Freddy vs. Jason is a 2003 American
slasher filmA slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
directedA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by
Ronny YuRonny Yu Yan-Tai is a Hong Kong director, producer, and movie writer. Yu was born in Hong Kong and graduated from Ohio University. He has worked on both Hong Kong and American films.- Career :...
. The film is a
crossoverA fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
between the
A Nightmare on Elm StreetA Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
and
Friday the 13th franchises. It is the eighth and eleventh entries in their respective series, pitting their antagonists,
Freddy KruegerFrederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
and
Jason VoorheesJason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
, against each other.
In the film, Freddy (
Robert EnglundRobert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
) has grown weak, as the citizens of Springwood have suppressed their fear of him. In order to regain his power, Freddy resurrects Jason (
Ken KirzingerKen Kirzinger is a Canadian stuntman and actor best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in Freddy vs. Jason and of Pa in Wrong Turn 2: Dead End . He also played "Mason" Jason Voorhees character spoof in the horror film parody, Stan Helsing.-Role as Jason Voorhees:At he is one of the...
) and manipulates him into traveling to Springwood to cause panic and fear. However, while Jason succeeds in causing enough fear for Freddy to haunt the town again, he continues to intrude on Freddy's territory and steal his potential victims. This ultimately sends the two monsters into a violent conflict.
This film marked
Robert EnglundRobert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
's final appearance to date as Freddy Krueger, having portrayed him in all seven previous
Nightmare films and the
1980s TV seriesFreddy's Nightmares is an American horror anthology series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, each story was introduced by Freddy Krueger...
, as well as the first movie since
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New BloodFriday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood is the seventh installment in the original Friday the 13th series, released in 1988. It also marked the first appearance of Kane Hodder in the role of Jason Voorhees.-Plot:...
not to feature
Kane HodderKane Warren Hodder is an American actor and stuntman. Standing , he is best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in four films from the Friday the 13th film series . He is also known for his role as Victor Crowley in Hatchet. -Career:Hodder is the only actor to portray Jason Voorhees more...
as Jason Voorhees.
Chronologically, the film is set after the events of
Freddy's Dead: The Final NightmareFreddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is a 1991 American slasher film. It is the sixthand as the title suggests, intended to be the lastfilm in the series of films featuring Freddy Krueger...
and
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final FridayJason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is a 1993 slasher film, the ninth—and, as the title suggests, intended final—installment in the Friday the 13th film series and the first sequel to be distributed by New Line Cinema....
, but before
Jason XJason X is a 2002 science fiction horror slasher film directed by James Isaac. It is the tenth in the Friday the 13th film series and stars Kane Hodder as the undead mass murderer Jason Voorhees, the film made $16,951,798 worldwide with a budget of $14 million...
, which was released first because
Freddy vs. Jason was stuck in
development hellIn the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
at the time. This film was the debut of R&B singer Grammy-winner
Kelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
as an actress.
Plot
Freddy KruegerFrederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
is trapped in
HellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
and enraged as the parents of
SpringwoodA Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
figured out how to keep the children from remembering him, rendering him powerless and unable to escape. Determined to make them remember and fear him, Freddy locates
Jason VoorheesJason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
in Hell and disguises himself as
Jason's motherPamela Sue Voorhees is a fictional character in the Friday the 13th films, and the antagonist of the original Friday the 13th film. She is a former camp cook and the mother of Jason Voorhees, the main character of the series....
. He convinces Jason to rise again and go to Springwood to slaughter the teens; though Jason will kill the teenagers, Freddy will be blamed, and thus their growing fear will allow him to escape Hell.
Jason arrives on
Elm StreetA Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
, sneaking into the house where Nancy Thompson and Jesse Walsh used to live, now owned by Lori Campbell and her widowed father. While Lori and her friends Kia, Gibb, Blake and Trey are in the house, Jason kills Trey using his
macheteThe machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
. The group is taken in to the police for questioning. After overhearing several police officers discussing Freddy, Lori falls asleep and has a dream about him, allowing him to gain some of his powers back. Freddy then tries to attack Blake in his dreams but is unable to harm him. Blake awakens to find his father
beheadedDecapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
, sitting next to him, and is, a moment later, killed by Jason. In order to avert suspicion from Freddy, the police claim that Blake killed Trey and his father, and then took his own life.
