To me it makes me appreciate the original a lot more, if it’s much better than the sequels. For example, I love the first Wrong Turn movie. Granted, it’s one of those one time movies where it’s only scary once, because it isn’t scary after you already know what’s going to happen…but when I first saw it, it got me on the edge of my seat. Tension, atmosphere…it did the trick, for me anyways. I still enjoy it of course, only the effect of tension and fear is gone…so imagine, I could relive that four more times with all the sequels this has, which I’ve all seen. But they all SUCK.
Two and three are direct sequels, and they seem more like comedy than anything else, number four is a prequel and five is a sequel to that prequel…now, because they’re general slasher movies, I can understand and forgive that what I felt in the first is absent here, but they made the killers into goofs, the scenarios are completely ass and there isn’t any cool or freaky imagery like in the first. So, they all just make me want to watch the first movie all the time haha. As long as they keep popping out these movies I’ll watch them…but if they ever get rid of the old yellow tow truck, I’m DONE man lol.
So while I don’t think poor sequels make an original better or worse, it often makes me appreciate the original work a little bit more.