Employing a slide rule, an abacus, a roll of ticker tape, and a copy of Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide, I’ve ascertained that I had managed to sit through all seven Nightmare on Elm Street films but only the first six of the 10 Friday the 13th entries. That means I may not be the most qualified person to offer an opinion on Freddy vs. Jason, which manages to combine the two franchises in a manner that’s sure to make mutual devotees of the Police Academy and Rambo series green with envy. After all, who knows what important plot points, what subtle snatches of symbolism, what resonant themes sailed over my head in this latest flick, simply because I wasn’t schooled in Parts 7-10 of the continuing adventures of masked madman Jason Voorhees?
OK, I’m kidding, but it probably goes without saying that Fvs.J will best be appreciated by gore hounds who’ve enjoyed all 17 of the previous pictures from the two long-running series — or, if not enjoyed all the films, at least are familiar enough to debate the relative merits that make, say, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan a better bet than A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. On the other hand, more conservative filmgoers with a low threshold for blood’n’guts might rather spend their night out at the multiplex determining firsthand whether Gigli is as bad as its buzz.
By virtue of its plot, which finds a way to bring these twin titans of terror together for the first time, Freddy vs. Jason automatically is a cut above most of the previous sequels, which have grown more stale and depressing over the ensuing years since both franchises first made their marks at the box office (Friday in 1980, Nightmare in ’84). Rather than just present 90-odd minutes of teens being slaughtered by the carload, scripters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift graciously donate a few moments to explain exactly how Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) and Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger) first meet; that still leaves them with plenty of time for tedious kid-gutting before they have to get rolling on the climactic showdown between our two, uh, heroes. This final battle will probably satisfy fans of the franchises, though anybody who thinks the outcome will rule out any possibilities of yet another sequel has probably been living in their mom’s basement for too long.
Englund’s wisecracks as Krueger stopped being funny somewhere around the close of Reagan’s second term, while Jason hasn’t exactly been the most compelling character ever placed on screen. As for the non-monster actors, busty lead Monica Keena, who once played skater Oksana Baiul in a 1994 TV movie, screams and coils in horror well enough, while Kyle Labine, cast as a long-haired, cap-wearing stoner clearly based on Jay of “Jay and Silent Bob” fame, offers a couple of modest (very modest) chuckles (he’s the type of guy who, while running for his life, will pause to light one up).
Otherwise, Freddy vs. Jason is just another retread — and one on which the treads are getting worn mighty thin.
This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2003.