Lori has recurring dreams about Freddy and tells Kia and Gibb about it. She is reunited with her boyfriend, Will Rollins and his friend Mark, who were institutionalized in
Westin Hills AsylumA Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is a 1987 slasher film and the third film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Chuck Russell and starred Heather Langenkamp, Craig Wasson, Robert Englund and Patricia Arquette in her first role.- Plot :Six years after the events...
and escaped after hearing of the murders on Elm Street. At a
raveRave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
, Gibb falls asleep and has a dream where she is attacked by Freddy after he took the form of the deceased Trey to lure her into his trap. Another person at the rave attempts to
rapeRape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
her, but Jason appears and kills them both, angering Freddy, who realizes that Jason will not stop killing.
Jason kills many people at the rave. Afterward, Will, Lori, Kia, and two fellow students – Freeburg and Linderman – escape and meet up with officer Stubbs, who believes the murders are being committed by a Jason copycat. The group pieces together Freddy's original plan and that he is losing control of Jason. Realizing they need Hypnocil to prevent them from dreaming, they break into Westin Hills. Before they get to Westin Hills Freddy kills Mark as a message to the others that Freddy has returned. While at Westin Hills, Freddy possesses Freeburg to stop the group from taking Hypnocil. Jason electrocutes Stubbs and is then confronted by Freddy in Freeburg's body. Freeburg succeeds in injecting Jason with tranquilzers, but is killed seconds later. Jason meets Freddy in the dream world and the two begin to fight.
Lori comes up with the idea to drive unconscious Jason back to Crystal Lake, while she goes into the dream world to find Freddy and pull him into the real world and pit the two against each other. Furthermore if Jason kills Freddy, he will be at Crystal Lake and will not come after the group. While in the dream world Freddy discovers Jason is afraid of water and tortures him with memories of his childhood and drowning.
Lori ends up keeping Freddy from killing Jason, waking him up in the process causing him to attack the group. Freddy, enraged, attempts to molest and kill Lori, revealing that he was the one who killed her mother, but she awakens and drags him into a burning cabin in reality. Jason throws Freddy through the burning cabin's roof. Lori, Will, Kia and Linderman try to escape, but Linderman is wounded and dies soon afterwards. Kia tries to save Lori and Will from Freddy by taunting him about Jason being superior over him, but is killed by Jason. Freddy and Jason continue their battle and Lori decides to stay until Freddy's death.
While Freddy seems to be no match for Jason's physical power, he still heavily wounds Jason because of his dominant speed and agility, even gaining possession of Jason's machete. During their fight, Lori and Will burn the gas tanks at the docks to blow both Freddy and Jason up. When the fire starts to spread Jason rips off Freddy's clawed arm and Freddy drives the machete into Jason's chest. The resulting explosion sends both of them into the lake. Freddy comes back and attempts to kill Lori with Jason's machete. But before he can, Jason attacks from behind, stabbing Freddy with his own claws before falling into Crystal Lake.
Lori picks up Jason's machete, then shouts at him saying "Welcome to my world bitch" then
beheadDecapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
s Freddy and throws the machete into the lake as Jason sinks. Lori and Will depart, but the next morning Jason rises from the water, carrying his machete and Freddy's severed head, which
smirks and winks at the audienceThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
.
Cast
- Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
- Freddy KruegerFrederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
- Ken Kirzinger
Ken Kirzinger is a Canadian stuntman and actor best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in Freddy vs. Jason and of Pa in Wrong Turn 2: Dead End . He also played "Mason" Jason Voorhees character spoof in the horror film parody, Stan Helsing.-Role as Jason Voorhees:At he is one of the...
- Jason VoorheesJason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
- Monica Keena
Monica C. Keena is an American actress, known for her roles as Abby Morgan on Dawson's Creek, Rachel Lindquist on the short-lived comedy Undeclared, Kristin on HBO's Entourage, and as Lori Campbell in Freddy vs. Jason....
- Lori Campbell
- Jason Ritter
Jason Morgan Ritter is an American actor, son of the late actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan. Ritter is probably best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Sean Walker in the NBC series The Event.-Early life:Ritter was born in Los Angeles,...
- Will Rollins
- Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
- Kia Waterson
- Chris Marquette - Charlie Linderman
- Brendan Fletcher
Brendan Fletcher is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Fletcher was born in Comox Valley, British Columbia and went to junior high school at Lake Trail in Courtenay, British Columbia....
- Mark Davis
- Lochlyn Munro
Richard Laughlain "Lochlyn" Munro is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Munro was born in Lac La Hache, British Columbia. He started his acting career after a serious sports injury ended his dream of playing professional hockey. While playing music in various clubs around Vancouver, British...
