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The weird one. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) ditches the original cast, loses Wes Craven, and has Freddy possessing a teenager instead of killing kids in their dreams — and we're covering it anyway for week two of So Many Scares. Jesse Walsh moves into Nancy's old house, the title makes no sense (Freddy won last time — revenge on who?), horror gets a rare Scream King in the "final fella," Clu Gulager reps Oklahoma, the effects hold up even when the logic doesn't, and the Letterboxd crowd has thoughts about how sweaty Jesse is. Ratings: Garrett 2, David 1.5, Josh 2. Letterboxd average: 2.8 — almost a full point down from the first film. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome back to So Many Scares 00:41 — The Letterboxd synopsis 01:15 — Box office: $2.8M opening, $29.9M total 03:32 — No original cast, Craven walks away 04:26 — Garrett was wrong about Nancy 04:36 — Clu Gulager: another Oklahoman 06:22 — "Freddy's Revenge" — revenge on who? 07:41 — Re-learning lore in every horror sequel 08:50 — Reality is as weird as the dreams 09:25 — The effects hold up 10:41 — Craven's 1988 quote: "silly script" 11:51 — The "final fella" — horror's Scream King 14:43 — Freddy has a personality; Jason doesn't 18:12 — Jesse's only crime is living in that house 20:22 — Burnt weenie, smoker, midnight toker 21:09 — The Season of the Witch comparison 21:51 — The FU endings 23:42 — Our ratings: 2, 1.5, 2 25:27 — Letterboxd reviews 26:38 — The queer subtext + the sweaty movie club 28:00 — The score game — Josh wins by 0.1, again 29:31 — Almost a full point down from the first film 30:41 — Next week: Dream Warriors 🌐 somanysequels.com | 📸 @somanysequelspod

The late, great Tim Curry originated Dr. Frank-N-Furter on the London stage in 1973 and made his film debut in The Rocky Horror Picture Show at 28 — and became everybody's devil. We close out our September tribute series with the most iconic cult movie ever made. The "who is your Tim Curry?" draft, the Joker role he lost to Mark Hamill, David's first-ever watch, a $1M flop that grew to $120M worldwide, Barry Bostwick and a baby Susan Sarandon, the Meatloaf timeline mystery, front-loaded bangers vs. the second-half slump, Letterboxd reviews, and a score game Josh and David split. Ratings: David 4, Josh 4, Garrett 4.5. Letterboxd average: 4.1 (1.4M logs). CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to So Many Sequels00:58 Rocky Horror + the Tim Curry tribute01:33 Is he a character actor?01:52 Nigel Thornberry?! (voice career)02:46 He was almost the Joker (lost to Mark Hamill)03:55 Who is YOUR Tim Curry?07:41 Tim Curry: everybody's devil08:31 Kicking off spooky season08:49 The longest-running movie ever? (midnight screenings)10:34 The callback/callout culture13:13 The Letterboxd synopsis13:51 Box office: $1M flop to $120M worldwide15:36 Never write off a movie after opening weekend16:22 Originated the role on stage (1973), film debut at 2816:53 David's first watch (Drew Carey Show Time Warp)19:49 The songs: Time Warp is the peak, front-loaded bangers21:18 That voice — pure stage command24:21 Barry Bostwick & Susan Sarandon (Brad & Janet)25:53 The Meatloaf timeline mystery28:34 The 2016 Fox TV version (Laverne Cox)30:55 Circle Cinema screenings?31:19 Our ratings: 4, 4, 4.533:01 Letterboxd reviews ("horny and gay")33:58 The score game: 1.4M logs, 4.1 average — split points35:26 Wrap: see it with a crowd (a Thanksgiving movie?) 🌐 somanysequels.com | 📸 @somanysequelspod

The one that started it all — Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) — and the first episode of our October So Many Scares series on the Nightmare franchise.Garrett's Blockbuster-kid origin story with slashers, David's first-ever watch, a $1 million budget that turned into $57 million worldwide, Tulsa's own Heather Langenkamp as the final girl who fights back, the "old man writing what teenagers say" dialogue, David's modest proposal that Freddy get two claw hands, the ending nobody can agree was a dream, Letterboxd reviews, and a score game Josh wins by a tenth of a point.Ratings: Garrett 3.5, David 3, Josh 3. Letterboxd average: 3.7. CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to So Many Scares00:18 Kicking off Nightmare on Elm Street month00:52 The plan: ending with Freddy vs Jason01:55 The Letterboxd synopsis (reads like a VHS back)02:50 Box office: $1M budget, $57M worldwide05:41 Why this series + Garrett's Blockbuster days07:18 Only Robert Englund has played Freddy08:26 "An old man writing what he thinks teenagers say"09:49 David's first watch: dreams vs reality11:01 "Fred is a pervert"14:08 The glove: "get two claw hands"18:01 Dream logic that works (the sinking stairs)19:35 Tulsa's own Heather Langenkamp21:31 Nancy: the final girl who fights back23:25 Plot holes: how do the kids know about Freddy?26:35 Could Freddy work today? (Smile, It)30:04 The ending: was it a dream?32:13 "One, two, Freddy's coming for you"33:01 Our ratings: 3.5, 3, 335:44 Letterboxd reviews36:47 The Letterboxd score game — Josh wins by 0.138:08 Next week: Freddy's Revenge🌐 somanysequels.com | 📸 @somanysequelspod

