Which horror series has the best Rotten Tomatoes scores?
Of the six big slasher series compared in the infographic by Lemonly (Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hellraiser and Saw), A Nightmare on Elm Street has the best Rotten Tomatoes record. Its nine films average 50% on the Tomatometer, and three of them are rated fresh. Friday the 13th is the worst reviewed, averaging 25% across 12 films, and not one of them is fresh [2][3][4].
The Tomatometer is the share of professional critics’ reviews that are positive. A film is “fresh” at 60% or more and “rotten” below that, so a score tells you how many critics liked a film, not how much they liked it [8].
| Series | Films | Average score | Fresh films | Best reviewed | Worst reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Nightmare on Elm Street | 9 | 50% | 3 | A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), 93% | A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), 14% |
| Halloween | 13 | 39% | 2 | Halloween (1978), 97% | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, 8% |
| Saw | 10 | 35% | 1 | Saw X, 81% | Saw 3D, 9% |
| The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | 9 | 33% | 1 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), 85% | Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, 7% |
| Hellraiser | 11 | 30% | 2 | Hellraiser (1987), 72% | Hellraiser: Hellseeker and Hellraiser: Revelations, 0% |
| Friday the 13th | 12 | 25% | 0 | Friday the 13th (1980), 49% | Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, 8% |
Scores are the Tomatometer as checked in November 2026. Freddy vs. Jason (42%) counts in both the Friday the 13th and Elm Street series, as it does on the infographic. Averages are simple means of each film’s score, not weighted by number of reviews.
Why horror sequels score so much worse than the originals
The pattern the infographic calls “from terror to tedium” holds for five of the six series: the first film is the best reviewed, and the sequels average far lower. Halloween (1978) has 97%, but its 12 follow-ups average 34%. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) has 85%, against 26% for its eight sequels and remakes [3][5].
A few reasons come up again and again in reviews. The originals were small, tightly made films by directors with something new to say, such as John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper and Clive Barker. Once a film made money, studios wanted a sequel every year or two on a small budget, and the creators often moved on. Later films tend to repeat the same formula with a bigger body count, and critics, who reward surprise, mark them down for it. Hellraiser shows this most clearly. Bloodline (1996) was the last Hellraiser film to get a cinema release, the next six went straight to video, and two of them (Hellseeker and Revelations) have 0% from small numbers of reviews [6].
Saw is the one series where the original is not the best reviewed. Saw (2004) has a split 50%, and Saw X (2023), which is built around the Jigsaw killer John Kramer himself, is the best reviewed of the ten at 81% [7].
Reboots and returns that critics liked
The low point of most series is followed by a film that goes back to the original idea, and these are the only sequels that come close to the first film’s score:
- Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), 74%, in which Craven came back to write and direct a story about the cast and crew of the first film [4].
- Halloween (2018), 79%, which ignored every sequel and picked up 40 years after the 1978 film with Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode [3].
- Hellraiser (2022), 68%, a new adaptation that is the second best reviewed film in its series after the 1987 original [6].
- Saw X (2023), 81%, set between the first two films [7].
The follow-ups to these films did not keep it up. Halloween Kills (38%) and Halloween Ends (40%) fell back towards the series average [3].
Remakes of the 2000s did worst of all. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) has 37%, Friday the 13th (2009) 27%, Halloween (2007) 28% and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) 14% [2][3][4][5].
How the scores have changed since the infographic was made
Rotten Tomatoes scores move as reviews are added or reclassified, so a few bars on the chart no longer match. Friday the 13th (1980) is shown at about 65% but now has 49%, and Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is shown just above 50% but now has 39% [2]. Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is shown at about 14% and now has 7%, and Hellraiser: Inferno has gone up from about 13% to 22% [5][6]. Hellraiser: Hellworld has no bar on the chart but now has 13% from eight reviews [6]. The rest of the chart is within a few points of today’s scores.
No new film has been added to any of the six series since. The Friday the 13th story continues on television instead: Crystal Lake, a Peacock prequel series with Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees, started in October 2026 with 77% from 77 reviews, better than any Friday the 13th film [2].
Questions about horror series on Rotten Tomatoes
What is the highest rated horror franchise on Rotten Tomatoes?
Of these six slasher series, A Nightmare on Elm Street, with an average of 50% and three fresh films. Its 1984 original has 93% and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare 74% [4].
What is the best reviewed Halloween movie?
The original Halloween (1978), at 97%, followed by Halloween (2018) at 79% and Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later at 54% [3].
Which Saw movie has the highest Rotten Tomatoes score?
Saw X, at 81%. It is the only Saw film rated fresh. The original Saw has 50% [7].
Has any Friday the 13th movie been rated fresh?
No. The best reviewed is the 1980 original at 49%, followed by Freddy vs. Jason at 42% [2].
Which horror movies have a 0% score?
In these series, Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002) and Hellraiser: Revelations (2011), both from fewer than ten reviews [6].
Sources
- Lemonly, Rotten Tomatoes Ratings for Long-Running Horror Movie Franchises. The creator’s page for this graphic.
- Wikipedia, Friday the 13th (franchise), critical response tables, and Rotten Tomatoes, Friday the 13th (1980).
- Wikipedia, Halloween (franchise), critical response table.
- Wikipedia, A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), and Rotten Tomatoes, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.
- Rotten Tomatoes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and the pages for each sequel; film list from Wikipedia, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (franchise).
- Rotten Tomatoes, Hellraiser (1987) and the pages for each sequel; film list from Wikipedia, Hellraiser (franchise).
- Wikipedia, Saw (franchise), critical response table, and Rotten Tomatoes, Saw X.
- Rotten Tomatoes, About Rotten Tomatoes, how the Tomatometer works.
Last reviewed 8 November 2026