- Deputy Scott Stubbs
- Katharine Isabelle
Katherine Isobel Murray , better known by her screen name Katharine Isabelle, is a Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Ginger in Ginger Snaps, and as Gibb in Freddy vs. Jason.-Biography:...
- Gibb Smith
- Kyle Labine
Jonathan Kyle Labine is a Canadian actor. His brothers Tyler Labine and Cameron Labine, also work in the entertainment industry.- Filmography :-External links:...
- Bill Freeburg
- Tom Butler - Dr. Campbell
- Zack Ward
Zack Ward is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Ward was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the son of actress Pam Hyatt and the brother of Carson Foster....
- Bobby Davis
- Gary Chalk
Gary Chalk is an English-born Canadian actor, tri-national US-Canadian-UK citizen and voice artist. He has lend hit voice in over 30 animated television series and has been in films such as The Fly II and Freddy vs. Jason....
- Sheriff Williams
- Jesse Hutch
Jesse Hutch is a Canadian-born film and television actor. He spends his time travelling between the USA and Canada. He worked on the television show American Dreams as Jimmy Riley, romantic interest of main-character Meg Pryor...
- Trey
- David Kopp
David Kopp is a Canadian actor who starred as Ethan Jarlewski on CBC's jPod.- Cine :- Television :-External links:...
- Blake
- Odessa Munroe - Heather
- Chris Gauthier
Christopher Gauthier is an English born Canadian actor. He is married with two children and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
- Shack
- Paula Shaw
Paula Shaw is an American actress. She has portrayed characters in numerous films and on television . She is perhaps most well known who for portraying the character of Mrs. Pamela Voorhees in the Freddy vs. Jason movie...
- Pamela VoorheesPamela Sue Voorhees is a fictional character in the Friday the 13th films, and the antagonist of the original Friday the 13th film. She is a former camp cook and the mother of Jason Voorhees, the main character of the series....
- Sharon Peters - Mrs. Campbell
Background
New Line and Paramount tried to make a
Freddy vs. Jason movie in 1987. But the two studios failed to agree on a story or what to do with the two franchises. When
Jason Takes Manhattan failed to perform successfully at the box office, Sean Cunningham decided that he wanted to reacquire the rights to
Friday the 13th and start working with New Line Cinema on
Freddy vs. Jason, as New Line owned the
Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The concept of a fight between Freddy and Jason was not new; Paramount had approached New Line about filming a
crossoverA fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
years before the latter had gained the licensing rights to
Friday the 13th. At that time, both companies wanted the license to the other's character so that they could control the making of the film. Negotiations on the project were never finalized, which led Paramount to make
The New Blood. After
Jason Takes Manhattan was released in 1989 the rights reverted back to Scuderi, Minasian and Barsamianto, who sold them to New Line. Before Cunningham could start working on
Freddy vs. Jason, Wes Craven returned to New Line to make
New NightmareWes Craven's New Nightmare is a 1994 horror metafilm written and directed by Wes Craven. Although it is the seventh installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, it is not part of the series continuity, instead portraying Freddy Krueger as a fictional movie villain who invades the real world...
. This effectively put
Freddy vs. Jason on hold, but allowed Cunningham the chance to bring Jason back into the spotlight with
Jason Goes to Hell. The ninth installment "turned a healthy profit", though it was only intended to open the door for a crossover with Freddy Krueger, rather than start a new series for New Line. Ultimately, the film series would go through another sequel before that would happen. Cunningham's "frustration" with the delayed development of the
Freddy vs. Jason project forced him to create another sequel in an effort to keep the franchise in the minds of audiences. Based on
Jason Takes Manhattans concept of taking Jason away from Crystal Lake, the tenth film would put the titular character in space. The film suffered from the loss of its biggest supporter, President of Production Michael De Luca, when he resigned from his position. Lack of support forced the finished film to sit for two years before finally being released on April 26, 2002; it would go on to become the lowest grossing film in the franchise at the domestic box office; it also held the distinction of having the largest budget of any of the previous films at that time.
After more than fifteen years of off-and-on development, and approximately $6 million spent in eighteen unused scripts from more than a dozen screenwriters, New Line finally produced
Freddy vs. Jason for 2003. One of the biggest hurdles for the film was developing a story that managed to bring the two horror icons together. Potential stories varied widely, from 2 different drafts: 1 was titled "
The Millennium Massacre" where Freddy was revealed to at one time be a counselor at Camp Cristal Lake and molested Jason as a child, and another dealt to a cult called the "Fred Heads" who were going to sacrifice this little girl to Freddy and the older sister puts her dead boyfriend's heart in Jason's body to fight Freddy and rescue the younger sister.
