10 Best Number 3s In Horror Movie History
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00:00Horror often gets criticised for having too many sequels, and that is not an unfair criticism,
00:05but a third go-around is not always a death sentence in the genre.
00:09Some of the films carried on the momentum of the ones before it, some of them bounce
00:12back from awful second instalments, and some aren't as good as the movies that preceded
00:17them but are still good films that should not be overlooked.
00:20So with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture here with the 10 best number 3s
00:25in horror movie history.
00:2810. The Conjuring 2
00:31Hold your horses, we can explain.
00:33Despite its misleading name, The Conjuring 2 is actually the third instalment in the
00:38franchise.
00:39After the initial Conjuring film, a spin-off was released called Annabelle, which was about
00:43the evil doll featured in the first film.
00:45The first proper Conjuring sequel arrived in 2016 and told a fictionalised version of
00:51the Enfield Poltergeist story, in which a ghost haunted a family living in a London
00:56council estate.
00:57A third film bearing the Conjuring name was released in 2021, but that isn't as good,
01:01so we're going to ignore it.
01:03The Conjuring 2 made just as much money and scored just as highly among the critics as
01:08the original.
01:09Fans were impressed that the sequel kept up the suspense and terror of the first without
01:12ever getting gimmicky or over the top.
01:15On the whole, The Conjuring 2 is a solid horror sequel that builds on the foundations of what
01:19came before it.
01:20It would be a lot higher on this list, but considering we've pushed our luck by even
01:24including it in the first place, 10th place will have to do.
01:279.
01:28Puppetmaster 3 – Toulon's Revenge
01:32The Puppetmaster films are quite hard to come by, considering they were all released straight
01:36to DVD.
01:37Those that have seen them will know that they're about a group of puppets brought to life by
01:41an ancient Egyptian spell.
01:42They will also know that there are loads of these films.
01:45Of the 15 Puppetmaster films, which is hilarious when you consider that the fifth one was called
01:50The Final Chapter, one of the best is the third one, subtitled Toulon's Revenge.
01:55The Toulon in the title is André Toulon, a puppeteer living in Berlin during World
01:59War 2.
02:00After his wife is killed for her involvement in his Nazi-bashing puppet show, Toulon uses
02:05his magically animated marionettes to seek revenge on the Third Reich.
02:08Whilst that might sound like the ravings of a madman, Toulon's Revenge is a lot of fun
02:13with a lot of interesting characters.
02:15Who doesn't love murderous puppets?
02:17Well, maybe the Child's Play legal team.
02:19Puppetmaster 3 is a great instalment in a franchise that is still going strong to this
02:23day.
02:24It's definitely worth a watch, if you can somehow get your hands on a copy.
02:288.
02:29Insidious Chapter 3
02:31Insidious, which came out in 2010, tells that classic horror story of a couple trying to
02:36save their child from demonic possession.
02:38Critics praised the film's suspenseful atmosphere and strong use of conventions, but were less
02:42than complimentary about its second half.
02:44Still, it did well enough to get a sequel, and for that sequel to get a sequel, which
02:49hit cinemas in 2015.
02:51Directed by Lee Wannell, who wrote the first two Insidious films and the first three Saw
02:56movies, Insidious Chapter 3 is set before the events of the first two films, and features
03:00a young girl who becomes possessed while trying to contact the spirit of her dead mother.
03:05Critics loved the darkness of Chapter 3, and we're not talking about the lighting design.
03:09It's the creepiest Insidious film of the first three, which is really saying something,
03:14and it was also praised for its concentration on grief as a central theme.
03:17With a new Insidious film set to premiere in 2023, now is a great time to re-watch all
03:22of the previous films to catch up, but if you do that, then you're in for a treat when
03:26you reach number three.
03:287.
03:29Halloween 3 – Season of the Witch
03:32A controversial pick, to say the least, the third film in the Halloween franchise is the
03:36first and only not to feature signature antagonist Michael Myers.
