When a film or franchise becomes successful, it is common for producers to want to explore the story’s past through a prequel. For those who don’t know, a prequel is a film that takes place before the events of the original, exploring origins and previous events.
However, these prequels often fall short in terms of quality, being poorly received by critics and failing to capture the same impact as the original. With that in mind, we have listed 10 prequels that were poorly reviewed by critics.
Hannibal Rising (2007) / Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (disclosure)
Piores Prequels do Cinema: Top 10
Pet Sematary: The Origin (2023)
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023) / Credit: Paramount+ (disclosure) Available to Paramount+ and Telecine subscribers.
Stephen King’s novel “Pet Sematary” has been adapted into two films. One of them was released in 2019 and has a prequel: “Pet Sematary: The Origin”.
The plot is set in 1969, 50 years before the events of the original film, and follows a young Jud Crandall (Jackson White), who discovers a Native American burial ground where the dead can be resurrected.
However, “Pet Sematary: The Origin” was very poorly received by critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 22%. On Metacritic, the approval rating is 31/100.
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Dumb and Dumber 2: When Dumb Met Dumber (2003)
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) / Credit: New Line Cinema (disclosure) Available to Max subscribers.
A prequel to the hit comedy “Dumb and Dumber,” “When Dumb and Dumber Met Dumber” sees the two main characters meet in high school.
Much inferior to the original, the film was massacred by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, its approval rating is 10%. On Metacritic, it is 19/100.
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) / Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures (disclosure) Not available on streaming services.
A prequel to the horror classic “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Beginning” explores events that occurred before the exorcism in the original film. The plot is set in the 1940s and follows Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård), who encounters demonic occurrences on a dig in Kenya.
However, the film was a huge disappointment and was largely poorly received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 11%. On Metacritic, it is 30/100.
Massacre no Texas (2017)
Leatherface (2017) / Credit: Lionsgate (disclosure) Available to Netflix subscribers.
The slasher “Texas Massacre” serves as a prequel to the classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D: The Legend Continues” (2013). The film explains the origin of the series’ main villain, Leatherface.
With largely negative reviews, the film has an approval rating of 27% on Rotten Tomatoes and 40/100 on Metacritic.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) / Credit: Focus Features (disclosure) Available to Max subscribers.
Before “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” the “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise already had another prequel: “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,” released in 2006. The plot takes place four years before the 1974 classic.
However, this prequel managed to be even worse than the 2017 one. Massacred by critics, the film’s approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 15% and on Metacritic, 30/100.
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000)
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000) / Credit: Universal Pictures (disclosure) Available to rent and buy on YouTube Movies, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
This film is a prequel to the first film adaptation of the animated series “The Flintstones”, released in 1994 and starring John Goodman as Fred.
The plot takes place before the events of the cartoon and the original film, showing Fred and Barney meeting Wilma and Betty.
Although “Viva Rock Vegas” received better reviews than the original 1994 film, its critical performance was still dismal. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 25% and on Metacritic, 27/100. In addition, it was a commercial failure.
X-Men Origens: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) / Credit: 20th Century Fox (disclosure) Available to Disney+ subscribers.
A spin-off of the classic “X-Men” trilogy, this film also works as a prequel, addressing Wolverine’s past before his entry into the mutant team.
A huge disappointment, the film was poorly received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, its approval rating is 38% and on Metacritic, 40/100.
Hannibal Rising (2007)
Hannibal Rising (2007) / Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (disclosure) Not available on streaming services.
Adapted from the novel “Hannibal Rising” by Thomas Harris, this film serves as a prequel to “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), “Hannibal” (2001) and “Red Dragon” (2002).
The film explores Hannibal Lecter’s youth, showing how he became a cannibalistic serial killer. However, the film did not please critics. Its approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 16% and on Metacritic, 35/100.
Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) / Credit: Focus Features (disclosure) Available to Netflix subscribers.
Despite being the fourth film released in the horror franchise “Insidious”, “The Last Key” is a prequel. In the chronological order of events in the franchise, it is in second place. The film is a sequel to “Insidious: The Origin”, which was a prequel to the first two films in the series.
However, the “Insidious” prequels were not well received by critics, especially “The Last Key,” which was considered the worst film in the series. Its approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 33% and on Metacritic, 49/100.
Orphan 2: The Origin
Orphan: First Kill (2022) / Credit: Paramount Pictures (disclosure) Available to rent and buy on YouTube Movies, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
The critical reception of “Orphan 2: The Origin” was not the best. On Metacritic, for example, its approval rating is 54/100 from critics, which classifies it as average.
The film is a prequel to “Orphan” (2009) and follows the villain Esther, again played by Isabelle Fuhrman.
