# Obscure sequels to much better known movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330 "2018-10-22T14:11:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/61 "2018-10-23T23:52:37Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Many people don’t know that there have been several sequels and spin-off movies to **Star Wars** , none as good as the original. I know you are probably joking with this post, but some people might actually be unaware of the two made for televison movies released in the mid 1980s featuring the Ewoks: The Ewok Adventure [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravan\_of\_Courage:\_An\_Ewok\_Adventure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravan_of_Courage:_An_Ewok_Adventure) Ewoks: The Battle for Endor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewoks:\_The\_Battle\_for\_Endor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewoks:_The_Battle_for_Endor) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/62 "2018-10-24T02:03:14Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > _Return to Oz_ was an excellent sequel to the original that few know about. It got bad reviews because of its darker version of Oz, but it’s overall a very good film. Return to Oz was actually closer in feel to the original Oz books, and had more of the characters from the books. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/63 "2018-10-24T03:21:38Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > For sure, it couldn’t compete against the likes of Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon, William Powell, and Jimmy Cagney, but I enjoyed it then and have since. Interestingly, it was both directed and co-written by Joshua Logan. > > According to Wiki, it came out in November 1964, so I must have seen over Thanksgiving or Christmas (or maybe even the following year). > > I remember the _ **Mr Roberts** _ TV series with Roger Smith (1965–66), but no _ **Ensign Pulver** _ series. Joshua Logan was certainly no slouch. Apparently the first one was partially directed by him uncredited because of all the problems they had with John Ford. I meant the Mr Roberts TV show. It doesn’t really fit in this thread because it can’t be considered a sequel. I suppose they ignored the last 1/3 of the movie and went from there. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/64 "2018-10-24T03:34:35Z")
The Dirty Dozen had several made-for-TV sequels, including an ill-fated TV series. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/65 "2018-10-24T03:53:09Z")
> [@Uniqueorn](#): > > I think Rocky Horror’s “sequel” Shock Treatment is still quite obscure (even though I really like some of the songs and adore Jessica Harper). I’ve seen that one also. Some great music, and Jessica Harper; but it’s not one I’d recommend. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/66 "2018-10-24T11:51:20Z")
**The Hidden** , a great and mostly overlooked SF film\* (that feels like it’s a darker version of Hal Clement’s _Needle_) spawned a couple of made-for-the-SciFi-channel sequels that were abysmal. I’m sure the awful sequels to **Psycho** are pretty well-known, but there was another not in the series – **Bates Motel** - a made-for-TV “comedy drama” ( [Bates Motel (film) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bates_Motel_(film)) ). There was also another unrelated spinoff that almost got made, but lawyers blocked it. And, just for kicks, Robert Bloch, who wrote the original novel, wrote two sequel novels **Psycho II** and **Psycho House** , that were unrelated to any of the films. ( [Psycho House - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_House) ) You can take your pick of possible Norman Bates stories, kinda like a Follow-Your-Own-Adventure book. \*It also stars Kyle MacLachlan as a weird FBI agent from the Pacific Northwest, just like on _Twin Peaks_. You could look at it as something that explains how he got that way. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/67 "2018-10-24T14:14:48Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > The 1986 sci-fi/fantasy classic _Highlander_ has had **five** sequels, including one that was animated. They aren’t well known, except for being terrible.(I’ve heard that the animated one isn’t too bad.) I remember watching the TV series. Was it called Highlander: The Raven? That might be a good thread, TV series based on movies. The Net. Ferris Bueller. The animated series of Bill & Ted, Back to the Future, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes… Actually, The Net also had a horribly obscure sequel, **The Net 2.0.** The TV series was a standard episodic 90s conspiracy series, just without aliens (aliens were big in the 90s). The sequel is just the same basic plot but ten years later and without Sandra Bullock or any of the other things that made the original a success. Oh yes, there is also an excellent sci-fi movie called “The Man From Earth”, about a man who claims to have lived since the stone age. Came out in about 2007, it’s on IMDB’s list of the top 250 sci-fi movies of all time, it’s little known but very well thought of. Even less well known is **The Man From Earth: Holocene** , which came out straight to the internet earlier this year. They are also planning another sequel or possibly a TV series. The original was excellent, and had a lot of pedigree, the writer being the writer of various Star Trek TOS episodes and suchlike, but the sequel has none of the charm of the original. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/68 "2018-10-24T14:32:07Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > I remember watching the TV series. Was it called Highlander: The Raven? That might be a good thread, TV series based on movies. The Net. Ferris Bueller. The animated series of Bill & Ted, Back to the Future, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes… > > Actually, The Net also had a horribly obscure sequel, **The Net 2.0.** The TV series was a standard episodic 90s conspiracy series, just without aliens (aliens were big in the 90s). The sequel is just the same basic plot but ten years later and without Sandra Bullock or any of the other things that made the original a success. > > Oh yes, there is also an excellent sci-fi movie called “The Man From Earth”, about a man who claims to have lived since the stone age. Came out in about 2007, it’s on IMDB’s list of the top 250 sci-fi movies of all time, it’s little known but very well thought of. Even less well known is **The Man From Earth: Holocene** , which came out straight to the internet earlier this year. They are also planning another sequel or possibly a TV series. The original was excellent, and had a lot of pedigree, the writer being the writer of various Star Trek TOS episodes and suchlike, but the sequel has none of the charm of the original. Jerome Bixby’s credits go far beyond that. He wrote the excellent 1950s flick **It! The Terror from Beyond Space** that Dan O’Bannon, Ridley Scott, and company clumsily strip-mined to make the original **Alien**. Bixby’s script is better. He also wrote the original story **it’s a GOOD Life** that became on of the creepiest and best-remember _Twilight Zone_ episodes, and he rewrote the script for **Fantastic Voyage**. Then he went and wrote some Star Trek scripts and _The Man from Earth_\* I didn’t know about the Man from Earth sequel. Thanks. \*He also wrote a couple of other 1950s SF movies – the unjustly forgotten _The Lost Missile_ and the laughable Mummy-from-Pompeii movie _Curse of the Faceless Man_. