Did you hear that? It’s the sound of your horror-loving friends heaving a sigh of relief as MaXXXine, the third installment of Ti West’s ‘X’ trilogy, turns out to be actually good. Following in the footsteps of the seedy, gory X and the psychologically twisted Pearl, MaXXXine aims to conclude the story of Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), a Hollywood wannabe who turns her life upside down at the chance to star in “pictures.” Set in 1980s Los Angeles, MaXXXine checks in with Maxine after the disturbing events in her last two cinematic appearances and transports viewers to a time when serial killer Richard Ramirez, a.k.a. the Night Stalker, terrorized Tinseltown.
Raking in $6.7 million stateside in its opening weekend, MaXXXine is destined to make a profit for its parent studio A24 while upholding the good name of West’s trilogy. It’s fairly difficult to maintain consistent quality across three movies, especially in the horror genre – and not many horror trilogies have done the same. So, with that in mind, we’re recommending some other horror trilogies that go out on a high note, just as MaXXXine has done. Truly, any one of these trilogies will be a perfect way to kill an entire afternoon – or day – this summer.
Released weekly over three eventful weeks in 2021, Netflix’s Fear Street series riffs on a classic R.L. Stine series while telling a totally unique story. Rooted in campy fun but steeped in bloody gore, Fear Street not only puts a queer spin on modern slasher films, but takes viewers on a tour of three distinct time periods – 1994, 1978, and 1666. The lore is just intriguing enough to keep you on your toes, and the characters are just loveable enough for you to cringe when they’re in trouble. Meanwhile, the whole trilogy betrays a deep love of horror flicks, as evidenced by its delightful references to past scary movies. Watch the Fear Street Trilogy on Netflix.
For the purposes of this listicle, I will ignore the presence of Alien: Prometheus and Alien: Michael Fassbender Makes Out with Himself and Alien: Why Are We Still Making These. Alien was originally designed as a trilogy and should have stayed that way. In its first Ridley Scott-directed outing, the franchise blasted off in a big way and introduced the iconic xenomorph to the world, inspiring legions of knockoff monster designs. The sequel, Aliens, took the original movie’s concept to its outer limits, ratcheting up the tension and action and Sigourney Weaver meme-able moments. Finally, Alien 3 managed to succeed as a riveting study of Weaver’s character, Ripley. Watch the Alien trilogy on Hulu.
I don’t think there’s one bad Scream film out there. And yet, the franchise was originally supposed to be a trilogy before being rebooted, reimagined, and rebooted again. Of course, many people say that Scream 3 was not just weaker, but bad – and to them, I say, “Parker Posey.” Sure, Scream 3 isn’t as tightly plotted or shocking as its predecessors, but it’s still horrifyingly clever, as any Scream movie should be. It’s already operating on a different level from, say, House of Wax. Plus, if you believe that anti-vaxxers are a scourge on this Earth, then you will love seeing a very self-unaware Jenny McCarthy get her just deserts. Oh, and Parker Posey. Also, I realize that I have devoted this entire section about the Scream “trilogy” to just one movie, so, uh, the other two movies are good, too? Watch the original Scream trilogy on Max.
Let’s just assume that all good horror franchises were once supposed to be only trilogies, OK? While the many spin offs, remakes, and sequels of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy are nothing to sniff at, there’s a striking symmetry to his first original three movies that makes them stand out from other offerings. In addition to featuring the usual sentient murder-trees and subversive zombie thrills, the Evil Dead and its two sequels deliver fantastical frights and self-aware amusement. Plus, time travel! The third movie sends the protagonist, Ash Williams, to the 14th century, where things go south in a good way. Most importantly, it doesn’t put a damper on the momentum of the first two, ensuring a satisfying end to a spectacular series. Watch The Evil Dead on AMC+, Evil Dead II on Plex, and Army of Darkness on Amazon Video.
