Horror sequels have long seemed, like weeds or mosquitoes, something we just have to put up with, part of Hollywood's natural ecosystem. We tend to think of them as superfluous because it's hard to scare audiences a second time (or third, or tenth) when they know the premise and can anticipate what's coming.

But it was not always so. The first major horror sequel, "Bride of Frankenstein," was released 80 years ago this week (on April 22, 1935), and it was actually good, scary, and clever and surprising in a way that amplified the story told in 1931's "Frankenstein."

In the eight decades since, only a few horror sequels have lived up to that standard. Here they are, the best return frights.