Top 10 Horror Franchises Ranked
We crunched the data to create a super scientific list of the best-reviewed, most beloved, and most consistent horror series ever.
We love horror franchises because you never really know what you’re going to get. Sometimes horror sequels are great, and sometimes they’re soul-crushing. Remakes can be really good, or they can be A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). The Halloween franchise is so disjointed that there are five timelines. Recently, the Saw and Final Destination franchises unleashed their Freshest entries, which goes against established horror rules of diminishing returns. When looking at the horror sequels released in 2026, they perfectly encapsulate the variety we’ve gotten from 100+ years of horror movies. There’s the super Fresh (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple), Fresh (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come), Rotten (Scream 7, Insidious: Out of the Further), and really Rotten (The Strangers: Chapter 3). It’s fun.
Horror franchises are also full of surprises. It’s possible that a classic film can spawn nothing but Rotten sequels (hello, Jaws), or a series can start Rotten and build towards fifth and sixth entries with Fresh scores (Final Destination 5 and Final Destination Bloodlines). Who knows?
With Halloween around the corner, we decided to look back and update a piece we did, examining which long-running horror franchises are the best, statistically speaking. We pulled the data on horror franchises that have at least four films (with at least 5 reviews each) released theatrically or on a major streaming/subscription site and came up with 47 competitors. We counted sequels, remakes, reboots and prequels as part of each franchise, and sadly, we had to leave a few classic ones out because of a lack of reviews.
All of the 47 franchises were ranked in each of the seven categories below. The winner was the franchise who had the lowest total score (think closest to the No. 1 spot) from the seven categories. In other words, the lowest possible score would be 7 (if a film placed first in every category), and the highest would be 329 (if it placed last in every category). Here’s what we looked at:
- Franchise Freshness Percentage (aka How Many of the Franchise’s Films are Fresh)
- Tomatometer Average
- Popcornmeter Average
- Sequel Tomatometer Average
- Sequel Popcornmeter Average
- Best Overall Movie in Each Franchise (Tomatometer/Popcornmeter Average)
- Worst Overall Movie in Each Franchise (Tomatometer/Popcornmeter Average)
We felt like it was important to do a “sequels only” category because we wanted to see which of the franchise’s follow-up installments held up on their own merit. For instance, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is Certified Fresh at 85% on the Tomatometer, but its sequels, remakes, reboots, and reboot-quels sport a dismal 26.5% average. That’s a big gap!
Without further ado, let’s dive into the numbers and see which Horror Franchise is the bloody best.
10. Alien
- Number of films: 9
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 55.5%
- Tomatometer Avg: 59.4%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 61.1%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 55.25%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 57%
- Best Film: Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) – 93.5% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) – 21% TM/PM Avg.
In space, no one can hear you scream, but you’d better believe the people waiting in line for popcorn heard the screams coming from the theaters playing Ridley Scott’s Alien in 1979. Between Scott’s direction, H.R. Giger’s monster creations, and Ellen Ripley, the all-time hero perfectly portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, Alien became one of the most influential horror films ever made. Imagine sitting in a packed theater and witnessing the reactions to John Hurt’s chest-bursting scene, or Ripley’s final battle with the acid blood-spewing xenomorph (who is also impossibly gooey). Now, imagine sitting in a theater in 1986, when Ripley squared-off against the Alien Queen in James Cameron’s sequel Aliens, which earned Weaver a Best Actress Oscar nomination.
Aside from Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, Alien and Aliens might be the most impressive back-to-back films in any modern horror franchise. They helped boost the horror genre to new heights (and not just because they took place in space), and pulled in loads of money during their theatrical runs. If it weren’t for what was to come, the franchise might have landed in the No. 1 spot.
Unfortunately, the series did experience some lows in the 1990s and 2000s, as Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection, and the Alien vs. Predator films all earned Rotten Tomatometer scores. However, Scott and director Fede Álvarez turned things around in the 2010s and 2020s with Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and Alien: Romulus, the Fresh prequels (or prequel sequels) that explore the origins of the xenomorph and demonstrate what happens if you flee from large, tumbling objects in a straight line.
9. Fear Street
- Number of films: 4
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 75%
- Tomatometer Avg: 72.25%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 60.75%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 68.3%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 60%
- Best Film: Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021) – 84.5% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025) – 26% TM/PM Avg.
With an excellent Tomatometer score of 84%, Fear Street Part One: 1994 has the lowest score of the initial Fear Street trilogy, an impressive feat for any franchise. Most impressively, the Tomatometer scores increased with Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (88%) and Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (89%), and it’s the only three-film run with Tomatometer improvement over the first three films in our dataset.
