Summary

M3GAN 2.0 is taking a bold approach akin to Terminator 2 by turning the killer robot into a protagonist.
Horror sequels usually aim for profits over creativity, but M3GAN 2.0 is embracing a gonzo, daring direction.
The film industry traditionally goes for safe sequels, but outliers like Terminator 2 and Bride of Frankenstein inspired M3GAN 2.0 to take creative risks.

With the first official trailer, M3GAN 2.0 revealed some fascinating information to audiences. The upcoming sequel to Blumhouse’s 2022 surprise horror smash, M3GAN, is taking a highly unexpected route. Rather than adhering to traditional horror clichés and marketing strategies, in which a sequel is cranked out to a popular film that is more or less just reheated leftovers of the first film, M3GAN 2.0 appears to be going all-in on the Terminator 2: Judgement Day method, wherein a successful low-budget sci-fi horror film gets a big, blockbuster action movie sequel. And it's absolutely right to do so; more horror sequels should have the guts to go as full-blown gonzo as M3GAN 2.0.

For decades, it has been common practice within the industry to rely upon horror sequels for a fairly easy and reliable inflow of cash. Horror is a genre full of artistic possibilities and laced with creative potential, but it’s also an insanely resilient and profitable genre for studios to dabble in. Horror films regularly cost substantially less than projects in other genres and regularly make substantial sums of profit for their creators and distributors. It’s no coincidence that many of the most profitable films of all time, from Halloween to Texas Chain Saw Massacre to Paranormal Activity, have been shoestring-budget horror films that took audiences by storm.

Horror Films Have, Generally Speaking, Always Been A Safe Haven For Easy Serialization

As such, it’s not exactly surprising that the horror genre has also become one of the most heavily serialized genres in film history. Long before extensive amounts of sequels were the norm in more mainstream avenues, the horror genre was cranking out sixth installments in successful franchises at a record pace. These sequels attempted to capitalize on the success of the original film while still keeping budgets low so that a maximum profit could be made from the endeavor. This mentality has persisted through the decades to the present day, where the vast majority of horror sequels made are financially geared toward profits and creatively feared recapturing what audiences loved about the original in a highly similar package.

However, it is crucial to note that this has not always been the case. In fact, the first horror sequel in history, James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein, released in 1935, was a radical departure from the original film. Not only did the film’s budget increase substantially, up nearly 40% from 1931’s Frankenstein, but it also allowed Whale and his team to explore vastly different creative grounds. Karloff’s monster went on a genuine arc, evolving from the non-speaking creature of the first film into a full-blown, articulate protagonist. The tone of the film was a drastic switch, as Whale incorporated more of the trademark dark humor he had developed in the years since. Bride of Frankenstein was a ludicrously gonzo sequel, one whose financial and creative risks are only made all the more jaw-dropping by the fact that it was the first horror sequel to ever do it.

James Cameron Changed The Horror Sequel Game With Aliens

In the decades that followed, while many horror franchises opted for the lowest-common-denominator approach to rapidly producing horror sequels by assembly line, there were notable outliers who continued to advocate for horror sequels that could be creative and fresh. One of the most influential people in this field was none other than the director of three of the most successful films of all time, James Cameron. The filmmaker’s first experience with a horror sequel didn’t go great, as his feature film debut was Piranha II: The Spawning in 1982. The film largely recycled elements from the first film, much to Cameron’s chagrin, as he was actually fired from the film mid-production for ever-elusive ‘creative differences.’ However, for his next at-bat, Cameron had a bit more leverage and was able to deliver the kind of horror sequel he wanted to make in the form of Aliens.

The sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror classic took the claustrophobic horror of the original and turned it into a bravado-filled action-horror blockbuster. Aliens’ budget was nearly 80% higher than the first film, which afforded Cameron the financial leeway to take huge creative swings full of ambition and drive. The sequel ultimately came to define the franchise and would also influence Cameron when it came time to deliver a sequel to his own low-budget sci-fi film, The Terminator, a few years later.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day Turned A Horror Sequel Into One Of The Most Successful Films Ever

Perhaps the most well-known example of a horror sequel going gonzo for its sequel is Terminator 2: Judgment Day, a film whose opening prologue infamously cost more to produce than the entire first film. Like Bride of Frankenstein, Terminator 2 takes the antagonist of the first film and turns him into a much more empathetic primary protagonist while also drastically switching up the tone. And like Aliens, what the Terminator sequel sacrifices in invasive horror, it more than makes up for with jaw-dropping action set pieces. However, it’s been over three decades since Terminator 2’s release, and while the film and Cameron’s work is widely revered, it didn’t exactly start a trend in the horror genre… until now.

When M3GAN was released in 2022, it followed the established Blumhouse model: a low-budget, high-concept horror movie that could turn a nifty profit. However, M3GAN exceeded expectations and became a bona fide viral cultural phenomenon. To this end, it looks as if storied producer Jason Blum afforded writer and director Gerard Johnstone a bit more freedom when it came to crafting a sequel. And from the looks of it, Johnstone has cashed it all in on making a bigger, funnier, and gorier horror action blockbuster, very much in the vein of Terminator 2. Like Bride of Frankenstein and T2, the sequel turns the titular killer robot from an antagonist into a protagonist and even goes the full T-1000 route of pitting her against a newer, more formidable model of robot.

This is delightful stuff and what more horror movies should be doing. Being creatively safe and financially responsible may make easy money, but it's antithetical to the very nature of horror as a genre for storytelling. Horror is meant to push boundaries and feel bold, and there’s nothing more ambitious than betting everything on a gonzo horror sequel.

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