The film industry is a complicated and confusing beast, as new instalments can create different timelines, often rendering others meaningless.
I previously covered Haddonfield last year, but as two more films have since been confirmed, let's do it again (albeit on a more basic level).
1978 - 1995
Halloween
Halloween II
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
1982
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
1978 - 2002
Halloween
Halloween II
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Halloween: Resurrection
2007 - 2009
Halloween
Halloween II
1978 - 2021
Halloween
Halloween
Halloween Kills
Halloween Ends
Just WOW!
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Over the years, petrol powered mayhem has experienced highs and many lows.
The awkwardly titled Texas Chainsaw is the 'second' sequel to 1974 original, so in this timeline, wipes out Texas 2, Leatherface: Texas III and The Next Generation.
Heather is revealed to be a long lost member of Leatherface's cannibal clan, having been adopted shortly after original's events in 1973.
Piece of shit then jumps to 2012, making Heather at least 39, but hourglass body is clearly in her early 20s.
Ha ha ha!
Adam Marcus, who co-wrote script and directed Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, offered this explanation.
"Our draft took place in the early 1990s, but the finished film took place now, which makes no sense. The original film was in the 1970s and the main character is in her twenties, which is why the script took place in the '90s."
He also wanted the date of the script to coincide with the release of JGTH.
Bollocks.
So if it 'wasn't' screenwriters' fault, who green-lit one of the worst continuity errors in cinematic history?
We'll probably never know.
In 2017, the lamentable Leatherface led up to 1974 original.
Amidst all that, original was remade in 2003, which got its own prequel The Beginning in 2006.
Paranormal Activity
We go here, there and everywhere.
For example, number 3 is a prequel to original and 4 follows 2.
2 is both a prequel and sequel to original.
Spin-off The Marked Ones (set up by 4's post-credits scene) is standard found footage fare, but is the first to not document days on-screen.
Latest entry The Ghost Dimension left door wide open for another, and sure enough, a seventh is currently in development.
But the way it's gone so far, who knows if it'll be a straight sequel.
Despite having number in title, Japanese effort Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night is a sidequel, not another sequel to Oren Peli's original.
However, events aren't ignored.
When searching San Diego Katie on internet, article's headline reads:
"Woman said to be possessed by the Devil kills boyfriend."
Ring
History of cursed videotape isn't ideal.
Contrary to popular belief, Kōji Suzuki's original novel was first adapted in 1995 as TV movie Ring: Kanzenban.
So Hideo Nakata's infinitely more famous Ring is a remake.
12 episode mini-series Ring: The Final Chapter was based on book, but not connected to any film.
Rasen (based on second book Spiral) and Ring were released in Japan simultaneously, but as 'first' sequel bombed, Ring 2 effectively replaced it.
Separate to obviously film, Rasen got its own mini-series, serving as a sequel to The Final Chapter.
South Korea got in on the action with The Ring Virus. Many scenes were copied from 1998 remake and baddie's name was changed from Sadako Yamamura to Park Eun-Suh.
Based on Lemonheart from book anthology Birthday, prequel Ring 0 came in 2000.
Gore Verbinski brought The Ring in 2002 and was surprisingly an impressive remake of Nakata's film.
Villain's name was changed again. This time to Samara Morgan.
FFS!
Jonathan Liebsman's Rings introduced the subculture of seeing how long people could last before copy of tape is made and passed on.
Horror short is named so because groups who upload their experiences are dubbed 'Rings'.
The Ring Two picks up 6 months after American original and immediately after Rings.
Nakata's terrible sequel is unrelated to Ring 2.
Rasen unexpectedly continued in 2012, with Suzuki's follow up novel S providing the basis for both Sadako 3D Sadako 3D 2.
Sadako vs. Kayako did a Freddy vs. Jason, also serving as a sequel to Ju-on: The Final Curse.
Just to grind our gears, F. Javier Gutiérrez brought another Rings, practically ignoring events in The Ring Two and beginning 13 years after Verbinski's original.
Sadako brings us bang up to date, with Nakata apparently recycling old ground.
Wrong Turn
Chronologically speaking, gory cannibal shag fest goes like this:
Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings
Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines
Wrong Turn
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End
Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead
4 is a prequel and 5 serves as a sequel, leading up to events of original.
Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort is stand-alone with plot perversely cloning Texas Chainsaw.
The Foundation will reboot series and scheduled for 2020.
Puppet Master
FUBAR.
And that's putting it nicely.
Chronologically, seventh film Retro Puppet Master became the first.
Original and sequel (taking place in 1989 and 1990 respectively) follow each other, but PM III: Toulon's Revenge prequels original.