Fueled by cold brew coffee and a wonderful crew, director/co-writer Leigh Janiak (watch Honeymoon — it’s really good) shot the first three films over 106 days. Drawing inspiration from Scream, Friday the 13th, and The New World, the story follows outsiders dealing with the no-good-goings-on in Shadyside, Ohio. Spanning 300+ years, the three standalone films go back in time to decipher why Shadyside is a haven for brutal kills and corruption.
Janiak and crew reinvented the world three times with new camera styles, costumes, and production design. It was a herculean effort by Janiak, and the result is three Certified Fresh horror films starring Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, and Benjamin Flores Jr.
Fear Street: Prom Queen gave the franchise a fourth film, which made it eligible for this list, but it’s also an all-around Rotten effort (28% TM / 24% PM) from director Matt Palmer that kept the franchise out of the top five. So, sure, it dragged the Tomatometer scores down, but it let us talk about how great Leigh Janiak is.
8. Frankenstein (Hammer)
- Number of films: 7
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 85.7%
- Tomatometer Avg: 70.7%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 55.8%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 68.3%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 52.3%
- Best Film: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) – 81% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: The Evil of Frankenstein (1964) – 47% TM/PM Avg.
In 1957, The Curse of Frankenstein, a low-budget horror film, was brought to life by Hammer Films, and it successfully rampaged around the world. The Terence Fisher-directed film starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and scream queen Hazel Court featured a world of bright red blood, irredeemable villains, and memorable production design by Bernard Robinson. The 83-minute film punched above its weight, as it’s considered one of the most influential and successful British horror films, and Terence Fisher followed it up with the Freshly rated The Revenge of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, The Mummy, and The Hounds of the Baskervilles. The Curse of Frankenstein has a lasting legacy, and it’s neat knowing that directors Guillermo del Toro (who considers Fisher a cinematic “father figure”), Tobe Hooper, Peter Jackson, and Tim Burton are all fans of Fisher.
With six Fresh films out of seven, The Hammer Frankenstein series is one of the most consistent horror franchises ever. It helps that Peter Cushing appeared in six of them (he didn’t appear in The Horror of Frankenstein, which is a black-comedy reboot), and whether he’s asking for marmalade or murdering people, his iconic performances ensure the world will never be rid of his inspired acting decisions.
7. George Romero’s Dead
- Number of films: 8
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 87.5%
- Tomatometer Avg: 68.75%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 63.6%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 65%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 60.2%
- Best Film: Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978) – 91% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: Survival of the Dead (2009) – 24% TM/PM Avg.
With Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of The Dead, Land of the Dead, and Diary of the Dead all being Fresh, it’s no shock that George Romero’s zombie franchise cracked the top 10. Romero’s films, which started with 1968’s seminal Night of the Living Dead, are all-time horror classics that combine the thrill of undead flesh-eaters with commentaries on race relations, consumerism, and gentrification. Though other zombie movies predate Night of the Living Dead, this franchise kicked the craze into high gear, and you can see its imprint all over popular culture, from The Walking Dead to Shaun of the Dead and countless others in between.
One thing that makes this franchise unique is that two of its remakes are actually good. The 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead, directed by Tom Savini, is a near-Fresh delight that features a better Barbara (she is coming for the zombies this time) and showcases what happens when people realize the zombies are ridiculously slow. The 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead is notable as it was Zack Snyder’s first film, and Certified Fresh at 77%, it’s still his best-reviewed movie. Both belong in the Horror Remake Hall of Fame, as they are companion pieces to their source material that branch out in their own directions and offer new twists.
6. Scream
- Number of films: 7
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 71.4%
- Tomatometer Avg: 64.28%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 68.4%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 62%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 66.5%
- Best Film: Scream VI (2023) – 83.5% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: Scream 3 (2000) – 41.5% TM/PM Avg.
Let’s get something out of the way: Parker Posey is amazing in Scream 3, and anybody that says otherwise is… absolutely welcome to their opinion, because we’re all different and have the right to be totally wrong about the greatness of Parker Posey.
Since 1996, the Scream franchise has been one of the most consistent and successful horror franchises ever, and it has done so by introducing a fresh batch of killers in each installment. Sure, the plan in Scream 6 is baloney, but at a Certified Fresh 77% on the Tomatometer, it’s better than pretty much every other sixth entry in every major horror franchise (Jason Lives is a close second, at least in our hearts).
Wes Craven’s half satire, half genuine horror series has never lit the critical world on fire, but its individual Tomatometer scores have never sunk below 30%. Which is something the Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Final Destination, Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Chucky, Halloween and other major franchises can’t boast. The Scream franchise’s consistency in staying somewhere in the middle(ish) of the Tomatometer is admirable, and aside from Scream 7, the Rotten (Scream 3 — it rules) and barely Fresh entries (Scream 4) have built up cult audiences. Scream 4 (2010) wasn’t too popular in 2010, but time has been kind to Craven’s assault on internet fame, and the sequel is now respected for the committed performances from Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere (Kirby is a legend).
