Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)(01 of12)
Open Image ModalDirector Joe Dante took a different tack for the sequel to his original classic horror comedy, letting his creations loose on an entire skyscraper and allowing them to wreak all manner of Looney Tunes-inspired havoc. Dante once again gets the balance of comedy and horror exactly right, but there's a manic energy here, coupled with a brilliantly conceived surreal element (notably, the Gremlins tearing through the fourth wall) that sets it distinctly apart from the first film.
A Shot In The Dark (1964)(02 of12)
Open Image ModalBlake Edwards' hilarious follow-up to The Pink Panther (1963) is arguably the greatest comedy sequel ever made. It's certainly a lot funnier than the original movie, largely because Peter Sellers' bumbling Inspector Clouseau is promoted to lead character, after stealing the first film in a supporting role. Here he dedicates himself to proving the innocence of maid-slash-murder suspect Elke Sommer, even though it's obvious she dunnit. Comic highlights include: Clouseau getting his finger stuck in a globe, Clouseau sleuthing at a nudist colony and, of course, engaging in deadly combat with houseboy Kato (Burt Kwouk), who he's ordered to attack him at all times.
A Very Brady Sequel (1996)(03 of12)
Open Image Modal After 'The Brady Bunch Movie' (1995) became an unexpectedly huge hit, the sequel followed a year later and, like a number of other entries on this list, found success chiefly by dialling up the weirdness and playing up the subversive element. Once more, the set-up is that the Bradys are living in the 90s, but behaving like they did in the 1970s. This time round, Carol's (Shelley Long's) ex-husband shows up and throws the family into confusion, while step-siblings Greg and Marcia (Christopher Daniel Barnes and Christine Taylor) discover they have feelings for each other when they're forced to share an attic.
Addams Family Values (1993)(04 of12)
Open Image ModalIt's hard to remember a single joke from the original 1991 Addams Family movie and yet everyone remembers two things about 'Addams Family Values': Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) wreaking havoc when they're packed off to summer camp; and Joan Cusack's deliciously evil performance as gold-digging, rich-husband-murdering nanny Debbie Jelinsky, who sets her sights on an infatuated Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd). All that, plus Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston reprising their pitch perfect comic performances as Gomez and Morticia. Creepy, kooky and altogether ooky.
Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)(05 of12)
Open Image ModalAfter travelling through time in 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' (1989), our hapless heroes end up in the Afterlife for the 1991 sequel, after they are killed off by their own evil robotic doubles. Come on, it could happen to anyone. Rather than play it safe, director Peter Hewitt decided to up the weirdness for the second film, resulting in the glorious central gag of Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) challenging Death (William Sadler) to a series of board games, beautifully riffing on the chess match in Bergman's The Seventh Seal. All together now: “You sank my battleship!”
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)(06 of12)
Open Image ModalThe third in the 'National Lampoon's Vacation' series sees Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold simply trying to ensure that his wife (Beverly D'Angelo) and kids (Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki) have the perfect Christmas, but thanks to the arrival of his extended family (chiefly Randy Quaid as cousin Eddie) and his own disaster-prone tendencies, nothing goes according to plan. With a script from John Hughes that shows genuine affection for the characters, this unleashes a number of inspired comic set-pieces (notably Clark versus squirrel, plus various trees getting destroyed) and some truly hilarious slapstick.
Evil Dead 2 (1987)(07 of12)
Open Image ModalTechnically, 'Evil Dead II' isn't actually a sequel to a comedy, so it's not exactly difficult for it to be funnier than the original film, but it's worthy of a place on the list nonetheless. Director Sam Raimi bombards the screen with laughs and screams in equal measure, so that you're never quite sure what's coming next. He's aided by some inventive camerawork and Bruce Campbell's iconic performance as idiot-turned-action-hero Ash. Never has a man been happier to replace a possessed hand with a chainsaw. Groovy.
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)(08 of12)
Open Image ModalThe original 'Hot Shots!' (1991) took a series of well-aimed pot-shots at the likes of Top Gun, but the spoof comedy sequel arguably hits more comic targets by setting its sights on Rambo and other over-the-top, Chuck Norris-style action flicks. Airplane co-director Jim Abrahams orchestrates a steady stream of terrific gags, anchored by Charlie Sheen's best comic performance as gung-ho pilot Topper Harley, here sent to Iraq to rescue his girlfriend's husband. Amongst many comic highlights: Lloyd Bridges (as President Thomas “Tug” Benson) having a light sabre fight with Saddam Hussein ('The Big Lebowski's Jerry Haleva).
Naked Gun 2 1/2 (1991)(09 of12)
Open Image ModalLeslie Nielsen's wonderfully oblivious Lt Frank Drebin is the spiritual successor to Sellers' Inspector Clouseau and the gag-filled 'Naked Gun' movies (big screen spin-offs from spoof cop TV show 'Police Squad'!) were deservedly big hits. Here Drebin gets involved in a plot by powerful energy corporations to replace eco-friendly energy czar Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths) with an evil doppelganger. Sample dialogue: “"I'm sure that we can handle this situation maturely, just like the responsible adults that we are. Isn't that right, Mr Poopy Pants?"
Toy Story 2 (1999)(10 of12)
Open Image ModalPixar's follow-up to their 1995 hit set the bar extremely high for animated sequels, to the point where the upcoming 'Finding Nemo' sequel has a lot to live up to. Their formula for success involves being true to the original film, adding a certain amount of depth (Woody realising that Andy will eventually out-grow him), an appealing new character (Jessy the Cowgirl) and, of course, stuffing the film full of wonderful gags, both verbal and visual. Comic highlights include: the traffic cone sequence and the trip to the toy store, during which Buzz comes face to face with a wall of Buzz Lightyears.
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2012)(11 of12)
Open Image ModalThe Christmas-themed third instalment in the popular stoner comedy franchise sees best friends Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) heading into New York on an emergency mission after Kumar accidentally sets fire to Harold's scary father-in-law's (Danny Trejo) Christmas tree. The 'Harold & Kumar' movies work because of the strength of the central friendship, coupled with colourful supporting performances (chiefly Neil Patrick Harris) and scripts that are filled with terrific gags, both verbal and visual. Comic highlights this time round include a drug-addled baby (funnier than it sounds, honest) and an inspired claymation sequence.
22 Jump Street (2014)(12 of12)
Open Image ModalThe inspired comic pairing of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill turned 2012's big screen spin-off of 80s TV show '21 Jump St' into an unexpectedly huge hit, so a sequel was a foregone conclusion. This time round, the script turns the meta levels up to 11, getting great comic mileage out of the often mentioned fact that sequels basically recycle all the great jokes from the first film. One of the best examples of this comes in a delightful mid-credits sequence you may have missed at the cinema, in which the next 20 Jump St sequels are trailed, including 23 Jump St: Medical School, 24 Jump St: Foreign Exchange.