According to writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon several endings were considered for the film and finally producer
Robert ShayeRobert Kenneth Shaye , often referred to as Bob Shaye, is an American businessman, film producer, director and actor.-Early life:...
came up with his idea which was acceptable for everyone. He shot the final scene and the last scene of the movie which shows Jason was filmed without
Ken KirzingerKen Kirzinger is a Canadian stuntman and actor best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in Freddy vs. Jason and of Pa in Wrong Turn 2: Dead End . He also played "Mason" Jason Voorhees character spoof in the horror film parody, Stan Helsing.-Role as Jason Voorhees:At he is one of the...
. It was shot in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with another actor,
Douglas TaitDouglas Tait is an American actor, stuntman and independent filmmaker. His first notable role was as "Jason Voorhees" in the climax of the 2003 horror film Freddy Vs. Jason...
, playing
Jason VoorheesJason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
.
Casting
New LineNew Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
believed
Freddy vs. Jason needed a fresh start, and chose a new actor for Jason. Cunningham disagreed with their decision, believing Hodder was the best choice for the role. Hodder did receive the script for
Freddy vs. Jason, and had a meeting with director
Ronny YuRonny Yu Yan-Tai is a Hong Kong director, producer, and movie writer. Yu was born in Hong Kong and graduated from Ohio University. He has worked on both Hong Kong and American films.- Career :...
and New Line executives, but Matthew Barry and Yu felt the role should be recast to fit Yu's image of Jason. According to Hodder, New Line failed to provide him with a reason for the recasting, but Yu has explained he wanted a slower, more deliberate Jason, and less of the aggressive movements that Hodder had used in the previous films. Yu and development executive Jeff Katz recognized the outcry among fans over the replacement of Hodder as Jason, but stood by their choice in recasting. The role eventually went to
Ken KirzingerKen Kirzinger is a Canadian stuntman and actor best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in Freddy vs. Jason and of Pa in Wrong Turn 2: Dead End . He also played "Mason" Jason Voorhees character spoof in the horror film parody, Stan Helsing.-Role as Jason Voorhees:At he is one of the...
, a Canadian stuntperson who worked on
Jason Takes Manhattan. There are conflicting reports over the reason Kirzinger was cast. According to Yu, Kirzinger was hired because he was taller than Robert Englund, the actor who portrays Freddy Krueger. Kirzinger stands 6' 5", compared to the 6' 2" of Kane Hodder. Yu wanted a much larger actor to tower over the 5' 10" Englund. Kirzinger believes his experience on
Part VIII helped him land the part, as Kirzinger doubled for Hodder on two scenes for the film, but also believes he was simply sized up and handed the job. Although he was hired by the crew, New Line did not officially cast Kirzinger until first seeing him on film. Kirzinger's first scene was Jason walking down Elm Street. New Line wanted a specific movement in Jason's walk; Kirzinger met their expectations and signed a contract with the studio. Even though Hodder expresses some resentment at not being chosen, he and Kirzinger are still good friends.
However, even Kirzinger did not perform the role throughout the entire film. In the memorable final scene where Jason emerges from the water holding Freddy's head in his hand, the role was played by another actor, 6'5"
Douglas TaitDouglas Tait is an American actor, stuntman and independent filmmaker. His first notable role was as "Jason Voorhees" in the climax of the 2003 horror film Freddy Vs. Jason...
. Almost a year after originally auditioning for Yu, Tait was called in for the reshoot of the climactic closing sequence.
In an interview, Tait explained the reason for the reshoot. He said, "Unfortunately for me, it was the only scene I was hired to do. The test audiences were confused about the original ending, they thought Jason Ritter’s character was becoming Jason. You can see it in the deleted scenes, that is why they decided to reshoot the ending. Originally I was being considered for playing the role of Jason in the entire film. It was actually between me and Ken. When they took the film to Canada, I was out of luck. There was no way they were going to pay for my flight and hotel stay when Ken was a local. Also, Ken is older than me and he was a lot more established in the business than I was at the time."
