History Main / FilmSerial

* ''Film/TheBatman'' (1943, Columbia): the Caped Crusader's first foray into live action. Also credited with creating [[CanonImmigrant the Batcave]].

* Another AffectionateParody was ''Film/TheAdventuresOfCaptainProton'', a holodeck ShowWithinTheShow in ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.

* ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|Serial}}'' (1936, Universal): starring Buster Crabb (who also played ComicStrip/BuckRogers).

Eventually, the genre petered out against the competition of television. Furthermore, a common criticism during the genre's waning years was that the focus had shifted from plot and character development to action and stunts, highlighting the importance of the Cliffhanger as a gimmick tool (and also underscoring said gimmick's [[CliffhangerCopout flaws]] to boot). But the spirit of the Film Serial lives on whenever a TV show episode cuts to commercial with a cliffhanger -- and even more so in the modern era of arc-based plots, or whenever a last-second twist at the end of an episode entices viewers to keep watching.

* ''Film/JungleQueen'' (1945, Universal)

* ''[[Film/TheLoneRanger1938 The Lone Ranger]]'' (1938, Republic): The first of Republic's serials that year.

* BMovie / ExploitationFilm: Many serials were genre stories such as [[TheWestern Westerns]], SpaceOpera, MadScientist etc., or were based upon pulp/genre characters (ComicStrip/FlashGordon, [[{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] et al).

* ProtoSuperhero: A few of the better-selling examples were adapted to film in this format in the 1920s and '30s.

* ''ThePhantomCreeps'' (1939, Universal): starring Creator/BelaLugosi as a MadScientist. Also appeared on [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]].

** CliffhangerCopout: It's common for many cliffhangers to show a protagonist failing or outright ''dying'' at the conclusion of one chapter, only for the next chapter to begin with the protagonist doing something that they weren't shown to be doing before, which changes their fate.

The genre first started with such serials as the silent film ''The Perils of Pauline''. Although some big studios like Universal played the field with the ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|Serial}}'' serials, the most famous and renowned producer of serials was Republic Pictures, especially with the director team of Whitney and English, who produced classics like ''Daredevils of the Red Circle'' and ''Film/TheAdventuresOfCaptainMarvel'' (the first SuperHero film).

* ''The Perils Of Pauline'' (1914, General Film Co): notable for '''not''' featuring chapter-ending {{Cliffhanger}}s. That aspect of serials came later.

* ''The Fighting Devil Dogs'' (1938, Republic): notable for including the very first costumed villain, The Lightning, who's said to be the main inspiration behind DarthVader.
** ''Film/RadarMenFromTheMoon'' (1952, Republic) -- another one featured on [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]].
** ''Zombies Of The Stratosphere'' (1952, Republic): [[BillingDisplacement "starring"]] [[Franchise/StarTrek Leonard Nimoy]]! Though technically part of the Commando Cody franchise, note again the absence of the actual character Cody.

The influence of these serials also led to film series such as StarWars and IndianaJones.

* FedoraOfAsskicking: Many of the adventure serial heroes wore one, which is why Indiana Jones does.

* [[AffectionateParody Spoofed and homaged]] in the comedy film ''Film/JMenForever'' (1979, Pan Canadian Film Dist.), which uses re-dubbed Republic serials (including Commando Cody, Spy Smasher, [[Film/TheAdventuresOfCaptainMarvel Captain Marvel]] and CaptainAmerica) to show various superheroes fighting a plot to conquer the Earth with SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll.

* HistoryMarchesOn / {{Zeerust}} / SpaceClothes: Naturally for any such set in the future, like ComicStrip/BuckRogers, or in space, like Film/{{Flash Gordon|Serial}}.

* ''ThePhantomCreeps'' (1939, Universal): starring Creator/BelaLugosi as a MadScientist. Also appeared on MST3K.

** ''Film/RadarMenFromTheMoon'' (1952, Republic) -- another one featured on MST3K.

* ''Film/UnderseaKingdom'' (1936, Republic): starring Ray "Crash" Corrigan. A few episodes appeared on ''MysteryScienceTheater3000''.

* Another AffectionateParody was ''The Adventures of Captain Proton'', a holodeck ShowWithinTheShow in ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.

** ''RadarMenFromTheMoon'' (1952, Republic) -- another one featured on MST3K.