Editorials
10 Awesome Things About ‘Freddy vs Jason’!
It’s been 12 years since Freddy vs Jason graced theatre screens, and while it wasn’t the perfect film fans of either franchise had hoped it to be (for various reasons), it was and still is a fun romp for fans. And seeing how it’s that time of year where things start to wind down (and the fact that it’s one of the favorites around here), let’s go back and cover just some of the many awesome things that Ronny Yu’s film gave us.
Freddy vs Jason was the final appearance of Robert Englund as Freddy!
No disrespect to Jackie Earle Haley, but Freddy Krueger is and always will be Robert Englund’s baby. The two are inseparable. Englund was definitely on-point in this one, and accomplished two things in his final performance as the Springwood Slasher: He reminded audiences of just how scary and creepy Freddy was, and he got rid of the putrid taste left over from the MTV version of the character from Freddy’s Dead. While you could argue that New Nightmare solved both of those problems, Freddy vs Jason cemented how Freddy should be portrayed from now on.
Freddy vs Jason resurrected both franchises!
After the disappointing returns on Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and Jason X, both franchises were in need of some help. Freddy vs Jason had been in development hell for decades starting in 1987, and with the rights for Friday The 13th eventually going over to New Line, talk of the matchup was batted about again. But once again, no real progress. Finally, after $6 million spent on eighteen proposed scripts with over a dozen screenwriters, the main sticking point of just how to get Jason and Freddy together that would satisfy both groups of fans was solved. The end result was a film that breathed new life into both franchises, with talk of a FvJ sequel (more on that later) and a potential prequel for Freddy. Ultimately, we ended up getting remakes of the original films which never totally satisfied anyone. But for a moment, Freddy and Jason were once again the talk of the horror world.
Did you know Freddy vs Jason topped the box office (twice)?!
In 2003, the horror genre was in the midst of transitioning from the Scream trend into the remake craze. In the middle of this, we were treated to original fare like Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever. However, none of them were able to match Freddy vs Jason, which topped the box office from August 15th to the 24th. That would be two weekends in a row. It dethroned Clark Johnson’s S.W.A.T. with $36 million in its first weekend, and held it off again the following weekend with $13 million. Granted, Freddy vs Jason fell to sixth the following weekend (Jeepers Creepers 2 took the top spot with $15 million), but the film accomplished what few horror films have been able to do in holding the box office for consecutive weeks.
There was an epic pre-fight weigh-in that took place in Las Vegas!
In preparation for Freddy vs Jason, fans were treated to a variety of marketing ideas. The film’s website offered up clips of the film, a “slash card” feature and a quiz. But the biggest treat was a weigh-in for the two combatants in Las Vegas. New Line went all-out for this one. Complete with sponsors and famed announcer Michael Buffer, the event had the look and feel of a boxing match, complete with the eventual degeneration into a scuffle at the end. While the original version is apparently lost to the sands of internet time, New Line thought enough to put the event on the film’s DVD for all to enjoy.
The rave scene. Oh, the bloody good rave scene!
Maybe it’s because I’m an old curmudgeon, but I’ve never liked raves. I’ve just never understood the appeal. Or the music, for that matter. Regardless, the rave scene in Freddy vs Jason is about the only time that I can say that I’ve enjoyed a rave. Probably because it was the point in the film where Freddy’s plan after Jason is resurrected starts to backfire, and Jason himself starts to go to work doing what he does best: slicing up teens doing drugs and drinking. Between the hilarious head twist kill by Jason and the flying machete, it only got better from there. Speaking of which….
Those were some sick fire stunts.
The scene following the head twist was another highlight. Jason is engulfed in flames and proceeds to stalk his target through a cornfield, lighting up his path as he lumbers along. Anyone who does fire stunts knows how taxing this can be, not to mention how difficult and dangerous it is. It all paid off in the end, as it made for an awesome visual, along with the fire scenes at Crystal Lake. Heck, the stuntmen who performed the scene at Crystal Lake were nominated for the Best Fire Stunt at the 2004 Taurus World Stunt Awards. How’s that for impressive?
The “final” fight scene was worth the wait.
Of course, you knew that it was going to happen eventually. Jason would turn on Freddy, and the two would come to blows. The confrontation was preceded by Freddy doing his thing in the dream world by trying to put Jason down (much to Freddy’s frustration). Eventually, once Freddy was brought out of his domain by Monica Keena’s character, the real fun began. Both horror icons took their shots and kept coming. While Freddy was able to use the construction equipment at Crystal Lake to his benefit, Jason just kept coming with his machete. Eventually, both slashers were left bloody, bruised and dismembered to the enjoyment of all. Both guys looked like they went through hell and back. This is how you do a fight scene with two beloved characters correctly.
Freddy vs Jason has astounding kills and tons of gore.
