FREDDY VS. JASON

Freddy Krueger, the Springwood nightmare slayer, can no longer strike: the locals have erased all traces of him to make him completely forgotten, so that no one can dream of him anymore. To return to action, he needs someone who can bring back memories of his "deeds," and who better than Jason Voorhees, the Crystal Lake massacre, can accomplish this task? Freddy awakens Jason, buried at Crystal Lake, appearing to him in a dream in the guise of his mother Pamela, so the killer with the hockey mask begins to reap victims in Springwood, bringing back old nightmares to the local population. It's time for Freddy to return to action... but something goes wrong in his plans: Jason doesn't seem at all inclined to step aside once the task is done, and the clash begins! In the 1940s, films about clashes between the great Monsters of the past, titles like "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" or "House of Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula," came to the screen. It was only right that contemporary Horror should have its epic showdown between two of its sacred Monsters par excellence, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. The project was in the works for many years; New Line, the holder of Freddy's rights, had discussed it with Paramount, which held those of Jason, as early as the 1980s, receiving a positive response but only on the condition that New Line would cede the rights of its character to the other party, which obviously refused. When Paramount's rights were not renewed, New Line was quick to acquire them, and one had to wait until 1993, the date on which Freddy Krueger's production company produced "Jason Goes to Hell," the ninth installment of the "Friday the 13th" saga. The historic duel between the two icons of 1980s horror, however, had a gestation period of 10 years, and from the final surprise of "Jason Goes to Hell" one had to wait until 2003. In bringing a similar idea to the screen, concerning two characters so important, the risk of falling into a script unsatisfactory for fans was very high, but fortunately it was not so. The script by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, currently engaged in the reworking of "Friday the 13th," is very convincing: the story has its own logical thread, and the basic idea holds up well, as does the premise that brings together the stories of our "heroes" is undoubtedly original. The two famous Boogeymen are in top form and both well characterized, in perfect tradition. Freddy, played as always brilliantly by an istrionic Robert Englund, does not fail to deliver his cruel sarcasm, and Jason his unstoppable destructive force. Thus we will see the former make his way in his classic environment, dreams, and the latter slaughter excited young men (one of the highlights is undoubtedly the massacre at the rave party in the wheat field). They will clash in their respective natural habitats: Jason will be the protagonist of a dream created by Freddy, who, in turn, will be catapulted into the real world. The story, as we were saying, develops well, making important references both to the places (the film begins at Crystal Lake, then develops in Springwood, and the famous Elm Street, up to its spectacular conclusion once again at Crystal Lake) and to the original events, details very important in the eyes of fans. And "last but not least" a fundamental component common to both original sagas is not lacking: a group of young people to serve as meat. The killings, in fact, are various and well executed, in short, gore is not lacking, quite the contrary. From a purely "comedic" point of view, the only ones who might turn up their noses could be (but we emphasize the conditional) fans of Freddy/detractors of Jason since it is the latter who commits most of the murders, the last of which is also quite prestigious..! But it would still be a rather particular point of view since, as we said, beyond everything both characters are well characterized and divide the scene, and well, equally. Ronny Yu is at the helm of the film, already dealing with a sacred monster like Chucky in "Bride of Chucky" of '98, whose direction is appropriate for the project: the pace is tight for the entire duration of the film, the action scenes, particularly those of the clashes, are all well choreographed and well executed also thanks to excellent special effects. The final clash between the two protagonists is sensational, certainly a scene already entered into the collective horror imagination: seeing Freddy and Jason giving each other a good beating is certainly something that stays in the memory, especially if with characters of this kind one has grown up. The final framing (which we will not reveal), just before the credits, is already to be considered among the "historic" images of horror cinema. In short, "Freddy vs. Jason" is a well-made, fun, and bloody film, a film that has satisfied most horror enthusiasts and fans of the two sagas, and even its detractors cannot deny its having already become a cult: a clash like this between two icons of the genre is in any case a memorable event. Quote for the excellent soundtrack. Curiosity: for the role of Jason, "Jason" par excellence Kane Hodder was initially considered, subsequently Yu decided to opt for Ken Kirzinger because of his taller stature (despite Hodder being quite tall) in order to further emphasize the difference with Freddy/Englund. From its release, rumors of a sequel have been circulating, initially there was also talk of the inclusion of a third character (the names that circulated were those of Ash and Michael Myers ndr.) an idea that then faded, and it is likely that it will be made sooner or later. Moreover, one of the alternative endings of "Freddy vs. Jason" provided for the presence of Pinhead, the leader of the cenobites in the "Hellraiser" saga, but due to the rights of exploitation of the character, New Line had to give up on the idea.