I've said before - but maybe not here. I thought the approach to Afterlife was brilliant. I've heard people complain that the film takes the originals too seriously or mythologizes them - and I agree - but I think that it was smart to do so.
What Afterlife did is a fascinating and bold - it met the fans/audiences where they were at. Fans are the ones that often forget that those films were comedic horror films not meant to be taken that seriously. Rather than 'correcting' the fans and reminding them that the series isn't THAT serious or deep, it just said "Hey, we love it, too".
Rather than cynically telling the audience that "Hey, these were just silly movies!" and making fans feel dumb - Afterlife embraced and used their reverence.
It rewarded the audience rather than give it a reality check. And it worked brilliantly.
In other words, the series grew with its audience and met them where they were at, rather than shocking them into feeling silly for how much they love the series.
Brilliant approach, I felt.