Freddy vs. Jason is still considered to be one of the biggest horror cinematic events of all time, so it’s extremely disappointing that awkward and unnecessary CGI has forever tainted the crossover classic. Both Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street are two of the most celebrated horror franchises and helped influence many modern slasher archetypes.
Hypothetical debates between who would win in a battle between the horror genre’s biggest icons raged on for years, and there are several examples of rich cinematic horror universes. However, in 2003, fans were given something substantial to celebrate with the crossover slasher movie, Freddy vs. Jason. This horror showdown took years to pull together and the scope and look of the project changed many times over the course of development. Even so, expectations remained high for the opportunity to see Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger finally duke it out on the big screen.
Freddy vs. Jason faced the difficult task of needing to satisfy fans of both Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises, even though they’re both quite different in terms of tone and style of kills. There was also the issue of Freddy vs Jason not showing preference to one character, which would potentially risk alienating half of the audience in the process. Ultimately, Freddy vs. Jason felt like it had more of A Nightmare on Elm Street’s DNA, but still effectively balanced both franchises. Freddy vs. Jason was able to find a satisfying story, which made it all the more disappointing that the movie’s potential got ruined by an abundance of awkward and distracting CGI effects.
Horror films have steadily embraced CGI over practical effects, but both Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street did amazing work without the aid of computer technology. The franchises helped showcase the work of practical effect visionaries like Tom Savini and Stan Winston and proved just how much horror films could accomplish with a minimal budget. Freddy vs. Jason’s budget was around $30 million, which is exponentially higher than every previous entry in both series. Fans were excited to see what could be done on this scale, which also seemed appropriate for a blockbuster crossover story of this nature. Freddy vs. Jason wasn't bereft of practical effects, but absolutely leaned into CGI in a way that was never done before in similar movies. This increase in CGI was emblematic of the trend in horror during the 2000s, but it acted as a sour note to end these franchises on, especially since they helped pioneer practical effects in horror.
The most egregious example of Freddy vs. Jason’s embarrassing CGI was with Freddy’s taunting of a stoner, where he transforms into a hookah-smoking caterpillar, as if he was in Alice in Wonderland. It’s a bizarre sequence that reduces any tension, and the creature’s scene exit is particularly flawed. This is even more disappointing considering that A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 featured a comparable idea with a gigantic Freddy Snake that terrorized the movie's final girl, Kristen Parker. This sequence not only looked amazing, but was also done with essentially a tenth of Freddy vs. Jason’s budget. Freddy vs. Jason even started off on a discouraging note when the opening credits were presented through CGI blood and slashed flesh.
This embarrassment is bookended at the movie’s conclusion when an uncomfortable CGI visual of Freddy’s severed head winks at the audience. CGI continued to be used for Freddy transformations in what was presumably an attempt to update the archaic formula for modern audiences. Freddy vs. Jason should have focused more on what made the old movies a success instead of prioritizing changing trends.