Describing the scene, Tait said "I was on the film for a couple days. The water sequence took a lot of preparation. They realized that when I got wet, I looked too skinny in the clothes, so they had to bulk me up with pads and extra clothing so it would look like I was still big. Being with all this extra weight, one eye covered, a machete in one hand, Freddy’s head in another hand, and being totally submerged in water, made that scene very difficult. Also, Ronny Yu wanted me to walk like I was walking on land. He wanted it to look like I could walk through the water without it making me rise to the surface. To do this effect, they had a rope tied under water that I held onto with my left hand (with Freddy’s severed head in it also), and I held myself down on the ground so I could pull myself and walk forward."
Reception
Even though the movie received generally mixed reviews, it was a box office success. Based on 153 reviews collected by
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
,
Freddy vs. Jason has an overall 41% approval rating from critics, with an
averageThe weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 4.9 out of 10 saying, "Fans of the two horror franchises will enjoy this showdown. But for everyone else, it's the same old slice and dice".
Among Rotten Tomatoes'
Top Critics, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 25%. By comparison,
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a
normalizedIn one usage in statistics, normalization is the process of isolating statistical error in repeated measured data. A normalization is sometimes based on a property...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 37 based on 29 reviews, but a 7.6 for users.
Home media
The film was released on VHS and DVD as part of New Line's Platinum Series on January 13, 2004. The DVD included a second disc of special features, including:
- Audio Commentary by Ronny Yu, Ken Kirzinger, and Robert Englund
- Deleted and Alternate scenes with commentary (including original opening & closing)
- Behind the Scenes Coverage including screenwriting, set design, make up, stunts and photography
- Visual Effects Exploration
- Storyboards and Galleries
- Ill Niño "How Can I Live" Music Video
- Trailers and TV Spots
- DVD-ROM:
- Script-to-Screen & Trivia viewing modes
- Cutting Room Floor - make your own fight scene
- Killer sound bites
- Weblinks
The film was released on UMD on October 4, 2005 and on Blu-ray September 8, 2009. The Blu-ray contained the same features as the original Platinum Edition DVD.
Novelization
Publishing company
Black FlameBlack Flame was an imprint of BL Publishing, the publishing arm of Games Workshop and a sister imprint to the Black Library and Solaris Books. Black Flame was devoted to publishing cult fiction in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror...
released a novelization of the film on July 29, 2003. It was written by Stephen Hand, who also penned the novelization for New Line's
The Texas Chainsaw MassacreThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 2003 remake of the 1974 horror film of the same name. The 2003 film was directed by Marcus Nispel and produced by Michael Bay...
the next year. The book, as with many other novelizations Black Flame published for New Line, follows closely the plot of the film with a few alterations. For example, the novelization utilizes the original ending where Will turns into Freddy when he is about to have sex with Lori.
Sequel
For several years after the film was released, a sequel was speculated to be in the works. While no theatrical sequel materialized,
WildstormWildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
published a
six issue comic seriesFreddy vs. Jason vs. Ash is a six-issue comic book limited series that was released in November 2007 and ran until March 2008. It was published by Wildstorm, Dynamite Entertainment, and DC Comics. Based on the original Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash film treatment by Jeff Katz, the story serves as a...
to serve as a sequel in late 2007 and early 2008. The series was based on a treatment by Jeff Katz that would pit Freddy and Jason against
Ash WilliamsAshley J. "Ash" Williams is the protagonist in the Evil Dead horror film franchise, played by Bruce Campbell, and created by director Sam Raimi. Throughout the series, Ash has to face off against his loved ones inside an abandoned cabin as they are possessed by "deadites", the evil souls of the dead...
from
The Evil DeadThe Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
. A second series,
Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare WarriorsFreddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors is a six-issue limited series comic book written by Jeff Katz and James Kuhoric, with art by Jason Craig. The series was published by Dynamite Entertainment and DC Comics, with imprint by Wildstorm, beginning in August 2009 and concluding in December...
, was published from August 2009 to December 2009, followed up on the previous series and also included most of the survivors from the respective franchises.
Award nominations
Doug ChapmanDoug Chapman is a stunt performer and actor, a member of Stunts Canada, who works in film and television.-Biography:Height: 5 ft 10in...
and Melvin Martinez were nominated for the Best Fire Stunt in the Taurus World Stunt Awards 2004 for the double full body burn and wire stunt.
Doug ChapmanDoug Chapman is a stunt performer and actor, a member of Stunts Canada, who works in film and television.-Biography:Height: 5 ft 10in...
doubled for Robert Englund as Freddy and Glenn Ennis doubled for Jason in the stunt.
External links