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/69 "2018-10-24T14:44:16Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Many people don’t know that there have been several sequels and spin-off movies to **Star Wars** , none as good as the original. I was excited to see that this toy, shirt, and thermos line was going to get a movie attached to it. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/70 "2018-10-24T15:01:07Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > I remember watching the TV series. Was it called Highlander: The Raven? The TV series (which was actually fairly good, as those things go), was just called _Highlander_ (sometimes given as _Highlander: The Series_). It starred Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod, clansman of the movie’s hero Connor MacLeod. They even talked Christopher Lambert into appearing as Connor in the pilot. _Highlander: The Raven_ was a spin-off of that, focusing on a female immortal, Amanda, who had appeared several times in _Highlander: The Series_. _Highlander: The Raven_ lasted only one season and was god-awful. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/71 "2018-10-24T15:07:08Z")
_The Gods Must Be Crazy_ was a quirky and amusing low budget indie movie from the 80s. I originally was going to mention the probably not too obscure _The Gods Must Be Crazy II_, but when I went to get a link I learned that [3(!) more sequels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy_(film_series)) and a few more unofficial name hanger-ons exist ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/72 "2018-10-24T15:14:24Z")
I feel good trying to save people some time: Paul Gallico wrote a sequel to, “The Poseidon Adventure,” called (natch), “Beyond the Poseidon Adventure.” “TPA (book),” is almost nothing like the movie and, “BTPA (book),” is totally unlike the movie, which starred Michael Caine, that gruff old sea captain Karl Malden and first mate Sally Field. Run, don’t walk from this movie (and book). Rock bottom is too kind a description. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/73 "2018-10-24T15:31:34Z")
I’m just amused by the idea of multiple movies with ‘Final’ as the title. _Final Destination II:_ Whoops, the last one was actually the penultimate destination. _Final Destination III_: Um, yeah, actually this is the real final destination. Sure of it. _Final Destination IV_: Kind of a funny story, but, well, would you believe this is actually the no-kidding final destination? _Final Destination V_: Someone told us ‘final’ doesn’t mean what we think it means, but we’re still going to keep using it. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/74 "2018-10-24T18:20:19Z")
I loved _The Neverending Story_, Neverending Story 2 & 3 were pretty good. I never tried watching the direct to video cartoon Neverending Story 4. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/75 "2018-10-24T18:21:38Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > I’m just amused by the idea of multiple movies with ‘Final’ as the title. > > _Final Destination II:_ Whoops, the last one was actually the penultimate destination. > > _Final Destination III_: Um, yeah, actually this is the real final destination. Sure of it. > > _Final Destination IV_: Kind of a funny story, but, well, would you believe this is actually the no-kidding final destination? > > _Final Destination V_: Someone told us ‘final’ doesn’t mean what we think it means, but we’re still going to keep using it. Direct from the makers of Final Fantasy 1 - 15.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/76 "2018-10-24T19:38:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > \*The Black Bird \* was a comedy sequel to the Bogart _Maltese Falcon_, even including Elisha Cook, Jr., and Lee Patrick reprising their roles. The Black Bird had black characters making fun of George Segal’s Sam Spade, Jr. for his last name ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/77 "2018-10-24T20:19:00Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Joshua Logan was certainly no slouch. Apparently the first one was partially directed by him uncredited because of all the problems they had with John Ford. I’ve always thought of John Ford as a vastly overrated director. When he said “I’d rather have a hundred bars of good music than one line of bad dialogue,” he wasn’t kidding! ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/78 "2018-10-24T23:14:31Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > I know you are probably joking with this post, but some people might actually be unaware of the two made for televison movies released in the mid 1980s featuring the Ewoks: > > The Ewok Adventure > [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravan\_of\_Courage:\_An\_Ewok\_Adventure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravan_of_Courage:_An_Ewok_Adventure) > > Ewoks: The Battle for Endor > [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewoks:\_The\_Battle\_for\_Endor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewoks:_The_Battle_for_Endor) I liked the first one when I was a kid. Haven’t seen either since. That may be a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/79 "2018-10-25T00:52:27Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve always thought of John Ford as a vastly overrated director. When he said “I’d rather have a hundred bars of good music than one line of bad dialogue,” he wasn’t kidding! He’s one of my favorites. But I can also see how his signature style can be off putting and that it hasn’t aged well. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330/80 "2018-10-25T01:57:38Z")
During the filming, it veered away from being a direct sequel, but \*Nosferatu in Venice \*was a rather obscure “sequel” to Werner Herzog’s _Nosferatu the Vampyre_. It returned star Klaus Kinski although he refused to shave his head and don the makeup from the previous film. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-sequels-to-much-better-known-movies/823330.md?page=5)