As if 2003 slasher crossover Freddy vs. Jason wasn't big enough of a showdown, early scripts featured a cameo appearance by Hellraiser's Pinhead. A decade after the last scene of Jason Goes to Hell teased a showdown between Freddy and Jason - and even longer since fans began to push for such an encounter - Freddy vs. Jason finally materialized in the summer of 2003. Like most films in either the A Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th franchises, Freddy vs. Jason got bad reviews from critics, but was a box office success, and lived up to its title by including a long, no holds barred brawl between the two slashers.
In the end, neither villain conclusively won, as both Freddy and Jason remained alive. Jason was certainly in better shape though, as Freddy had been reduced to a decapitated head. It's doubtful any fans at the time figured the crossover film would be the last entry in both the original Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th continuities, but it was, as both franchises received the remake treatment next.
While it famously took ten years for Jason Goes to Hell's tease to be paid off, Freddy vs. Jason had actually been in development even longer, as the idea was first proposed prior to 1988's Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood. Between 1988 and 2003, Freddy vs. Jason went through more than a dozen scripts and concept pitches from various writers, with Damian Shannon and Mark Swift eventually getting the gig. However, even their first ideas didn't all make it to the screen.
Hellraiser's Pinhead Almost Cameoed in Freddy vs. Jason
As Shannon and Swift would eventually reveal, the pair wrote quite a few endings for Freddy vs. Jason that didn't ultimately get used, including a few that were shot but later shelved. One that sadly didn't make it past the idea stage involved Freddy and Jason's big final battle at Crystal Lake ending with both slashers getting sucked back down to hell. Freddy had of course roused Jason from Hell to put fear back in the residents of Springwood, and enable Freddy's own return from the netherworld.
Once in Hell, Freddy and Jason's battle would continue, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Hellraiser's Pinhead, complete with hooked chains. The iconic Cenobite would then ask the two combatants if there was a problem, seemingly setting up a sequel. However, New Line Cinema - who at that point owned both Freddy and Jason - balked at the idea of having to license Pinhead from Dimension Films for Freddy vs. Jason, and the idea was quickly squashed. One wonders just how cool the proposed scene might've been, as a trio of horror legends united for the first time.