In a genre famous for sequels and quick greenlights for economically successful projects, the horror nation has missed out on some epic, and not so epic films, that never made it to the cutting room floor. Here is a list of four films that had horror hounds drooling but ultimately left scream teams starving.
CANDYMAN V LEPRECHAUN
After the enormous success of “Freddy vs. Jason,” every studio who held the rights to any horror icons went scrambling to pair up lethal legends. “Candyman” and “Leprechaun” were both legally bound to Tristar and it made perfect sense to have the two go head to little head. The project rested entirely on actors Warwick Davis and Tony Todd reprising their roles. While there is no information on how Mr. Davis felt about the showdown, Mr. Todd rejected the premise. Todd felt that adding a comedic element would dampen the serious racial undertones that “Candyman” represented. It is said, original creator, Clive Barker, also was dismissive about the project and he actually begun work on “Candyman 4.” The fourth installment was to be set at a New England university where a descendant of the legend’s long-lost love would summon him. In the end, no official synopsis exist for “Candyman v Leprechaun,” but the closest thing to we have to a plot is that a sleezy entrepreneur summons Candyman in hopes of getting him to steal the Leprechaun’s gold.
HALLOWEEN 9
“Halloween: Resurrection” has been lambasted by fans since it hit theatres in the summer of 2002. The film still pulled in enough of an economic profit to keep investors interested in another quick follow up. Shortly after Myers opens his eyes on a slab after allegedly being burned to a crisp, again, Malek Akkad went to work on a Halloween 9. Two scripts emerged from the flames. One focused on “The Man in Black,” noted as Dr. Wynn in “The Curse of Michael Myers.” This film would trek through time and give explanation on how Wynn and the Cult of Thorn controlled Myers in attempt to gain favor with the dark lords. Another script featured Dr. Loomis’s son and Lindsey Wallace hunting down a now escaped Myers. The films never got off the ground and were not pursed, especially after the tragic death of Moustapha Akkad. Two Rob Zombie films and a reimagining later, the shape still lives but the original timeline of the initial series still sets of debates on horror sites daily. Since everything old is new again, perhaps one day we will see what happened to Michael after his star performance on Dangertainment
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2
Arguably the best reboot of all time is Marcus Nispel’s “Friday The 13th.” Dumped in the dead market of February and victim to severe piracy, the film still grossed close to 100 million dollars and was celebrated as a fresh take on the old legend. The smart script by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift put style and substance back into a stale franchise that had run out of ideas nearly a decade before. After a great opening week, the call for an immediate sequel was made to the talented trio. Swift and Shannon delivered intense new imagery with the follow up being set in winter. The thought of Crystal Lake covered in red stained snow had the horror nation howling in anticipation. Several things happened in a short amount of time that prevented the series from continuing. The “Nightmare On Elm Street” reboot debacle put a hold on all big budget horror projects. When things heated up again, “The Ring” reboot got lambasted by critics and once again put a hold on all things big money horror. Then the never-ending saga between original writer Victor Miller and creator/producer Sean Cunningham has kept the hockey masked killer anchored to the pit of development hell. Rumors have been whispered from everything such as a dreadful found footage film to a hopeful return of the final girls revenge sequel. Until the legal battle firmly puts the franchise in possession of an owner, the fans will have to settle for some fantastic fan made films and get excited about franchise icon Deborah Voorhees upcoming “13 Fan Boy,” coming October 2021.
THE MONSTER SQUAD VS GODZILLA
“The Monster Squad” brought a legion of new fans into the genre with its tale of horror obsessed pre-teens vs Dracula and his legion of monsters. While the film is still cherished today, the box office return was pitiful. The film just about grossed 4 million against a 13 million dollar budget. The massive cult following has made the initial investment back ten-fold and rumors of a remake or long-awaited sequel fly around the horror web pages every year. Excited during the prescreening stage, producers actually had the team of writers begin work on a treatment for a sequel in eager anticipation of a box office smash. The original premise would have been the squad vs Godzilla and that is still the rumor that exist today. More in depth research has revealed that Toho films and American rights holders to Godzilla would never even consider letting their giant lizard be used in such a premise. To be fair, the title “vs Godzilla” was in name only and the team behind the Monster Squad sequel was going to have several new Kaju type creatures attack the town and go against the older and now battle-ready teens. With just about every ‘80s horror film being re-done, it is only a matter of time before we see a new version of this beloved film.