Review of Freddy vs. Jason (2003) by Andy P — 24 Nov 2011

In one corner, you have the hockey mask-wearing, machete-wielding, camp councillor-stalking, Jason Voorhees. In the other corner is the dream-invading, face-burnt, razor-fingered Freddy Krueger! 'Freddy vs.

Jason' is a silly, over-the-top horror film which crosses two of the most iconic slasher franchises ('Friday the 13th' and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street') by pitting the two main villains in a never ending battle.

Some may say it's a cheap and tacky way for Hollywood to milk some more dollars out of the two tried-and-true franchises, but I prefer to see this as a great B-Movie. There have been some terrific "Versus" movies such as 'King Kong vs.

Godzilla', or 'Dracula vs. Frankenstein' which are all tongue-in-cheek and fully aware of the silliness, whilst still being gory and frightening, they're ultimately fun. That's what 'Freddy vs.

Jason' is. But despite all the silliness, one genuinely brilliant moment, however, is the prologue. Freddy, as the narrator, gives a recap of his story. You know, how he was a child-killer burnt to death by the parents of Elm Street, but after they killed him he became the dream-invading demon hell-bent on revenge.

We are then shown a quick montage of a few clips of the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series. This sequence is a chilling, and brilliantly edited summary of A Nightmare on Elm Street and perfectly illustrates what I like about the concept.