The third film in the Bring It On franchise — the 2006 straight-to-DVD cheer-off starring Hayden Panettiere and Solange Knowles-Smith — discussed as a tribute to Hayden Panettiere.All three hosts went in with zero expectations. All three came out giving it the exact same score. Along the way: the "Bring It Oniverse," the straight-to-DVD theatrical rumor, the Heroes connection ("save the cheerleader, save the world"), Rihanna's gloriously bad green-screen music video, a Letterboxd score game with a direct hit, and a Blockbuster nostalgia spiral.CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to So Many Sequels00:06 Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)00:14 Tributes: Hayden Panettiere, Dolly Parton & Tim Curry02:04 Extremely 2006 — 20 years later02:18 Hayden Panettiere & Solange Knowles-Smith02:51 The "Bring It Oniverse": no connection to the original04:03 Straight to DVD + the theatrical rumor06:53 "Save the cheerleader, save the world"08:13 Remembering Hayden Panettiere's career10:03 First-time watches, zero expectations11:18 Race, class & "Hip Hop Barbie"14:47 Culture shock at Crenshaw Heights17:11 When the camp works (and when it doesn't)18:45 Rihanna's green-screen music video23:09 Body shaming, 2006 edition25:03 Our ratings: three 2.5s across the board27:19 Letterboxd reviews28:25 The Letterboxd score game — Garrett's direct hit30:03 Blockbuster & DVD-bin nostalgia33:08 Scoreboard update33:22 Next week: Rocky Horror + So Many Scares🌐 somanysequels.com | 📸 @somanysequelspod

9 to 5 is remembered as a groundbreaking comedy, but rewatching it today reveals a movie that casually pivots into kidnapping, false imprisonment, and accidental corpse theft.In this episode of So Many Sequels, Josh Gammon, Garrett Powders, and David Prock revisit the 1980 classic. They discuss Dolly Parton’s flawless acting debut, the film’s massive $103.2 million box office run, and how a movie about a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical boss still feels entirely relatable today.In this episode:-The unexpected madcap tone of the second act-Why Dolly Parton was the ultimate anti-ego movie star-The film’s massive 1980 box office success against The Empire Strikes Back-The animated fantasy sequences and unhinged plot twists-Final ratings and Letterboxd community scoresSo Many Sequels is your book club for movies.Follow along:-Website: somanysequels.com-Instagram: @somanysequelspod

Some post-apocalyptic movies are about surviving the infected. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is about surviving Jack O'Connell and a cult named Jimmy.In this episode of So Many Sequels, Josh Gammon, Garrett Powders, and David Prock review the second part of the new 28 Years Later trilogy. They break down the film's stark departure from standard zombie tropes, Dr. Kelson’s (Ralph Fiennes) bizarre behavior in the wasteland, the introduction of an Alpha infected, and whether the movie tries to juggle too many unconnected storylines at once.In this episode:-Why human evil is scarier than the Rage virus-Ralph Fiennes’ unhinged "Devil" performance-The terrifying lore behind the Jimmy cult-Does Spike’s storyline actually belong in this movie?-Box office struggles vs. high critical praise-Our predictions for the Cillian Murphy finaleSo Many Sequels is your book club for movies.Follow along:Website: somanysequels.comInstagram: @somanysequelspod

Chris Hemsworth. Mark Ruffalo. Halle Berry. Barry Keoghan. A $90 million budget. And a box office run that didn't come close to covering it. In this episode of So Many Sequels, Josh Gammon, Garrett Powders, and David Prock kick off a streaming catch-up series with Crime 101 — the heist thriller that bombed in theaters and found new life on Prime Video. They break down the movie's tangle of subplots, debate whether Barry Keoghan quietly stole the whole thing, and land on three different star ratings. In this episode: Why Crime 101 made $72.9M against a $90M budgetThe "cool guys doing cool crimes" test, appliedBarry Keoghan vs. the rest of the castSteve McQueen and Bullitt comparisons in the car chase scenesThree ratings, one Letterboxd guessing gameSo Many Sequels is your book club for movies. Follow along: Website: somanysequels.comInstagram: @somanysequelspod

Josh, Garrett, and David close out Mythology Month with Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey — five stars across the board, a case for practical effects over CGI, and a theory about the Trojan horse that reframes the whole movie. In this episode: Why The Odyssey landed five stars from all three hostsHow Nolan shot giants, a Cyclops, and a full ship's crew almost entirely practicallyMatt Damon's months of real archery training — no CGI arrowsAnne Hathaway's "I want Odysseus" scene, and the case for more PenelopeDavid's theory on what the Trojan horse really represents in this versionThe Letterboxd guessing game (David wins with a direct hit at 4.4)Black Panther 3 and Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider news, straight from Comic-ConSo Many Sequels is your book club for movies. Follow along: Website: somanysequels.comInstagram: @somanysequelspod

