In 2003, Freddy Vs. Jason was released. The movie had been in the planning phase for over a decade before its release; tons of scripts were written, there were numerous alternative endings, and there were even ideas for other horror figures to be involved, like Ash from The Evil Dead and Pinhead from Hellraiser.
Despite the hurdles, Freddy Vs. Jason turned out to be an enjoyable horror movie that signified the end of the second golden age of slasher films. The movie even accumulated a box office total of almost $115 million dollars. Here are five reasons why Freddy Vs. Jason is great...and five reasons why it's not so great.
GREAT: Freddy's Character
Freddy Krueger has long been known as one of horror's smartest and most animated villains, and that is perfectly shown in Freddy Vs. Jason. Freddy is manipulative, using Jason as a pawn to get what he wants. Freddy is also sadistic, with his trademark grotesque humor and excellent one-liners that made Freddy such a unique and compelling killer from the start.
NOT SO GREAT: The Awesome Plot Ideas That Weren't Used
Freddy Vs. Jason had tons of ideas that weren't used. One included Bruce Campbell's Ash character, and another involved Hellraiser's Pinhead character appearing at the very end to drag both Freddy and Jason down into the underworld (and could have made for a super insane sequel).
But one of the coolest unused ideas was that of the "Fredheads," a Freddy-obsessed cult who wears striped sweaters and burn their skin in devotion. The movie was supposed to begin with the cult sacrificing a virgin to purposefully bring Freddy back into the world.
Great: Jason's Rise From Camp Crystal Lake
At the start of the film, we think we see Jason attacking more unsuspecting horny campers, just like old times. But suddenly, his mother appears and tells him he needs to wake up. We then see Jason's mutilated corpse and it's clear that he's dormant and this is all inside his head.
Suddenly, his dreams start to change. Elements from A Nightmare on Elm Street come creeping in. Jason wakes up, unearths himself from his burial site, and begins to walk through the woods towards town. Jason's mother transforms into Freddy Krueger and the audience realizes that it was Freddy manipulating him the whole time. The scene sets the stage for the entire movie and gives you shivers down your spine.
NOT SO GREAT: The Stupid Adults
It's normal for horror movies to have stupid adults. If people in horror movies weren't so stupid then they would just call 911 and the movie would be over. Therefore, horror fans tend to be very forgiving of stupid characters, since their stupidity gives us a movie.
But in Freddy Vs. Jason the stupidity is so out of control that it's worth mentioning. For example, the adults in the town have covered up Freddy Krueger, refusing to tell their children anything. Any child who does see Freddy in a nightmare is sent away to an institution and put on a dream-suppressing drug called hypnocil. But this raises the question, why cover-up Freddy and institutionalize children? Just put all the kids on hypnocil and your problem is solved.
But the real instance of stupidity is after Jason literally kills dozens of people at a rave. The police won't listen to any of the evidence, instead, saying, "We know who did this!" Do you though? For it to be Freddy, then there would have had to have been 30 kids sleeping during a rave. Does that make sense to anyone?
GREAT: The Genuine Scary Moments
Despite how truly absurd the film is, it has some excellent horror moments. Freddy's dream sequences are, of course, standouts. At the start of the film, when he's trying to bring back fear amongst Elm Street, he uses everything in his arsenal to scare the film's main cast, like little kids with no eyes and those girls with the jump rope singing "One...two...Freddy's coming for you..." The second you hear that you're already cowering in a corner.
NOT SO GREAT: That Kelly Rowland Slur
Back in the 200o's, it was normal to make fun of gay people. Calling things "gay" as a derogatory term was commonplace, as was calling someone a "f****t". So it's no surprise that a horror movie made in 2003 would see Kelly Rowland calling Freddy Krueger a "F****t in a Christmas sweater..."
Most shockingly though, is that this line was apparently improvised by Rowland herself. The screenwriters adamantly say that the line was not in the script and that Rowland came up with it on her own. In a post-woke America, the line has now become a laughable moment for some, but a source of heated debate for others. But one thing is for sure, it has gone down in horror history.
GREAT: Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger
Freddy Vs. Jason was Robert Englund's last role as Freddy Krueger (aside from a cameo in The Goldbergs.) The absence of Robert Englund is credited as one of the many reasons why the 2010 remake was such a hated film. Englund's Freddy is full of mischievousness wit while also being sadistic and perverted.
That combination is what makes Freddy Krueger such a terrifying villain. Whereas Jason aimlessly wanders the earth killing whoever he sees, Freddy lets you know that he's after you and that he enjoys your pain... and that is where the real terror lies.
NOT SO GREAT: Kane Hodder Didn't Play Jason
Although Kane Hodder wasn't the original Jason, he's the fan-favorite (and has also starred in the most Jason roles, being in four films.) A few reasons were given as to why Hodder wasn't brought back, with director Ronny Yu stating that Hodder was too cartoonish and not tall enough.
However, leaving Hodder out was a big mistake. To many fans, he was Jason. Another major disappointment was that fans loved the rapport he and Robert Englund had formed over the years. If there was to ever be a horror mashup for the ages, it would have been Robert Englund and Kane Hodder.
GREAT: That Final Battle
Every single horror fan ever can recite to you the finale of Freddy Vs. Jason. When Freddy gets brought into the real world and suddenly finds himself in that burning cabin with Jason looming over him, it's pure cinematic magic.
The expression alone on Freddy's face lets you know that something big is about to happen. The final battle is beyond epic and has stayed with horror fans since, leaving many to demand a sequel.
NOT SO GREAT: The Combined Universe
Combining the world of Freddy Krueger with the world of Jason Voorhees poses some serious problems. For example, what are the physical workings of this universe? This is a world where Jason can't die and Freddy can invade people's dreams and also possess them.
Plus, in the Voorhees universe, there have been characters with telekinetic powers. And in the Freddyverse, there have been characters who can fight back against Krueger in their dreams...so in short, combing these two worlds means that basically everything is possible. It's basically the MCU...