03:40Instead, the main villain of this movie is a plastic jack-o'-lantern mask.
03:44Uh, really?
03:45Season of the Witch was a risky move for the franchise, and one that ultimately didn't
03:49pay off as Myers was back for the next film.
03:52However, just because it wasn't a commercial success, that doesn't mean we shouldn't applaud
03:56Season of the Witch for trying something new.
03:58So many horror franchises find themselves stuck in a holding pattern, especially when
04:02it comes to their villains.
04:04How many monsters and murderers have we seen watered down through years of overexposure?
04:08Michael Myers was able to take seven years, meaning that, when he made his return to cinema,
04:13he was exciting and fresh again.
04:15Anyway, Season of the Witch isn't as bad as people say it is.
04:18Sure, the plot sounds goofy on paper, but in reality, it's actually quite chilling
04:23and really well told.
04:24This was also the last Halloween film to involve original director John Carpenter for 36 years,
04:30which gives it enough pedigree to be worth checking out.
04:336.
04:34The Exorcist 3
04:36Now, the fact that there's one sequel to The Exorcist, let alone multiple, is for want
04:40of a better word, sacrilegious.
04:42However, this 1990 release isn't as bad as you'd think.
04:46For starters, it brings original Exorcist writer William Peter Blatty back into the
04:50fold as scriptwriter and director.
04:52Secondly, it completely ignores the events of The Exorcist 2 The Heretic, which is a
04:57good thing because that is widely considered one of the worst films ever made.
05:00The Exorcist 3 is based on Legion, the third book in the Exorcist novel series, also written
05:05by Blatty.
05:06It follows Lieutenant William Kinderman, who, fans of the original film will remember as
05:11the detective who investigates the murders caused by a possessed Raegan.
05:15This time, Kinderman is on the trail of the Gemini Killer, a serial murderer who had been
05:19executed 15 years earlier.
05:21Whilst it's not up to the level of the first Exorcist film, the third instalment in the
05:25franchise still offers some great scares and continues the stories of many of the characters
05:30from the original film.
05:31Don't count this film out based on what it's not.
05:34See it first, then make up your mind.
05:375.
05:38Hellraiser 3 – Hell on Earth
05:41Everyone's favourite Cenobite, Pinhead, returns once more in this 1992 flick.
05:45Now imprisoned in a stone pillar, Pinhead manipulates an arrogant nightclub owner into
05:50setting him free, whilst a plucky rapport attempts to stop him.
05:53Hell on Earth does a great job in building on the character of Pinhead, particularly
05:57after the revelation in Hellraiser 2 that he used to be human.
06:01Pinhead's human form, World War 1 soldier Captain Elliot Spencer, contacts protagonist
06:05Joey's summer skill throughout the movie, using his insight into the demon to help her
06:09defeat him.
06:10As well as some strong character development, Hellraiser 3 is all chock full of blood, guts
06:15and gore.
06:16Pinhead's trademark hooked chains make mincemeat out of several people in the film, which will
06:20more than satisfy any viewer's bloodlust.
06:23The film was viewed as being more commercial than previous Hellraiser films, something
06:27that was applauded and criticised in equal measures.
06:30Either way, Hellraiser 3 is a marked improvement on its predecessor and a really good watch.
06:35Also, it gave the world Motorhead's version of the song Hellraiser, so it deserves all
06:39the praise in the world.
06:414.
06:42Paranormal Activity 3
06:44The first Paranormal Activity movie changed the horror landscape forever when it was released
06:49in 2007.
06:50It took over the mantle of most profitable film of all time from the Blair Witch Project,
06:55and helped boost the found footage craze that the film had started.
06:58It's not surprising that the success of the original led to a wave of sequels, the
07:02first coming in 2010 and the second just one year later.
07:06This prequel – oh boy, horror franchises do love their third movie prequels, don't
07:10they? – is set during the childhood of main protagonist Katie, who appears as a young
07:15girl through old home movies.
