“Freddy vs Jason” (New Line Cinema)
After numerous years and endless sequels, the ultimate sequel to the “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” franchises has arrived. It is titled “Freddy vs Jason” and it is packed full with everything that made the originals so appealing. The only problem is that its success will probably kick off “Freddy vs Jason, Part 2” and on and on.
When this movie opens Freddy is having a hard time in the land of the undead. The kids on Elm Street are no longer having dreams and so Freddy has no power. He manages to locate Jason Voorhees, the hockey mask killer from “Friday the 13th” and convince him to start killing kids on Elm Street so they will think it is Freddy and get scared again. Then he can draw on their fear to gain strength and be powerful.
Imagine having a plot that complex in a horror movie! But it does set the stage for both Freddy (Robert Englund) and Jason (Ken Kirzinger) to go on a killing spree. Freddy’s main target seems to be Lori (Monica Keena). Her boyfriend Will (Jason Ritter) tries to keep her awake so she doesn’t fall into one of Freddy’s nightmares.
Meanwhile Jason has also joined in the chase which ticks Freddy off because he feels these kids are his to kill. This leads to the inevitable showdown between the two urban legends, but who can win when they are both dead already
The movie delivers on the horror and especially the gore. Blood spatters continuously as Freddy’s claws and Jason’s machete do their business. There is also the old message that if you do drugs or have sex, then you are going to get hacked by one of the two.
Parents should be advised that this is a horror movie, and an R rated horror movie at that. There is nudity, profanity, violence, gore and sexual activity. Unless they just want to give their small kids nightmares, they should not be brought to see this movie.
For adults it is a good time scare fest with some funny one liners thrown in to keep things light. The special effects are good and the acting adequate. Singer Kelly Rowland does an okay job in this film as do Keena and Ritter. Keena was a “Dawson’s Creek” regular at one time, and Ritter is the son of “Three’s Company” star John Ritter.
I scored “Freddy vs Jason” a fight to the finish 5 out of 10.