5. Dracula (Universal): 1931-1948
- Number of films: 7
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 57.1%
- Tomatometer Avg: 74%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 56.2%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 70.3%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 52%
- Best Film: Dracula (1931) – 89% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: House of Dracula (1945) – 42.5% TM/PM Avg.
We like knowing that one of the most influential and endearing horror franchises is on our list. Universal’s Dracula franchise is universally beloved and has influenced filmmakers since 1931 with its inventive camerawork, gothic set design, and lead performance from Bela Lugosi.
Lugosi cut his teeth playing the blood-sucking character in a Broadway production, and his stage acting helped him land the role in the Todd Browning (Freaks, The Unholy Three) directed adaptation. The 6’1” Lugosi towered over his co-stars, and his thick Hungarian accent allowed him to deliver lines like “I never drink… wine” with a memorable cadence. It also helped that he looked great in a tuxedo and cape.
The pre-Code film is famous for Karl Freund’s beautiful cinematography, inspired by F.W. Murnau’s 1922 epic Nosferatu. The German Freund was no stranger to expressionism, and his “unchained camera” techniques gave Dracula a fluid look despite the heavy camera equipment of the day. The fluid camerawork and prolonged moments of silence create a unique personality that feels simultaneously revelatory and old school, as new and old production techniques are used to tell its story.
The franchise sequels Son of Dracula (57%), House of Frankenstein (55%), and House of Dracula (56%) are all close to Fresh, and the 1931 Spanish version of Dracula, starring Carlos Villarías, is Fresh at 100%. The sequel that’s talked about the most is 1931’s Dracula’s Daughter (64%). The Lambert Hillyer-directed film starring Gloria Holden focuses on a reluctant vampire looking to cure herself of vampirism. The film looks gorgeous, and the subtext is still being studied and appreciated today.
4. Hannibal Lecter
- Number of films: 5
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 60%
- Tomatometer Avg: 62.6%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 72.6%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 54.75%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 71.5%
- Best Film: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – 95.5% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: Hannibal Rising (2007) – 35.5% TM/PM Avg.
In 1986, Manhunter, an adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon, introduced theatergoers to Brian Cox’s Hannibal Lecktor, a serial killer with a taste for human flesh. The Michael Mann-helmed film was a modest success that was rightfully praised for its style, cinematography, and performances, but it wasn’t until five years later, with the release of Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs, that Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) — now spelled correctly — became a household name.
The $130 million domestic haul ($284 million when adjusted for inflation) of The Silence of the Lambs made it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1991, and the five Oscars it won for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay made it not just the only horror film to win Best Picture, but also only the third film ever to sweep all five of the top Academy Award categories (It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are the other two).
While Manhunter, The Silence of the Lambs, and Red Dragon (Fresh at 68%) secured the franchise a spot on this list with their excellent Tomatometer and Audience Scores, Ridley Scott’s 2001 sequel Hannibal (Rotten at 39%) and prequel Hannibal Rising (Rotten at 16%) kept the franchise from claiming the number one spot. We didn’t include box office results in the equation, but it’s worth noting that Hannibal pulled in $352 million worldwide in 2001, which means audiences were hungry for classy cannibal shenanigans and weren’t too bothered by the Rotten reviews.
3. Frankenstein (Universal): 1931-1948
- Number of films: 8
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 62.5%
- Tomatometer Avg: 73.2%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 62.75%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 70.2%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 59.2%
- Best Film: Bride of Frankenstein (1935) – 92.5% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1945) – 40% TM/PM Avg.
Following the success of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), and Dracula (1931), director James Whale crafted an infamous (the lake scene) pre-Code monster movie that made Universal executives scream “It’s alive!” when they looked at the box office receipts. The success had them looking towards a new world of gods and monsters, which led the studio to release eight nightmare pictures over 17 years; the Universal Frankenstein films (and Dracula) helped create the template for modern horror franchises. With direct sequels, shared universes, horror comedies, and monster rallies (aka super shockers), Frankenstein became a lucrative beast.
With the one-two punch of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, the Universal horror franchise can claim two all-time classics on its resume. The James Whale films helped kick off the “nightmare pictures” era, and the franchise had surprising legs, with Son of Frankenstein (95%) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (90%) keeping up the trend of respected entries. If we’re talking about the best horror sequels ever, 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein has to be in the mix. Initially, Whale didn’t want to direct the sequel, but while re-exploring Shelley’s novel, he decided to tackle the daunting project. He also worked tirelessly to avoid the strict production code by using subtext, visual metaphors, and strategic editing. It’s a film that’s still being studied today, which isn’t bad for a 91-year-old horror sequel.