07:17Paranormal Activity 3 pays off the conversations Katie and her sister Christy had in the second
07:21film about being haunted by a demon in their youth.
07:24This nicely ties the first three films together, creating a fuller, more well-rounded universe.
07:29The scare's as strong as ever, the atmosphere as unsettling as ever, and the older setting
07:34breathes some new life into a franchise that was in danger of getting stale.
07:38Whilst the series would take a nose dive after this film, Paranormal Activity 3 is still
07:42a great follow-up to a horror innovator.
07:453.
07:46Army of Darkness
07:47Let's get this out of the way early.
07:50Army of Darkness is nowhere near as good as The Evil Dead or Evil Dead 2, but let's
07:55give it some credit here because that was always going to be a tough ask.
07:58Still, as we mentioned with The Exorcist, let's not count this movie out based on
08:01what came before it.
08:03Army of Darkness picks up right where Evil Dead 2 left off, with Bruce Campbell's Ash
08:07Williams trapped in the Middle Ages.
08:09To return to the present day, he must find and use the Necronomicon, the mythical book
08:13of the dead, that got him into this mess in the first place.
08:15There's plenty of gore, brutality, and zombie killing in this movie, or the usual Evil Dead
08:20sense of humour, except this time Ash is truly out of his depth in a time that he knows nothing
08:26about.
08:27If you put this film off because you heard it wasn't as good as the first two, then
08:30you're doing yourself a massive disservice.
08:32Army of Darkness is still a lot of fun, especially for Evil Dead, so get online and get yourself
08:36a 3-diss box set right this instant.
08:392.
08:40Day of the Dead
08:42Seven years after the seminal Dawn of the Dead, and almost two decades after the release
08:46of Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero unleashed his third zombie horror classic
08:51on the world in the form of 1985's Day of the Dead.
08:54This movie features none of the characters in the previous two films, instead focusing
08:58on a group of scientists working to find a cure for the ongoing zombie apocalypse.
09:02One scientist insists that the undead can be domesticated with proper training, and
09:06keeps several of them captive to experiment on.
09:09Yeah, that'll end well.
09:10Being part of a legendary franchise certainly helps a film, but Day of the Dead also stands
09:15up on its own.
09:16It's a much bigger production in terms of characters and ideas, as well as having the
09:19biggest budget of any of Romero's zombie films at that point.
09:23Despite being the lowest rated of the first three Dead films, Day of the Dead still captures
09:27the series' perfect blend of bloody horror, tense action, and scathing social commentary.
09:32And the best part is that you can watch it without having seen any of the others.
09:36Although you should also watch the others, they're also very good.
09:391.
09:40A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 – Dream Warriors
09:43After missing out on the second Nightmare on Elm Street movie, series creator Wes Craven
09:48was back for the third instalment.
09:50And it shows.
09:51Dream Warriors is set in a mental hospital, a great setting for any horror, and follows
09:55the exploits of a group of children as Freddy Krueger hunts them down in their dreams.
09:59The kids, aided by original protagonist Nancy Thompson, have to then track down Krueger's
10:04bones in order to lay his spirit to rest and end his killing spree.
10:08The third Elm Street movie is often regarded as one of the best in the entire series, and
10:12with good reason.
10:13It takes the series in a new direction, giving Freddy multiple adversaries instead of one.
10:18The kills are inventive, the characters are likeable, and this film is also very, very
10:23funny.
10:24The horror, however, is an underrated part of horror, strange considering how inherently
10:27silly the genre is, but the laughs, both accidentally and on purpose, are present throughout this
10:32film.
10:33Later Elm Street movies would go off the deep end, but this one manages to capture the spirit
10:37of the original whilst giving its own, often side-splitting twist.
10:42And that concludes our list.
10:43If you think we missed any, then do let us know in the comments below and while you're
10:46there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification bell.
10:50Also head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across various social medias
10:54just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
10:56I've been Ellie with WhatCulture, I hope you have a magical day and I'll see you real soon.