The Empire Strikes Back (1980) surprised fans with arguably the most famous revelation in cinema history: "I am your father." But the follow-up to Star Wars (1977) also revealed to cinephiles how inherently good movie sequels can be.

The best horror sequels on this list don't all surpass their original counterparts, but each one deserves recognition in film history as notable entries in the horror genre. Now, for every good sequel like The Conjuring 2 (2016) there's inevitably a Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985) that obliquely sends potential scary movie fans running in the opposite direction. Rest assured, this list represents the crème de la crème of sequels.