Sometimes a sequel isn’t just your ordinary run-of-the-mill follow-up — sometimes it’s in a category all its own. Here are six different kinds of movie sequels you sometimes encounter:

Legacy sequels

It’s been 10, 20, maybe even 30 years since the previous film, but suddenly Hollywood drags out the original cast or director or both for a very belated follow-up. These are your legacy sequels, the ones that you never thought were going to arrive at all but manage to produce one last (?) hurrah for that legacy.

Examples: Bill and Ted Face the Music, The Matrix Resurrections, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Shadow sequels

Shadow sequels is a term that I coined for movies that honestly nobody remembers being made. They’re the long-forgotten entries in the franchises, usually due to underperforming and not being that memorable in the first place.

Examples: Heavy Metal 2000, Independence Day Resurgence, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles.

Unconnected sequels

Nothing like appropriating a franchise name to slap that label onto your film — even though it has little to nothing to do with the previous films’ characters, stories, or themes.

Examples: Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, Halloween III, Evil Dead 2013.

Rushed sequels

Have a hit on your hand? Quick — it’s time to rush a half-baked sequel into production and then theaters! These follow-ups are almost inevitably letdowns, but they usually make a chunk of cash.

Examples: Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Police Academy 2, American Pie 2.

Recast sequels

Or if you really want to cheese off your loyal fanbase, you might create a sequel where all of the characters come back — but with a full suite of new actors inhabiting those roles. Are you willing to buy the change? Most people aren’t.

Examples: Addams Family Reunion, A Christmas Story 2, The Brady Bunch in the White House.

Crossover sequels

Once in a while — outside the MCU, at least — two franchises will intersect to create a joint sequel that works for both series.

Examples: Freddy vs. Jason, Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, Alien vs. Predator.