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Let’s Explore the Shared Slasher Movie Universe That Already Exists

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Freddy Vs. Jason

Are they fun Easter eggs, or do our favorite villains live in the same universe?

“Shared cinematic universes” are all the rage in Hollywood right now. Of course, it all began with the Marvel and DC comic book superhero universes that have been dominating the box office for the last several years, and in 2017, Universal is launching their own shared monsters universe with the action-oriented reboot of The Mummy. And then there’s the so-called Cloverfield Cinematic Universe, which continues next year with a film that will share some connection to both the 2008 found footage monster movie and this year’s universe-expander, 10 Cloverfield Lane.

But what about the big horror movie franchises of the 1980s? Fans have for years been begging for a “Shared Slasher Universe” of sorts, hopeful that the likes of Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, and Ash Williams will eventually come together for either an epic mash-up film or a series of interconnected movies. Of course, it will likely never happen. Then again, does it already exist?

Back in November 2015, our own Daniel Baldwin wrote an excellent piece about the Universal Monsters Universe that already exists, and today we delve into the Slasher Universe.

It all began in 1987…

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'Evil Dead 2'

In response to Wes Craven featuring a scene from The Evil Dead in A Nightmare on Elm Street, which itself was a response to Sam Raimi putting a torn up Hills Have Eyes poster in The Evil Dead, Raimi cleverly hid Freddy Krueger’s glove in Evil Dead 2. The glove appears in two different scenes: at one point it hangs above the workshed door, at another it can be seen hanging in the fruit cellar. Freddy’s glove subsequently popped up for a cameo appearance in “Ash vs. Evil Dead” last year. Of course, the various appearances of the glove in the Evil Dead franchise can’t really be viewed as anything more than Raimi paying tribute to Craven, but Evil Dead 2 was the first time a major prop from one franchise found its way into another.

If nothing more, it’s fun to imagine Ash and Freddy residing in the same world.

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Eagle-eyed fans spotted another fun little franchise-to-franchise nod in 1990’s Predator 2, which has since become one of the most well-known Easter eggs in cinema history. At one point in the 1997-set sequel, an instantly-recognizable Xenomorph skull is spotted in a trophy case aboard the Predator Mother Ship. Though an Alien vs. Predator comic series had just begun at the time, the skull represented the first time the two franchises crossed over on the big screen. Of course, two Alien vs. Predator films followed many years later: AvP in 2004 and AvP: Requiem in 2007.

The skull suggested that the battle had begun long before we were given a front-row seat.

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If there’s any one lynchpin of the Slasher Universe it’s Jason Goes to Hell, released in 1993. While Evil Dead 2 suggested that Freddy and Ash live in the same world, Jason Goes to Hell went ahead and made it clear that Jason lives right alongside them. Down in the Voorhees basement, the Evil Dead franchise’s Necronomicon is spotted, and if that wasn’t direct enough a connection between the series’, the Kandarian Dagger is also prominently featured in the body-hopping film. In fact, it’s the Kandarian Dagger that possesses the power to kill Jason Voorhees once and for all; and indeed it serves precisely that purpose, suggesting that… Jason is a Deadite?! Freddy then pops up at the very end to drag Jason into Hell, teasing their 2003 battle a decade in advance.

Maybe it was the Necronomicon that brought Jason back from the dead?

That’s not all that Jason Goes to Hell brings to the table, in terms of universe-building. Also seen down in the Voorhees basement is the crate that housed the monstrous Fluffy in Creepshow, and you may remember that at one point, a character makes mention of something happening near “the old Myers place.” The implication is that Michael Myers lives in that very same world.

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Speaking of the Necronomicon, did you know that it also pops up in 1994 sequel Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings? It can be seen in Ms. Osie’s cabin, suggesting that the witch uses the Book of the Dead as part of her spells. Does Pumpkinhead have some connection to the Necronomicon?

Another film that heavily expands on the Slasher Universe, if you choose to have a little fun and use your imagination, is 1998’s Bride of Chucky. Early in the film, Tiffany steals Chucky’s remains from a police compound, and several iconic horror movie props are seen in the same building.

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Locked up in the station is Freddy’s glove, Jason’s mask, Michael Myers’ mask, and Leatherface’s chainsaw. We already knew up to that point that Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers inhabited the same world, but Bride of Chucky posits that maybe the killer doll and Leatherface do as well.

I’d be remiss to not also mention 2006’s Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, which is set in a world where all the big slasher villains exist. At one point, Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers are mentioned by name, and it’s also worth noting, as I recently did in a separate article wherein I spoke with the film’s writer, that Eugene is supposed to be Billy from Black Christmas.

Also worth reminding that Leslie Vernon is mentioned in Hatchet 2, which would place bayou monster Victor Crowley into the same universe as all the other slasher icons!

Now look. Before anyone jumps down my throat, I feel I must once again point out that this is all for fun. Most of this stuff isn’t canon but rather the work of filmmakers paying tribute to the horror movies they love; it’s just amusing to examine all the homages, connect the dots, and imagine a world where all of our favorite slasher characters exist and breathe the same air.

Did I miss any franchise-to-franchise connections? Let me know if you think of any!

freddy-vs-jason

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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