April 22 (UPI) -- Now that you have time to fill, you can stream some of the longest-running horror franchises. Most of them don't seem so frightening in the face of real-life horrors. The only trick is that many of the entries are spread across different platforms.
Here are some of the best horror franchises, where to find each sequel and why you should watch now. Freddy Krueger isn't streaming at the moment, but his Nightmare on Elm Street films often pop up on streaming services, so don't count him out just yet. Of course, you could rent or buy them, or any of the titles mentioned below, on digital video-on-demand services.
Alien
The first four Alien films follow Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) as she discovers, and then tries to rid the universe of a deadly creature. Each entry has a different style, the first being the scariest, and the underrated Alien: Resurrection a cool, weird epic where Ripley isn't so happy to be back. The creature faced off against the Predator in two films. Director Ridley Scott returned for Prometheus, set before Ripley's adventures, and its sequel, Alien: Covenant.
Alien, Aliens, Alien3, Alien: Resurrection -- HBO
Alien vs. Predator -- Hulu
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem -- only available for rent or purchase
Prometheus and Alien: Covenant -- DirecTV
Alien: Covenant -- FXNow in an edited form
Chucky/Child's Play
Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif), the killer doll, is the last horror icon of the '80s, and he's outlasted Freddy and Jason. If you watch all his movies, you'll see how he's evolved from a tiny slasher to a macabre comedian and back. The seven movies set him up for a Chucky TV series set to premiere on Syfy.
Child's Play -- Prime, Netflix, Hoopla, Shudder, Vudu free with ads
Child's Play 2 and 3 -- HBO
Bride and Seed of Chucky -- Starz
Curse of Chucky -- only available for rent or purchase
Cult of Chucky -- Netflix
2019 Child's Play remake -- Epix
Evil Dead
The original Evil Dead is the ultimate "let's go out to a cabin in the woods and make a horror film" movie as demonic forces beat up Bruce Campbell and murdered his friends. With the sequel, director Sam Raimi added his slapstick sense of humor with no shortage of blood and gore. That continued in Army of Darkness and the Starz TV series, although the remake embodied more of the original tone.
The Evil Dead -- Netflix
Evil Dead 2 -- Rental and purchase only
Army of Darkness -- Starz, DirecTV
2013 Evil Dead remake -- DirecTV
Ash Vs. Evil Dead TV series -- Starz, Netflix
Final Destination
In each Final Destination, the hero or heroine has a premonition about a deadly accident, saving several people involved in the disaster. However, it turns out they were supposed to die so death comes after them, anyway, as everyday situations become death traps. The genius of the franchise is to make you afraid of innocuous items around your house, school or office. Then you've got no chance in places like hardware stores or gymnasiums.
Final Destination 1 to 4 -- Netflix
Final Destination 5 -- Cinemax
Friday the 13th
The Friday the 13th formula is pretty reliable. Camp counselors at Crystal Lake frolic and copulate, and Jason kills them one by one in different, creative ways. The Friday franchise also is notable for having two "final chapters" (IV and IX), neither of which were the last movie. Jason finally battled his ultimate horror rival, Freddy Krueger, in his 11th film.
Friday the 13th 1, 2, 4 to VIII -- Amazon Prime
Friday the 13th 3 and IV -- Direct TV
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday - only for rent or purchase
Freddy vs. Jason -- Starz, DirecTV
2009 Friday the 13th remake -- Netflix
Halloween
The best Halloween movies star Jamie Lee Curtis. She first escapes Michael Myers in the original. Halloween II is a valiant effort to pick up right where the original left off. You get two movies in which Curtis returns to face Michael, for the 20th and 40th anniversary sequels. She has a fun cameo in Resurrection, too. When Curtis is there, the films have the real gravitas of a human being trying to survive this killer.
The original Halloween, Halloween 4 and 5 -- Shudder
Halloween II and III -- Cinemax and DirecTV
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, H20 and Resurrection -- Vudu for free with ads
Halloween: H20 -- Hoopla
Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II -- only available for purchase
Halloween (2018) -- Prime, Cinemax and DirecTV
Psycho
The Psycho franchise goes beyond the Alfred Hitchcock classic. Anthony Perkins played Norman Bates in the first four films and directed Psycho III. Psycho II asks a very pertinent question: What happens when Norman Bates is cured? III pays lovely homage to Hitchcock. IV was a TV movie that got muddled in backstory between Norman and Mother. The TV series Bates Motel was a clever, intense way to reimagine Psycho in modern day.
Psycho I to IV -- DirecTV
Psycho II to IV, 1998 Psycho remake -- Starz
Bates Motel -- Netflix
Saw
Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), the killer in the Saw franchise, doesn't just kill you. He makes it a game and gives you a fighting chance. Just perform some drastic self-mutilation and you get to live with whatever body parts you have left. Don't worry, Jigsaw picks people who deserve to face his brand of justice.
Saw, Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, Saw: The Final Chapter, Jigsaw -- DirecTV
Saw I - The Final Chapter -- Syfy (edited for content)
Scream
Scream's characters watched horror movies, so they knew the rules. In some cases, that only makes them more vulnerable to killer's tricks. Each Scream movie balanced horror and comedy of characters commenting on the genre in which they find themselves. Even with a little less graphic violence on cable, the MTV TV series maintained the Scream intensity.
Scream to Scream 4 -- Showtime and DirecTV
Scream 2 and Scream 3 -- Netflix
Scream: The TV Series -- Netflix
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Leatherface is the one with the chainsaw but he is part of a whole family of cannibal killers who stalk kids who make the mistake of driving by their domain. Some of the early sequels star future celebrities like Viggo Mortensen in III and both Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger in The Next Generation. Nothing tops the grueling, visceral original, but each one has some scary and fun moments.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre -- Shudder, Tubi with ads
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 -- Showtime, Starz, DirecTV and Hoopla
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III -- Starz, DirecTV
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation -- DirecTV, Crackle
2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake -- Starz, DirecTV
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning -- only available for rent or purchase
Texas Chainsaw 3D -- Prime, Hulu, Epix and DirecTV
Leatherface -- DirecTV, Syfy
