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FREDDY VS. JASON
Directed by Ronny Yu
Two of horror’s biggest icons clash on the big screen... how could this not be a blast? I’m not
even a big fan or horror/slasher films, but I was anticipating it for quite some time, albeit with
fairly low expectations. I thought that it would probably be a good time at the movies, a few
laughs, no real scares (but I didn’t think that it would even really try), nothing more and nothing
less, and FREDDY VS. JASON delivered. It was obviously made for the fans, yet even outsiders
can enjoy it, as long as you have an appreciation for a good, cheesy B-movie.
There is no need to see any of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST. or FRIDAY THE 13TH films to
enjoy this chapter. The script gives us an introduction to Freddy (Robert Englund) by using a
voice over by the dream-demon himself accompanied by a few clips from previous movies in his
saga. It seems, he explains to us, that the people of Elm Street have learned a way to rid
themselves of Krueger and the dreams he causes by forgetting that he exists (which they do by
sending all of the kids plagued by him to a nearby mental institution). Since he thrives on their fear
to be able to kill them in their dreams, he has become impotent. He enters the dreams of Jason
Voorhees (the hockey mask-wearing, seemingly unkillable silent stalker), and gets Jason (Ken
Kerzinger) to start the killings again on Elm Street. His murder’s are attributed to Freddy by the
adults who still remember him, and it eventually brings back the kid’s fear of Freddy. But
Freddy’s plan doesn’t go exactly as planned, and Jason won’t stop killing, angering Freddy and
leading to an all out battle of the infamous titans.
Bad dialogue and poor acting (Kelly Rowland, I’m looking at you, although I’ll give you a break
because this was your first major film role) run through the film, and keep it from being really
great. They’re to be expected, and even though they are flaws, they add to the camp value, which
is why they didn’t bother me all that much. And nothing makes a brutal, bloody slaying more
satisfactory than when the corpses are of dumb characters played by bad actors.
I thought that film was surprisingly well-plotted for a hokey slasher film, especially considering
the multitude of reviews that said the plot was badly executed. The story isn’t incredible or
terribly complicated, but I felt that it was a more than adequate set-up to lead up to what we all
wanted to see; interesting, gruesome killings (which we get plenty of, most notably one that
involves an adjustable bed) and, of course, Freddy and Jason duking it out in scenes that are
handled so well that it borders on brilliance.
I had a bloody good time. I’ll definately be seeing this again and probably checking out the
inevitable sequel or six.
My rating: ***
Review by Jared Mills
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