Five genre films that deserve a prequel series

With prequel shows for IT and Alien coming in the forms of Welcome to Derry and Alien: Earth, the lore of these much-loved properties continues to be enriched. Adding to the existing stories adds to those properties and allows for content that has brand familiarity without making endless sequels. 

Prequel shows offer new talent the chance to elaborate on what came before, telling the stories that laid the foundations of franchises that have become woven into the pantheon of genre entertainment. They also open up a wide variety of possibilities, as there are always other franchises to expand upon. 

There is, of course, the argument that prequels don’t offer anything new, as we know how things turn out in the originals. However, those properties have generations of fans who want to explore those worlds further, so why not? Here are five genre films that could benefit from prequel shows to expand their universes.

Scanners (1981)

Written and directed by David Cronenberg, Scanners brought more than just an amazing exploding head effect to the screen. Here was a film that tackled the high-concept idea of psychics at war while also looking at evolution, power plays and the human condition. 

A prequel series delving into the origins of the first Scanners offers a lot of scope for some gripping genre TV without needing a huge effects budget – unless there are more exploding heads, of course. 

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A few years ago, there was talk of a project entitled Krueger: First Kills, which would have expanded on the end of Freddy Krueger’s human life before becoming the wisecracking dream demon that defined a generation of horror fans in the franchise kicked off by Wes Craven.. 

While that film never got off the ground, a prequel series showing the evolution of Freddy from his early days offing classmates, to the hunt for him during his adult killing spree, could be compelling viewing. 

Beyond the miserable excuse for his dream demon origins in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), we’ve never seen the possibilities truly realised. Imagine a slow-burn show that builds on his madness and shows us how he became aware of and entwined with the dark forces that helped him cross over into our nightmares. 

They Live (1988)

Obey. Consume. Conform. John Carpenter’s satirical sci-fi horror action mashup is one of a kind, but there is scope within that story to find out more about how those skull-faced aliens worked their way into our culture. There could be a resistance to the alien menace formed, working against a media and public who think they’re crazy. Those people could be a part of how the glasses were created, enabling the invaders to be seen and fought face to face. 

While the film itself is perfectly formed, there is room for expansion on such a powerful idea as an invasion happening in plain sight. Heck, there could even be sequel potential when considering how the media has changed since the film came out. Think of what the aliens could have done if they’d got on the internet…

Basket Case (1982)

Low-budget gem Basket Case, following a guy who carries his murderous twin in a basket, is ripe for a prequel series that could explore their initial separation, the subsequent slaughter and the brothers roaming from town to town, only to leave when Belial has had his fill of gory revenge. 

A different town per season could keep the story fresh, ending up in the city and directly linking to the original Frank Henenlotter movie. It could get back to that grimy and unsettling feel of the 1982 film while approaching character and gore from a modern perspective. 

In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

Another John Carpenter film, the 1994 In the Mouth of Madness, could offer the opportunity for a different sort of prequel series. What if, instead of directly linking to the film, each season ‘adapted’ a Sutter Cane book?

The fictional author has become a favourite among fans since the film landed thirty years ago, and hearing the question ‘Do you read Sutter Cane?’ invariably evokes memories of how strange and darkly fascinating that film was. 

How about expanding on the Sutter Cane myth by actually doing some of his stories? These could be topped and tailed each season with sequences of Sutter himself, ending with a link to his eventual situation chronicled in the movie.

Do you have other ideas for films that could be expanded with a quality prequel show? Let us know in the comments…