For those who haven’t seen Freddy vs Jason, this article contains spoilers.
Jason Voorhees is one of the most enduring figures in horror. Regardless if you love or hate the franchise, there’s no denying its impact on popular culture. Often overlooked is what went into making the 12-film series. Through extensive research and interviews, I invite you to take a closer look at the Friday The 13th universe. This is Crystal Lake Confessional.
Attempting to free himself from a state of forgotten limbo, dream-demon Freddy Krueger devises a plan to manipulate the undead Jason Voorhees. By striking fear into the population of Springwood, he could regain his powers. But when the locals figure out who and what they’re dealing with, Krueger loses control of his monster. Caught in the blood-letting crossfire, the would-be victims find themselves in the front row for horror’s most anticipated battle; Freddy vs Jason. The mere synopsis for this match made in Hell is what fans had dreamed of since both characters became horror icons of the 1980s.
When Freddy vs Jason finally hit theaters on August 13th, 2003, it became not only the biggest opening for either franchise but the biggest opening of any horror film up to that point! Although the previous installments of each franchise, Jason X and A New Nightmare were both series lows, the announcement of Freddy vs Jason sent fans into a frenzy. The film also received generally favorable reviews. Something neither franchise experienced since their earliest films.
But even being financially and critically successful, there’s still something about Freddy vs Jason that doesn’t sit well.
The genesis of this movie began soon after Friday The 13th Part VI hit theaters. Director Tom McLoughlin was tasked with pitching a story to New Line Cinema but ultimately turned down. The same thing happened during the pre-production of Part 8 with director Rob Heden. But neither company could come to a satisfying agreement. Things seemingly kicked into gear when Paramount sold the Friday rights to New Line in 1992 and Sean Cunningham got involved. Jason Goes To Hell even closes with Freddy’s claw reaching up from the depths of Hell and pulling Jason’s mask underground.
It was around this time Cunningham’s old protege (and much more successful filmmaker) Wes Craven decided to visit Freddy one more time in A New Nightmare. Even though it failed at the box office, that film opened the door for Scream, the film that begged the question are horror icons even relevant anymore? This resulted in New Line spending a decade and over $6 million in scripts and treatments for this seemingly sought-after movie. The troubled journey through development should have been an indicator that the franchises shouldn’t have crossed paths.
Despite both franchises running strictly on gore, spectacle, and fan-service, each series had its own respective ideology.
The Nightmare On Elm Street series reflects the challenges of adolescence. The characters in those films represent the social anxiety that comes with leaving your youth behind and growing up. Metaphorically speaking, Freddy Krueger could be seen as a manifestation of how teens perceive adulthood. Everywhere you turn, Freddy is there toying with your psyche and getting more and more powerful from your own fear.
On the other hand, Friday The 13th was born of repercussions of neglecting responsibilities. By the time the 4th film comes around, the theme becomes existential dread. That film states the world is a dark and unforgiving place. It doesn’t care how much or who you love, you’re not going to make it out alive. While both themes can be interesting if properly developed, bringing them together in a single film is another story. Not to mention satisfying fandom for both franchises.
It’s almost as if the production was set up for failure before the first scene was even shot. However, they do not fail, and therein lies the problem.
Visually and tone-wise, director Ronny Yu nails the feel of each icon. Freddy is sarcastic, over the top, and at times, maniacally terrible. Jason is unrelenting, brutal, and presented as an unstoppable killing machine he was throughout each of the Friday films. By the time they turn on each other. it feels more like Godzilla vs King Ghidorah than brain vs brawn. It’s violent and extremely entertaining but at what cost? What are we really watching and what’s the point?
For all intents and purposes, Freddy vs Jason feels like a comic book movie long before Marvel perfected a cinematic-universe. But just like any decent comic book film, villainy is a vital component. Of course, we stopped caring for the heroes in Nightmare and Friday movies somewhere along with their 3rd sequels, but a film still sort of needs at least one protagonist to raise the stakes. Freddy vs Jason may have plenty of characters but it’s Jason who sort of becomes the character the viewer roots for. And not ironically.
Making Freddy the antagonist only dilutes the ideology behind Jason in this film and maybe even his entire arc.
Although Jason brutally murders teenagers and there are plenty of mean-spirited quips from Freddy, there is absolutely no challenge to the viewer. I can speak for the entire horror community when I say literally no one was asking for a psychological character study in a film titled Freddy vs Jason. There was no need to make these franchises into something they were not, but be it visceral horror or projection, previous installments challenged the viewer as to what they find scary.
Aside from the final battle and a few graphic kills, Freddy vs Jason has zero tension and just isn’t scary. This aspect misses the point of both franchises. Even at their most self-referential (Friday 6 and Nightmare 6), Freddy nor Jason broke the fourth wall. The horror was strictly on the screen where it belonged. If there’s no tension, scares, or peril, the answer to Scream’s question of whether or not 80s horror icons are relevant, is a resounding no.
Despite the lack of scares and tension, Freddy vs Jason is still an entertaining rollercoaster of nostalgia and tongue-in-cheek fan-service.
But the end result is an oddity. The elements that made the film successful and fun to watch are the same elements that undercut their existence. As fans, producers, and critics alike reveled in superficial satisfaction, they still wondered what to do next. By extension, maybe even wondered why it mattered in the first place. With the lack of a clear winner in the final battle, Freddy vs Jason hints at some sort of sequel. But to which franchise?
In the pre-credits stinger, Jason walks out of Crystal Lake holding Freddy’s severed head. In an obvious token of fan-service, Freddy looks directly at the viewer and winks following a bellowing laugh. Perhaps that’s a fitting conclusion to the story arc of each franchise though. Both icons out there in an infinite loop of murder, mayhem, and resurrection. With a timeline of 17 films between them, could fans really expect finality from these characters? Regardless if more sequels happen in either franchise, these characters will live on in horror fandom forever.
Catch up with previous installments of Crystal Lake Confessional here.
Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – –Part 6 – Part 7
Part TS – Part 8 – Part 9 – Part HM – Part 10 – Part FvJ – Part 2009