The Rotten Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (25%), House of Frankenstein (55%), and House of Dracula (56%) dragged the scores down, but there’s fun to be had in watching Bella Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. tussling inside a collapsing castle in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
2. Evil Dead
- Number of films: 6
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 100%
- Tomatometer Avg: 76.3%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 79%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 74.6%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 78%
- Best Film: Evil Dead 2 (1987) – 88.5% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: Evil Dead (2013) – 63.5% TM/PM Avg.
Before we dive into the Evil Dead franchise stats, it’s worth noting that all six of the Evil Dead films have Fresh Tomatometer and Hot Popcornmeter Scores. This is a groovy stat, as no other franchise with six entries in our dataset can claim the accomplishment. It might be the most consistent R-rated franchise in existence, and when you toss in the 99% Fresh score of the sequel TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, it’s a franchise that has never known a Rotten score. Hail to the king, baby!
Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead (85%), Evil Dead 2 (88%), and Army of Darkness (68%); Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake (63%); 2023’s Evil Dead Rise (85%); and 2026’s Evil Dead Burn (71%) collectively have the second highest Tomatometer average in our dataset, and placed second behind the number one franchise in our list. The 85% Tomatometer score for Evil Dead Rise, the fifth film in the franchise, is wildly impressive especially since the average Tomatometer score for fifth entries in a horror franchise is 39%. Evil Dead Rise stands tall among all later horror sequels.
That said, it’s not only the critics who love this franchise; Rotten Tomatoes users think it’s pretty groovy too. The 79.3% Popcornmeter average makes this the highest-rated horror franchise and the only one to achieve a Popcornmeter average of 79% or above, and once again (we think it’s really important), none of its Popcornmeter Scores fall into Stale territory. The closest any of these films come to Rotten or Stale is the 2013 remake, which has a 63% Tomatometer Score and 64% Popcornmeter Score. However, when you consider it’s a horror remake, and horror remakes average 39% on the Tomatometer, that 63% looks pretty great.
We hope that 2028’s Evil Dead Wrath keeps the streak alive.
1. 28 Days Later
- Number of films: 4
- Franchise Freshness Percentage: 100%
- Tomatometer Avg: 84.75%
- Popcornmeter Avg: 75.5%
- Sequel Tomatometer Avg: 84.3%
- Sequel Popcornmeter Avg: 72.3%
- Best Film: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) – 89.5% TM/PM Avg.
- Worst Film: 28 Weeks Later (2007) – 69.5% TM/PM Avg.
If you’ve watched the 28 Days Later films, you’ll know that the four entries feature dozens of running scenes involving scared humans being chased by rage-infected maniacs. With an 84% Tomatometer average, the 28 Days Later franchise ran away with the No. 1 spot, with its only competition being the Evil Dead franchise. While the Deadites often chase down their victims, they couldn’t catch the franchise started by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland.
28 Days Later cruised to victory in this competition, but it’s worth noting that the four films focus on difficult journeys (hello, Alex Garland) that result in death, abduction, and a pre-Hawkeye Jeremy Renner becoming a human fireball. The franchise has never shied away from nudity, gore, drug use, torture, eye mutilation, head bludgeoning, or assault, and its heavy metal tendencies and unfiltered stories have led to its success. If you’ve watched 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, you’ll probably remember a morphine-addled Ralph Fiennes slow dancing to the Duran Duran song Rio with a naked Alpha-rage-infected colossus named Samson, played by the 6’8” Chi Lewis-Perry. Director Nia DaCosta deserves a round of applause for leaning into the moment and delivering a charming naked dance scene in a horror film involving a monster who can rip spines from people’s bodies.
It also helps that directors Danny Boyle, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and Nia DaCosta were able to work with Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Imogen Poots, Robert Carlyle, Harold Perrineau, Idris Elba, Jodie Comer, Alfie Williams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Perry. It’s an embarrassment of riches, and the actors appear in some of the most thrilling scenes in horror history. Whether it’s the house escape in 28 Weeks Later, the causeway chase in 28 Years Later, or the Iron Maiden fire dance in The Bone Temple, the four films have crafted some all-time scenes that critics and audiences respect.
The franchise has never shied away from technological gambles, as cinematographers Anthony Dod Mantle, Enrique Chediak, and Sean Bobbit used Canon XL1 digital video (DV) cameras, iPhone rigs, Sony HVR-Z1E, 16mm Aaton A-Minima film cameras, Arris, and a Sigma FP to capture the chaos. Nothing about this series is stock or lazy, and that’s why it’s the best horror franchise.
