some nifty, late-in-the-series twists. None of the films is unwatchable, and the creators know to keep the runtime in the 90-minute range.

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"Jaws"

When a franchise’s first installment happens to be one of the greatest films ever made, you can follow it up with nothing but dreck and it’ll still make this list. It’s close, but “Jaws 2” retains enough of the original’s Spielbergian charm (and, most importantly, cast) that you excuse its narrative contrivances. “Jaws 3-D” features Dennis Quaid, Lea Thompson and a post-Oscar Louis Gossett Jr., but the promise of a gargantuan great white terrorizing a water park is largely squandered. “Jaws: The Revenge” posits that an entire species of shark has it out for the Brody family but doesn’t get nearly bonkers enough. It’s merely atrocious, though the alternate opening is very special .

Universal's "Dracula"

If you think it might be difficult to take Bela Lugosi’s take on the iconic bloodsucker seriously after Martin Landau’s Oscar-winning performance of a late-in-life Lugosi in Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood," you needn’t worry. Tod Browning’s 1931 “Dracula” is still a creepy delight — and while Karl Freund’s shadowy cinematography certainly lends an apprehensive air to the film, the menace is all Lugosi. Gloria Holden capably took up the fangs as “Dracula’s Daughter," while Lon Chaney Jr. starred as the “Son of Dracula," which concluded the initial trilogy. Lugosi returned one last time to the role for the sublime “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein."

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"The Conjuring"

Studios are all about creating “universes” nowadays as a means of expanding popular brands — which sometimes doesn’t work out at all . That this strategy is now being applied to horror is hardly a surprise; that it’s worked out so well with “The Conjuring”  is . The idea thus far has been to focus in part on objects contained in the haunted archive of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren while also producing spinoffs based on characters introduced in the main series. “The Conjuring” movies have justifiably been huge hits, while the “Annabelle” series has proved profitable despite being up-and-down quality-wise (“Annabelle: Creation” is the best yet). There’s also “The Nun," “The Curse of La Llorona” and lots more on the way.

"Child's Play"

The brainchild of screenwriter Don Mancini, “Child’s Play” has spawned seven movies, all of which are watchable on some level. The first film, directed by Tom Holland (“Fright Night”), got the sequel ball rolling by presenting a Cabbage Patch Doll-sized creature as a plausibly lethal murderer. The next two sequels coasted on the effectiveness of the first, while “Bride of Chucky” and “Seed of Chucky” veered enjoyably into camp. Universal and Mancini successfully revived the franchise in 2013 as a direct-to-video series, but MGM has seemingly kiboshed further Mancini efforts thanks to its 2019 remake.

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Universal's "The Invisible Man"

Claude Rains is splendid as the ambitious chemist who “meddled in things that man must leave alone." The first film is a joy, featuring clever visual f/x from John P. Fulton, John J. Mescall and Frank D. Williams that deftly provided the illusion of invisibility. Vincent Price took over as the disembodied voice in the Joe May’s decent “The Invisible Man Returns," while Virginia Bruce gave the franchise a comedic spin as “The Invisible Woman." The best of the sequels is the WWII-set, Curt Siodmak-scripted “Invisible Agent," which was actual U.S. propaganda that finds Jon Hall trying to keep the invisibility formula out of the clutches of the Axis forces.

Hammer's "Frankenstein"

Terence Fisher’s “Curse of Frankenstein” established the Hammer Horror house style in 1957 with its florid color scheme, generous (for the time) gore and the one-two punch of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as, respectively, Victor Frankenstein and his monster. Six sequels ensued — most with Cushing hamming it up in his inimitable fashion as the Baron, while Lee put in his work as Hammer’s Dracula — and they vary in quality from quite good (“The Revenge of Frankenstein” and “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell”) to regrettably awful (the Freddie Francis-directed “The Evil of Frankenstein”).

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"Final Destination"

Jeffrey Redding’s “Final Destination” screenplay began life as a spec script for “The X-Files” but gradually grew into a feature film about a group of kids who think they’ve cheated death by getting off a plane doomed to crash, only to learn that death  really hates a cheat. The elaborate Rube Goldberg kills in this series are the reason for its existence and longevity, and while some have mined this formula with more fiendish cleverness than others (e.g. “Final Destination 2” and “Final Destination 3”), they’re all eminently watchable.

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter

Though the character of Hannibal Lecter is a supporting role in Jonathan Demme’s “Silence of the Lambs," Anthony Hopkins imbued him with such charismatically erudite menace that he won Best Actor at the 1992 Academy Awards, and not a single sensible individual complained. Lecter was, at the time, a one-of-a-kind monster; you were drawn to him, and you desperately wanted his approval. So did Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling, though she was smart enough to know his endearment was an invitation to slaughter. That’s what made Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal” so fascinating: Knowing that Lecter is out in the real world, regardless of his promise at the end of “Silence" is like having tangible proof that the devil exists. “Red Dragon” is a moron’s version of “Manhunter."

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"Scream"

Horror (particularly at a studio level) was in dire straits in 1996 when director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson gave the genre a meta, blockbuster makeover with “Scream." It threw everyone for a loop: studio execs started fast-tracking every half-decent horror script they could get their hands on, while critics, who’d loathed the first wave of slashers, found themselves praising the reinvented sub-genre. “Scream 2” was famously rushed through production, but while it lacks the novel snap of the original, it still contains some thrilling set pieces. “Scream 3” reeked of obligation, while “Scream 4” was a simultaneously overworked and undercooked attempt to revive the series. 