So although released years before, prequel becomes a 'sequel' to Retro.
Retro's prologue and epilogue scenes immediately follow III.
Original states Toulon committed suicide in 1939, but yet in prequel (set in 1941), he's still alive.
WHAT?
A flashback scene in PM II takes place after Retro and 4 follows II.
After PM 5: The Final Chapter, standalone sequel Curse of the Puppet Master revived series and numbering system was ditched ever since.
PM: The Legacy tried to fix continuity shit storm as 30 minutes of new material features two individuals discussing Toulon's history and his creations.
The rest is archived from previous films.
The Littlest Reich rebooted franchise and upcoming solo spin-off Blade: The Iron Cross takes place in 1942, the same year as Axis Termination.
ARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!
Miscellany
Jaws 3 is independent and only carries over Michael Brody's character. But Jaws: The Revenge ignores 3 and states Martin Brody died of a heart attack, although Ellen cites 'fear' killed him.
I thought Logan was great, but doesn't make any sense.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is standalone and The Wolverine takes places after The Last Stand.
Time-travelling exploits in Days of Future Past erased everything that happened between 1973 and 2023.
Yep, fifty years flushed down the fucking toilet.
Goretastic film is set in 2029, six years after timeline established by DOFP, so we assume at some point, Charles killed several of the original X-Men while having one of his seizures.
Verbal and physical references are made to X-Men, Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine.
As this is both a sequel to DOFP and Apocalypse, how can Charles and Logan recall events from a timeline that no longer exists?
Hmmm.
Meir Zarchi must have been inspired by David Gordon Green's Halloween, as 40 years later, he returned to direct I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu.
Original was remade in 2010 and spawned two sequels.
ISOYG 2 is standalone, and because Sarah Butler reprises her role as Jennifer, ISOYG III: Vengeance Is Mine is best described as pseudo sequel to said remake.
Savage Vengeance is said to be an unofficial sequel to 1978 original, and set to be rebooted in 2020.
Not a SINGLE film in the Amityville series directly connects another.
And considering there's over twenty of the bastards (not including the opening of The Conjuring 2), that's some effort.
Amityville 3-D (sequel to 1979 original) was the nearest we got, and Amityville II: The Possession is set one year prior to the Lutz family moving into 112 Ocean Avenue and focuses on the fictional Montelli family, who are loosely based on the DeFeo family.
The Howling's first sequel, brilliantly subbed Your Sister is a Werewolf followed original.
But The Howling IV: The Original Nightmare is a more faithful adaptation of original novel and 2011 reboot The Howling: Reborn credits its story to Gary Brandner's second novel The Howling II.
Not along after American Pie: The Wedding, spin-off series American Pie Presents reared ugly straight-to-video head.
However, Reunion flashed the sex digit at those.
We all remember how good Superman Returns was, right?
Didn't think so.
Anyway, Brandon Routh's only appearance as the Man of Steel disregards III and smashing turd IV: The Quest for Peace, using II as backstory.
Terminator: Genisys rebooted franchise, so T2, T3: Rise of the Machines and Salvation never happened.
Similarly, the upcoming Terminator: Dark Fate follows Judgment Day, cancelling out Genisys and all that went before.
Jurassic World is considered both a reboot and sequel to Jurassic Park, making The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III extinct.
So in this timeline, Fallen Kingdom is third film.
The Exorcist III exorcises the demons of Exorcist II: The Heretic.
Return to Sleepaway Camp ignores Unhappy Campers and Teenage Wasteland, picking up years after classic original.
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon ignores first two movies entirely and acts as a stand-alone sequel.
Leprachaun Returns follows original and ignores continuity of all sequels.
Highlander III: The Sorcerer beheads The Quickening.
And rightly so.
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors deems Freddy's Revenge as a bad dream.
Wes Craven's New Nightmare is not part of series continuity and focuses on a 'fictional' reality.
Blair Witch takes place 20 years after footage was found in 1999 original (so in 2014) and ignores cash grab Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.
Lake Placid: Legacy is standalone, so eliminates entire franchise.
Psycho IV: The Beginning saw Anthony Perkins returning as Norman Bates (for the final time before his death), and is presented as being the first sequel to seminal original, as events in II and III are not acknowledged.
Bates Motel (not be confused with TV series of same name) is a spin-off movie.
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm follows Mortal Kombat (1995) and events of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
Trancers 6 doesn't mention Jack of Swords or Sudden Deth (fourth and fifth film respectively), but mentions events of third entry Deth Lives.
Last, but by no means least.
Universal Soldier: Regeneration deleted first theatrical sequel The Return, and also TV movies Brothers in Arms and Unfinished Business.