In this episode of So Many Sequels, Josh Gammon, Garrett Powders, and David Prock dig into Disney's 1997 Hercules for week three of Mythology Month — the extremely American, gospel-choir version of the Greek myth that somehow still works.In this episode:-The wild casting history behind Hades-Why the Muses might be the best storytelling device in any Disney movie-Disney's Americanization of Greek mythology, and why the backlash from Greece makes sense-Ranking "Go the Distance," "Zero to Hero," and "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)"-The Michael Bolton needle drop nobody saw coming-Three different star ratings — and the real Letterboxd numberSo Many Sequels is your book club for movies.Follow along: Website: somanysequels.com Instagram: @somanysequelspod

Troy made nearly $500 million worldwide, cast half of Lord of the Rings as extras, and turned Brad Pitt into a Greek demigod for two hours and forty-three minutes. It also cut every god out of Homer's Iliad and left Achilles as a straight-up atheist. Josh, Garrett, and David dig into what David Benioff's screenplay kept, what it invented, and why removing the mythology from a mythology movie might be the reason nobody in it feels worth rooting for. Plus: the Letterboxd guessing game, a Peter O'Toole story that did not end well for anyone, and a rating that dropped the more they talked about it. Part of Mythology Month, timed to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey — now in theaters. Follow So Many Sequels at somanysequels.com and @somanysequelspod on Instagram.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? opened in five theaters on December 22, 2000, went on to make $71.9 million worldwide on a $26 million budget, and somehow got outdone by its own soundtrack — which sold over 8 million copies and beat out Bob Dylan and U2 for the Grammy for Album of the Year, only the third movie soundtrack ever to do it. Josh, Garrett, and David kick off Mythology Month with the Coens' loose, sun-bleached riff on the Odyssey. David's watched it since he was eleven and it's in his Letterboxd top four. Josh has loved it since childhood cassette-recording "Man of Constant Sorrow" off the radio. Garrett watched it for the first time this week — and tried to track the Homer parallels in real time, which he'll tell you was a mistake. They get into the Cyclops-with-an-eye-patch stuff, the Homer Stokes subplot and what it says about 1930s (and 2026) politics, and why George Clooney's pomade matters more than you'd think. Let us know what you think.

Disclosure Day is Steven Spielberg's first alien movie in over two decades, and he's calling it the conclusion to a spiritual trilogy that started with Close Encounters and E.T. That's a big swing. We went to see if he pulled it off. Josh, Garrett, and David caught the film together at Circle Cinema in Tulsa — packed house, no assigned seats, the whole thing — and then recorded this. They talk about why the final act works harder than the first two, Emily Blunt's shot at awards season, what the film gets wrong about how the internet works (and why that doesn't matter), and whether Spielberg is actually using aliens to say something about loneliness, faith, and a world that stopped listening to itself. Ratings land at 3.5, 4, and 4.5 stars — which means someone's wrong. Go find out who. So Many Sequels is your book club for movies. Find us at somanysequels.com and @somanysequelspod on Instagram.

Josh, Garrett, and David close out Spielberg in Space month with War of the Worlds — the one where the aliens finally turn hostile, Tom Cruise plays peak divorce-dad energy, and the hosts argue about whether the most unlikable protagonist in the Spielberg canon actually makes the movie work. Follow So Many Sequels at somanysequels.com and @somanysequelspod on Instagram.

Part two of our Spielberg in Space series leading up to Disclosure Day — this week it's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. We dig into E.T.'s insane box office run (28 straight weeks in the top 5, nearly a year in theaters, $2.2 billion worldwide adjusted for inflation — second only to Jaws in Spielberg's career), then connect it back to Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a kind of spiritual sequel. We talk about how Spielberg shot the film almost entirely from a child's-eye view, why his parents' divorce shaped both Elliot's story and the absent adults in this movie, and why this whole thing might be the secret blueprint for Stranger Things. Also covered: the Reese's Pieces vs. M&M's candy debate nobody asked for, the Star Wars/Coors/Coca-Cola product placement, John Williams' score, and our final star ratings — including a Letterboxd community score that genuinely shocked all three of us. Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram @somanysequelspod.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind came out in December 1977, made $116 million in the US alone, and lost the box office crown for that year to exactly one movie: Star Wars. Not a bad second place. Josh, Garrett, and David kick off Spielberg in Space Month with Spielberg's pre-E.T. love letter to alien optimism. They get into why Richard Dreyfus was the right guy for a role Steve McQueen, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman all passed on, why the mashed potatoes scene is actually the emotional center of the whole thing, and what it means that this is basically the only alien movie where nobody tries to blow anything up. All three hosts land at four and a half stars. Josh finally wins the Letterboxd guessing game. David's son watched the aliens and said they looked like naked five-year-olds. So Many Sequels is your book club for movies. Follow along at somanysequels.com and @somanysequelspod on Instagram.