Hammer's "Dracula"

Ask most people to name the most iconic Dracula of the 20th century, and they’ll likely fire back with Bela Lugosi. But those with a taste for the bloody stuff might very well go with Christopher Lee, who feasted on many a neck as the Count over six movies. His arch-nemesis was Peter Cushing’s Van Helsing, who appeared in two of the best entries (“House of Dracula” and “Dracula A.D. 1972”) while also turning up in the uninspired “The Satanic Rites of Dracula." The most underrated of the bunch: Freddie Francis’ “Dracula Has Risen from the Grave."

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"A Nightmare on Elm Street"

The 1980s’ quasi-respectable slasher franchise kicked off with Wes Craven’s all-timer and then got bold — though very few critics picked up on it at the time — with “Freddy’s Revenge," which centers on a protagonist who’s struggling with his repressed homosexuality. “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” brought in up-and-comers Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont to work a more conventional, almost superhero-esque riff on the sub-genre, while Renny Harlin’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” cemented Freddy Krueger’s persona as a quippy beast. The series stalled out until Craven returned for the daringly meta 1994’s “New Nightmare." The 2010 Platinum Dunes remake is an abomination.

"The Exorcist"

William Friedkin’s adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist” was one of the biggest hits in film history upon its initial release in 1973, which meant Warner Bros. would’ve been fiscally remiss to not at least try to make a sequel. Would the studio go in a completely different direction and tell a new story or rehash the characters and incidents of the first movie? Under John Boorman’s direction, it tried to do both, resulting in one of the most fascinating big-studio botches you’ll ever see. Much better was “The Exorcist III," directed by Blatty himself and based on his novel “Legion." Blatty’s mix of gallows humor and nightmare-inducing terror deserved better from critics (and has found a devoted cult following over the last few decades). Paul Schrader tried to do a thoughtful, theological riff on the series with the fourth film but was fired and replaced with the decidedly un-thoughtful Renny Harlin. Both versions have been released, and neither is any good. 

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"Texas Chainsaw Massacre"

Despite its relative paucity of gore, Tobe Hooper’s terrifying classic frequently gets mischaracterized as one of the bloodiest movies ever made — oftentimes by those who’ve actually seen it! Alas, it’s just the viewer’s imagination running off into the darkest reaches of human depravity. For those who needed to see what Leatherface gets up to when that steel door slides ominously shut, Hooper slaked their bloodthirstiness and then some with the deliriously satiric, unrated sequel. After two commercially unsuccessful sequels (1990’s “Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III” and 1995’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation," both of which have their defenders), Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes breathed stylish new life into the franchise with the popular 2003 remake, but the newfangled approach lost all audience appeal with the fetid prequel “The Beginning." Since then the saw’s run out of juice with the awful “Texas Chainsaw 3D” and the semi-interesting failure “Letherface."

"Halloween"

The film that kicked off the slasher craze is about as good as it gets horror-wise. The sequels/remakes/reboots that followed have ranged from terrific (2018’s “Halloween” and “Halloween III: Season of the Witch”) to competent (“Halloween II," “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” and “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later”) to doo-doo (“Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers” and “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers”) to jumbo doo-doo (“Halloween: Resurrection”) to whatever the hell Rob Zombie was trying to accomplish with his atonal pair of late ‘00s reimaginings. That’s an outstanding hit-to-miss ratio for a horror franchise, and it will hopefully improve with David Gordon Green’s “Halloween Kills” in 2020.

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Universal's "Frankenstein"

This is the crown jewel of Universal’s monster series, primarily on the strength of James Whale’s “Frankenstein” and “Bride of Frankenstein." The latter is one of the finest, most heartbreaking horror films of all time (certainly one of the greatest sequels), which is likely due to Whale’s profound connection to the outcast nature of his characters (though friends and colleagues dispute any homoerotic reading). Karloff is skillful, veering from fright to tenderness to fury as the monster set the template for every subsequent portrayal. Lugosi joins the fun in “Son of Frankenstein” and gives one of his best performances as Ygor.

"The Evil Dead"

What started as a shoestring-financed, single-location horror flick, became, in the words of the great Joe Bob Briggs, the ultimate “spam-in-a-cabin” movie. Sam Raimi delivered more than non-stop gore; he employed inventive camera angles and cinematic techniques that alerted viewers that they were watching more than a typical exploitation movie. The cult popularity of the first film brought us the gozo “Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn," which transformed Bruce Campbell’s Ash into a chainsaw-wielding, mishap-prone hero. The third movie, “Army of Darkness," literally went medieval on Ash, pitting him against a legion of “Deadites." The subsequent TV series was fun, and the remake worked well enough, but the first three films are aces.

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George Romero's "Dead" Series

As the creator of the modern zombie movie, George A. Romero could’ve easily turned the sequels to “Night of the Living Dead” into red-meat gorefests, but the Pittsburgh auteur had more on his mind. Lots more. Each installment — “Dawn of the Dead," “Day of the Dead," “Land of the Dead," “Diary of the Dead” and “Survival of the Dead” — provided incisive commentary on our decaying sociopolitical landscape, and if the old man were still with us today (and, god, do we miss him), he’d be serving up a big, steaming plate of “told-you-so”… in the form of a new zombie movie, natch.

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