Horror tends to be a genre with confusing titles, especially the more films that are made in a popular franchise. While audiences would definitely prefer easier names, that’s not always the case, leading to some head-scratching choices.

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Many comedy and drama franchises have an easy to follow title structure. Fans of the Harry Potter franchise, for example, have read the books and therefore know the order of the films as well. The Home Alone franchise mentions the number of each movie, from the beloved Home Alone 2 to the less popular Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House, so there is definitely no confusion here. There is one genre that often has random titles for sequels: horror. There are some exceptions, but for the most part, the genre doesn’t make it easy to remember which films fit in where.

The Halloween franchise is a perfect example of confusing movie titles. While the first five films are simple since there are numbers in front of them, from Halloween III Season of the Witch to Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, things go off the rails after this point. Halloween H20 is a better movie than some think, but it’s hard to remember where this fits into the slasher franchise since the fact that it’s the seventh film isn’t clear. Halloween: Resurrection says nothing about its place in the sequence, either. It would be better if these two movies had titles with clear meanings behind them. Instead, they feel vague and random. While the H20 refers to the fact that this film takes place 20 years after the 1978 story, it’s still not the best title.

In general, the timeline of the Halloween franchise is messy and confusing. Rob Zombie’s 2007 movie Halloween and 2009 sequel Halloween II change the timing of events and reset the whole story. Then there are the 2018, 2021 and 2022 movies, which take place after the 1978 movie. These titles are slightly more logical since, of course, fans know that this trilogy has been released in the last few years. Halloween Ends might be a controversial film but the title is smart and speaks to how this wraps up David Gordon Green’s take on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers.

It would be great if more horror franchises would follow the lead of Scream. While there’s definitely a debate to be had about whether Scream (2022) should have been called Scream 5, fans know that this is a commentary on rebooting a slasher franchise and in that sense, it works fine. The other movies are well-titled as it’s clear that Scream 2 is a sequel and so on. The same thing can’t be said of several other slasher franchises which feature truly random titles. A Nightmare On Elm Street is one example, as Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare don’t explain what number each film is.

The Child’s Play horror franchise has complicated lore and it’s another example of confusing title sequences. While the first three movies are well-titled, Bride of Chucky is the fourth movie and while it’s fun to watch Chucky team up with Tiffany Valentine, it’s hard to recall where this fits into the franchise. The final three films Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, and Cult of Chucky also have poor names. It’s impossible to remember that they are the fifth, sixth, and seventh movies.

Fans likely remember the content of some of these Child’s Play movies. Seed of Chucky was ahead of its time and it’s heartwarming to see Chucky and Tiffany care about Glen/Glenda. But it’s definitely trickier to recall the plot points of Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky, which were released in 2013 and 2017. The storylines about Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) definitely blend together.

While horror fans are of course delighted when their favorite franchises have new entries, there’s something to be said for simplicity. Every new movie should have a number in the title, which will also serve the purpose of making it easier to rewatch in a movie marathon. And if this isn’t going to be the case, then the title should at least be logical and explain exactly what’s going. Halloween: Resurrection doesn’t speak to what really happens in this movie, which is that Laurie tragically dies to the disappointment of many fans, and there are many slasher franchises that deserve better titles.

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