It’s not exactly a secret that movie sequels rarely live up to the quality of the movie they follow, much less surpass it. But it’s not wholly unheard of, and so I present to you the ten best sequels that are actually better than the movie(s) before them. Quite frankly, it was tough to come up with ten titles, and I had to break a rule I set for myself a couple of times to make the list complete, but we’ll discuss that when we come to it. Like right now, for example.

#10: Army of Darkness

Initially I didn’t want to include any movies that were third in a series, wanting to deal expressly with initial movies and their immediate sequels. But first of all, that became difficult. Secondly, I would have been forced to overlook Army of Darkness, and overlooking Army of Darkness is the biggest mistake mortal man can make.

CLICK THESE WORDS TO SEE AN AWESOME COLLECTION OF ARMY OF DARKNESS MOMENTS.

I don’t mean to say that the first two movies in the series, The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 are in any way lacking, but holy cow is Army of Darkness a thing to see. It’s the story of Ash (Bruce Campbell), a regular guy like you and me who has a chainsaw for a hand and wields a shotgun and gets sucked back in time to fight skeletons. You heard me. While the first two Evil Dead movies were excellent and had already built a strong following, it was this one that cemented Bruce Campbell as the absolute king of cult superstars. His portrayal of Ash makes the character perhaps the most badass wisecracking hero of all time, which is really saying something when you consider our next movie is…

#9: Goldfinger

Again, it’s the third in a series (a decades-long series, in this case), but how could I not include the James Bond movie. Dr. No and From Russia With Love had been great rides, but it was Goldfinger that shouted to the masses: “Guess what, motherscratchers, James Bond gonna rock your world!” This movie laid out everything we now think of as necessary elements of a Bond movie—a megalomaniac villain, girls with double entendre for names (well, in this case, Pussy Galore is more of a single entendre), superpowered cars, humorous asides made in the face of death, ridiculous henchmen, lasers aimed at genitals, chest hair. Most of the other movies in the series have used Goldfinger as their model, and if for some unfathomable reason you can only see one, this is the one to see.

#8: Bride of Frankenstein

Film folks may be surprised not to see this one closer to the top of the list, but in fact I wasn’t even sure if I should include it at all. Not because it isn’t great, it is. Rather, my hesitance came about because I constantly go back and forth on whether I prefer Bride of Frankenstein or the original Frankenstein that preceded it. Both, it must be said, are classics that will endure long after any of us are dead. If you need any evidence, look no further than this scene.

If you managed to avoid thinking about Gene Hackman and Peter Boyle, your probably noticed something: that’s the most moving thing you’ve ever seen and now you’re having a hard time reading this thanks to the tears welling up in your eyes. It’s that kind of emotion that makes a movie great, and it’s something most modern horror has sadly lost. Fortunately, we’ll always have James Whale’s two Frankenstein pictures to remind us that the horror genre has the power to be as wonderful as any other.

#7: Dawn of the Dead

It’s fair to say that Dawn of the Dead isn’t technically a sequel to Night of the Living Dead—writer/director George Romero says so himself, in fact—but it’s also fair to say shut up, of course it’s a sequel. And brother, what a sequel it is.

While Night of the Living Dead could be fairly criticized as being boring or even, if you’re particularly curmudgeonly, not very good at all, Dawn of the Dead cannot be called anything but balls-to-the-wall righteous. With its abundance of exploding heads, chomped flesh and screwdrivers in ears, Dawn of the Dead is a movie that truly has it all. From the first moment to the last, there’s nothing on screen that doesn’t make you say “What I am watching is so incredible I may have to change my jodhpurs.” In the words of the character Roger, this movie is “Perfect, baby. Perfect.”

#6: The Dark Knight

This may not be a very popular sentiment, but I felt that Batman Begins was only pretty okay. The Dark Knight, however, is a different beast altogether. By which I mean it is great.

Comic book movies as a whole are fighting an uphill battle. I’m not some kind of snob who thinks they can’t be great or are a lesser form of movie, far from it. But they definitely require that the viewer accept a higher level of inherent ridiculousness than any other genre, and so they have to work that much harder. Too often they don’t bother, but on The Dark Knight they did the work and it paid off.

And while the title refers to Batman, we know this is really the Joker’s movie. Every moment he’s on screen, you’re captivated; every moment he’s not on screen, you’re saying to yourself “When are they gonna get back to the Joker?” Sorry, Hannibal Lecter, but the next generation of filmgoers has a new mesmerizing-yet-dangerously-insane villain. Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker is so spellbinding that it all but erases from memory the Joker from 1989’s Batman, and as you may recall, in that movie the character was played by Jack Freaking Nicholson. I can’t think of higher praise for Ledger than that.

#5: Aliens

I love me some Alien. I’ve called it one of my top ten scary movies, and I stand by that. Yet by not trying to compete with or emulate Ridley Scott’s first movie, James Cameron managed to make Aliens the kind of sequel we wish every sequel would be.

Whereas Alien is essentially a haunted house movie in space, Aliens is a “monsters are attacking from every which way, let’s blow them up as much as we can holy shit action plus there is Paul Reiser” kind of movie. Shifting the focus from scares and suspense to full throttle action made Aliens one of the most enjoyable movies of all time. Once it starts going, you never get a chance to catch your breath.

After you watch it, be sure to then not watch the very beginning of Alien 3, because you will say: “What a bunch of bullshit! Was it all for nothing?”

#4: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Back before they made a movie that was okay but kinda stupid and a movie that was completely stupid, the Terminator franchise was just the original movie and this badass sequel. Remember that part where Arnold is flipping the shotgun around while he rides the motorcycle?  Or that part where they blow up Cyberdyne? Or that part where Linda Hamilton looks totally terrifying but also hot (the whole movie)? Or that part with the kid from Salute Your Shorts? I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!

#3: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a movie of powerful boredom. For this sequel they went back to doing things the way that had made the original series so successful, even going so far as to revisit a character from one of the very best episodes. There’s action, there’s comedy, and the end of the movie will reduce you to a non-fuctional ball of sadness. Plus, there’s this:

I think once you’ve said that you’ve said it all.

#2: The Empire Strikes Back

Was there any doubt that this, the best film in the Star Wars trilogy, was going to show up on this list? You got Yoda, you got Han and Leia’s sexual tension, you got Billy Dee Williams.

Lando demonstrates his little maneuver

#1: The Godfather Part II

As great as The Godfather is, this first sequel is even better. In fact, I’d say it’s my favorite movie that features two men kissing each other full on the lips.

Where to even start when talking about this movie? Well, there’s the cast. Most of the actors from the first movie are back, with Robert De Niro joining them as the young Vito Corleone. This is the only chance you have to see Pacino and De Niro in the same movie before they both transformed into caricatures of themselves. Then of course we could talk about…oh, what’s the point. Just look at the list of Oscars in that trailer up there—everything about this movie is mindblowing. An absolute all-time classic.

If You Hated This, You Will Also Totally Hate:

• The Evil Dead
• Eric’s Top Ten Scary Movies
• Advice for Wes Craven
• Dawn of the Dead
• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter