8 Movie Trilogies That Are Definitely Not for Kids

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Published Apr 11, 2026, 5:14 PM EDT

Jeremy has more than 2400 published articles on Collider to his name, and has been writing for the site since February 2022. He's an omnivore when it comes to his movie-watching diet, so will gladly watch and write about almost anything, from old Godzilla films to gangster flicks to samurai movies to classic musicals to the French New Wave to the MCU... well, maybe not the Disney+ shows.
His favorite directors include Martin Scorsese, Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, John Woo, Bob Fosse, Fritz Lang, Guillermo del Toro, and Yoji Yamada. He's also very proud of the fact that he's seen every single Nicolas Cage movie released before 2022, even though doing so often felt like a tremendous waste of time. He's plagued by the question of whether or not The Room is genuinely terrible or some kind of accidental masterpiece, and has been for more than 12 years (and a similar number of viewings).
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Some of the best movies of all time have been part of trilogies, and so they make it pretty plain to see how structuring a long-form story in such a way (in three separate parts) can be satisfying. Trilogies can also be linked thematically, so for present purposes, there doesn’t have to be an act 1, act 2, and act 3 for each respective movie sort of thing for something to be an example here.

However, the following examples do have to be within trilogies. So, not that Toy Story would qualify here, given it’s family-friendly, but if Toy Story was not for kids, it wouldn’t count as a trilogy, because there’s a fourth movie. And there’ll be more. Actually, with some of these trilogies, they might not stay trilogies, but for now, at the time of writing, they are. Or, if they belong to a larger franchise, then there are noteworthy things that keep them feeling separate from fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on movies (like a certain horror/comedy trilogy directed by that Spider-Man guy).

8 The 'Cornetto' Trilogy (2004–2013)

The Cornetto trilogy is made up of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, with the first being a zombie movie, the second being a buddy cop film, and the third being a sci-fi flick. Also, each movie functions as a parody of each of those respective genres, all the while doing those genres service in other ways. So, maybe they kind of ride the line between parody and homage.

Like a good many zombie movies, Shaun of the Dead is quite gruesome, and not all the violence is played for laughs, either. The same can be said for Hot Fuzz, which has a good many (and sometimes darkly funny) gruesome deaths. The World’s End is the least violent, but also the most upsetting on an emotional front, and honestly pretty depressing after its first act or so. On top of the violence, there’s a lot of bleeding coarse language ‘ere, guvnor. Best to make sure the little lads and lassies don’t hear such words, innit?

7 'Deadpool' (2016–2024)

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool in Deadpool (2016)

It’s a little difficult putting Deadpool here, because these movies aren’t supposed to be watched by young kids, but the sense of humor found in them is fairly broad and juvenile, so plenty of people who are “technically” too young would probably like Deadpool even more than the people who are actually old enough for them. That’s not to say you are immature if you like them, by any means, but if you were 17 in 2016, you might've got more enjoyment out of the first movie then than you would watching it now, at 27 (welcome to the club).

They're all irreverent and have much more profanity than the majority of comic book movies out there, and the level of violence stays consistent… but Deadpool (2016) was cruder with its sexual content/humor than Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and Deadpool 2 (2018) was probably cruder overall, too. The Mouse made the Merc with a Mouth clean up his act a little, even if there are still inappropriate verbal jokes, F-bombs, and all sorts of over-the-top acts of violence.

6 'Evil Dead' (1981–1992)

There’s a wonderful sense of chaos found throughout the first three Evil Dead movies, all of them directed by Sam Raimi, and all of them starring Bruce Campbell. There have been two other Evil Dead movies released in the 21st century, sure, but Raimi’s Evil Dead films remain a trilogy, owing to them being his vision, and also because of the Campbell factor (hail to the king and all that).

With The Evil Dead (1981), you get a pretty intense and gruesome horror movie, and then Evil Dead 2 is also full-on and bloody, but there’s more comedy to be found. Army of Darkness rounds out the trilogy, and is admittedly one of the mildest R-rated movies ever (younger teens could easily watch it, and maybe some pre-teens, too, at least those who can handle most PG-13 stuff), but the Evil Dead trilogy earns its place within this particular ranking just for those first two blood-soaked movies.

5 'Re-Animator' (1985–2003)

Herbert draws green fluid into a needle in Re-Animator.

Unlike with the Evil Dead trilogy, the Re-Animator movies stay pretty heavy on violence throughout (but unfortunately, the trilogy isn't as consistent as Raimi’s Evil Dead movies). Re-Animator (1985) is indeed about experiments to resurrect dead bodies, and the way such an endeavor inevitably spirals out of control and leads to all sorts of messy/bloody things happening.

It’s a zombie film, so that sort of thing is a given, but for its time, Re-Animator was almost as violent as zombie movies had ever gotten, matched perhaps only by Day of the Dead, which happened to come out the same year. That was once part of a loose trilogy, but George A. Romero’s Living Dead movies did keep going beyond film #3. Anyway, Bride of Re-Animator and Beyond Re-Animator keep the gory thing going, making the Re-Animator trilogy a notably grisly one overall.

4 'Clerks' (1994–2022)

There’s a quote attributed to Jean-Luc Godard that goes: “All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl.” Clerks doesn’t prove that’s untrue, but it does see Kevin Smith making the argument that also, sometimes all you need for a movie is a confined location and a great deal of creative/funny profanity. Clerks is just about people surviving a dead-end customer service job, with a seamless blend of pathos and raunchy comedy.

The first movie earns an R-rating, quite comfortably, for language alone, and almost got an NC-17 rating just because of how filthy the characters talked, which is quite impressive, when you think about it. Clerks 2 ups things by having more sexual imagery alongside equally profane language, and then Clerks 3, while technically gentler and not as dirty, still has plenty of swearing, and is also surprisingly depressing, which keeps the whole trilogy nice and not family-friendly right until the very end.

3 'Hanzo the Razor' (1972–1974)

Hanzo the Razor_ Sword of Justice - 1972

Easily the worst trilogy here, please do not watch any of the Hanzo the Razor movies. You probably haven’t heard of them before, unless you're really into samurai movies and you’ve dug this deep into the whole (usually quite rewarding) genre. The three Hanzo the Razor films may seem enticing, on this front, because they all star Shintaro Katsu in the titular role, and he played the lead character of the Zatoichi series. That run of samurai movies totaled over two-dozen, and almost all of them were good, and some were even great.

You feel dirty after watching just one of these, let alone all three.

Admittedly, Hanzo the Razor is a different sort of thing, feeling more like it belongs to the exploitation genre than the samurai one, but it’s also the bad and just not very fun kind of B-grade exploitation thing. They're sexually charged and violent (often at the same time, which is where the real unpleasantness comes from) movies, and even approaching them as subversive films about a villainous main character, they're still just a bit much, and a bit miserable. You feel dirty after watching just one of these, let alone all three. This is the part where one might say “they're only suitable for adult audiences,” but really, adults should steer well clear of these, too.

2 'X' (2022–2024)

Maxine with her face coming out of the water in X

The first movie in the X trilogy is quite literally called X, and that’s a solid warning that the content you'll get within is pretty close to X-rated. Okay, it was R-rated, but it was a pretty strong R-rating, and also, it’s called X because it’s about a group of people trying to make an adult film, and then they run into a pair of other people who (violently) object to that whole thing.

The more pleasant-sounding Pearl is the second film, and a prequel, and it keeps things intense violence and adult content-wise, but the alarming stuff does happen less frequently. Then MaXXXine descends fully into B-movie sleaze, not being the greatest of conclusions, but for present purposes, it’s got a lot in it that’s not family-friendly, to put it (way too) mildly, so that makes the whole trilogy adults-only and all.

1 'Terrifier' (2016–2024)

Still of Catherine Corcoran and David Howard Thornton from Terrifier (2016)

For now, Terrifier is a trilogy, but there is a fourth movie planned, albeit without a set release date yet (at the time of writing), so it’s being included here. These are slasher movies that aim to push boundaries in terms of violence and taste, which is saying a lot, since the whole slasher sub-genre really highlights murder and usually high body counts, frequently more so than other kinds of horror movies.

The gimmick here is that the villain, Art the Clown, really has to make his victims feel the worst sort of pain imaginable before he kills them, and there’s a supernatural spin to things whereby he can keep people alive, somehow, for quite some time before they succumb to the sheer damage he’s inflicted (look no further than the most infamous sequence in Terrifier 2, in particular). If you’ve got a strong stomach, the series does improve and get more interesting the more it adds by way of fantasy/supernatural elements, but the level of blood and gore here is intense enough to, perhaps understandably, be a deterrent to a good many people, even some horror fans, in all likelihood.

Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap

Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

🕷️Spider-Man

😈Daredevil

🤖Iron Man

💀Punisher

⚡Thor

🛡️Cap

FIND YOUR HERO →

What drives you to do what's right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.

AWith great power comes great responsibility — I protect those who can't protect themselves. BMy faith and my conscience — I believe justice must be served, even in the dark. CLegacy and ego, honestly — but I've learned that others depend on me now. DThe system failed. Someone has to make sure the guilty actually pay. EDuty to the innocent and honour to my name — I was born to protect realms. FThe values I was raised with — freedom, decency, and never backing down from a bully.

NEXT QUESTION →

It's 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you'd think.

ASwinging between skyscrapers, keeping an eye on the neighbourhood. BRunning rooftops in Hell's Kitchen, listening for trouble. CIn my lab, upgrading my suit with a cold cup of coffee nearby. DStaking out a target I've been tracking for three weeks. ESomewhere between the stars, or at a feast that got out of hand. FOn a morning run — I was up at 4, actually. Couldn't sleep.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What's yours?

AWeb them up and leave them for the police — again. BBuild an airtight case and dismantle their entire operation from the inside. CDeploy a containment system I designed specifically for them. Tech wins. DMake sure they don't escape a third time. Permanently. EChallenge them to single combat. Honour demands a decisive end. FRally allies, adapt the plan, and bring them in — by the book, even if it's hard.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.

AEssential — my loved ones would be in danger if anyone found out who I am. BCritical — the mask protects my mission as much as my face. COverrated — I announced myself to the world and I'd do it again. DI'm a ghost. The less people know about me, the better. EMy name is known across the Nine Realms. There's no hiding it. FI don't hide — but I understand why some need to. Transparency builds trust.

NEXT QUESTION →

You've lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.

AWith guilt that never fully goes away — it pushes me to do better, every single day. BI channel it into purpose — their memory is the reason I keep fighting. CI buried myself in work for years. I'm only recently learning to face it. DIt transformed me completely. I'm not the same person I was before. EWith warrior's grief — I honour them by fighting with everything I have. FI keep moving forward. Stopping means letting the loss win.

NEXT QUESTION →

What's your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.

AThe enthusiastic wildcard who somehow makes it work — and keeps the mood up. BThe strategist who works best alone but shows up when it matters most. CThe one who funds it, equips it, and occasionally takes over the whole operation. DI don't do teams. I'm more effective operating solo, on my terms. EThe heavy hitter — I crash in, draw fire, and turn the tide of battle. FThe leader — I earn trust, build the plan, and make sure no one gets left behind.

NEXT QUESTION →

Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.

AClearly — I don't kill, and I wrestle with that line constantly. BI try to hold the line, but I've come terrifyingly close to crossing it. CPractically — I do what's necessary to protect people, including hard calls. DI crossed that line long ago. What I do is justice — the system just won't admit it. EIn battle, victory is justice. Mercy is earned — not automatic. FFirmly. The moment we abandon our principles, we become what we fight against.

NEXT QUESTION →

When you're not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.

ATrying to juggle school, a part-time job, and not failing my friends. BWorking as a lawyer by day, fighting for justice in court and on the streets. CRunning a global company, attending galas, and pretending I'm sleeping enough. DQuiet. Isolated. Surviving with a clear mission and no distractions. ENavigating a bizarre and fascinating mortal world — coffee is extraordinary. FAdapting to a world decades ahead of everything I knew. Quietly, stubbornly.

NEXT QUESTION →

What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.

AThe people I couldn't save — and the ones I might not reach in time tomorrow. BWhether the monster I fight every night is starting to live inside me too. CThe threats I can see coming and whether my tech is actually good enough. DNothing. Silence is the only peace I get. I've made my choices. EWhether I'm truly worthy — of the hammer, of the throne, of the people I protect. FA world where no one stands up anymore. Where good people do nothing.

NEXT QUESTION →

The battle is lost. You're outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.

ACrack a joke to buy a second, then find the one web shot that changes everything. BBlock out everything except the sound of the next threat — and keep going. CActivate the emergency protocol I built for exactly this scenario. Always have a plan. DI don't accept that it's lost. I keep fighting until I physically cannot anymore. ECall the lightning. All of it. The storm answers to me. FPick up the shield. Stand up. Because as long as I can stand, it's not over.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…

Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

🕷️ Spider-Man

You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

You do the right thing not because it's easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn't a burden you choose — it's one that finds you.
Whether it's a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker's lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn't a slogan to you. It's the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.

😈 Daredevil

You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You've looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock's duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.

🤖 Iron Man

Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark's arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you're willing to give everything. Because in the end, you're Iron Man.

💀 The Punisher

You've been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What's left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

You don't ask for forgiveness, and you don't expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you've decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle's war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.

⚡ Thor

Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You're larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor's story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it's needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.

🛡️ Captain America

You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

You don't bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn't become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn't in your fists; it's in your refusal to compromise what's right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you're the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