Speaking of blood, fans certainly got their money’s worth with this one. While we never got quite the levels of gore from The Final Chapter, there was still enough plasma and inventiveness going around. The head twist and poke along with the rave scene were previously mentioned, but the real highlight was Jason’s turn as chiropractor on Jesse Hutch’s character. Okay, I take that back. The really real highlight was the previously-mentioned fight scene, where gas canisters, rebar and epic machete action carved up both icons. I loved the rebar spot (seemingly something straight out of Final Destination), along with the chunk of flesh flying off of Jason from Freddy slicing him up with the machete. Definitely a nice touch. In the end, the last scene of the movie capped off the battle with a satisfying wink to the fans.
Freddy had some of his best one-liners.
Obviously, Robert Englund stole the show with his trusty one-liners that definitely made up for the stinkers from Freddy’s Dead. No flying on broomsticks here. Whether it was getting Kelly Rowland’s character by the nose in the nurse’s office, or his insistence on giving Monica Keena more than a smooch on several occasions, the quips were on point and darkly humorous. Of course, Freddy didn’t have sole ownership of the one-liners. Kyle Labine’s Freeburg got in a line about pissed-off goalies that garnered a laugh in the theatre I was in (it’s Canada, so obviously that was going to play well). Really, the only way the one-liners could’ve been better in this film is if we had another character known for spitting out equally-awesome lines…
“Freddy vs Jason vs Ash”…the comic.
Yes, the film that was this close to coming to fruition. We’ve reported on this before how fans were going to get Freddy vs Jason vs Ash with Sam Raimi’s blessing. But after the success of The Grudge, and the subsequent fad of Japanese ghost story remakes gaining traction, the film was put on the backburner. Flash forward to now, New Line no longer has the Friday The 13th rights, Ash is kicking ass in Ash vs. The Evil Dead on Starz, and the future of both Nightmare and Friday The 13th franchises are up in the air once again. There’s a silver lining, of course. While we still have the treatment for FvsJvsA, the “What if?” of the movie made it into comic book form, courtesy of Wildstorm and Dynamite Entertainment. The six-issue series ran from November 2007 until March 2008. Heck, even that got a sequel run with Freddy vs Jason vs Ash: The Nightmare Warriors! So while the stars appear to no longer be aligned for another historical crossover for the two icons, at the very least, we get some consolation. Will we ever get Freddy and Jason battling it out once again? It seemed like an impossibility back then until it happened, so you never know.
It’s been 75 years since The Thing From Another World first warned us to “watch the skies”, and filmgoers have done just that by showing up to multiple instances of extraterrestrial contact on the big screen. This makes sense, as a recent CBS news poll estimated that 63% of Americans believe in intelligent life on other planets, and the ongoing disclosure movement aims to raise that number with each passing day.
With Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day leaving many genre fans hungry for more alien footage (preferably of the spooky variety), today I’d like to share a list recommending six underrated alien invasion thrillers for your viewing pleasure. After all, regardless of whether or not you believe that we’re alone in the universe, it can be fun to dream about the worst-case scenario if our cosmic neighbors ever decide to visit.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be focusing on lesser-known invasion stories rather than the popular extraterrestrials of franchises like Alien and Close Encounters of the Third (or even Fourth) Kind. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own alien favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling movie.
While it won’t be featured in this article, I’d highly recommend checking out Dean Alioto’s UFO Abduction/The McPherson Tape if you’re up for some ufology-inspired found footage thrills.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. The Arrival (1996)
Not to be confused with Denis Villeneuve’s Academy Award-winning Amy Adams vehicle about learning to communicate peacefully with extraterrestrial life, David Twohy’s The Arrival is a much more straightforward (but no less entertaining) genre romp where Charlie Sheen faces a global conspiracy involving hostile alien invaders.
It’s not exactly up there with Close Encounters or even Independence Day, but Twohy’s conspiratorial thriller plays out like an exceptionally fun episode of The X-Files that I’d recommend to sci-fi/horror fans who don’t mind a little bit of wonky CGI and 90s excess alongside their alien thrills.
5. Extraterrestrial (2014)
The Vicious Brothers made a name for themselves with the success of 2011’s Grave Encounters, but that was far from the Canadian duo’s only collaboration. And while it’s not exactly a fan favorite, I always point out 2014’s Extraterrestrial as one of their most underrated projects simply because I agree with the filmmakers’ opinion that there aren’t enough ‘cool alien abduction movies’ out there.
Admittedly, the majority of the picture functions like a run-of-the-mill creature feature with paper-thin characters and familiar horror tropes, but I’d argue that the cosmically-terrifying final act elevates the experience to new and memorable heights. The movie also boasts great performances by both Michael Ironside and Emily Perkins – a combination that more than makes up for the occasionally janky CGI.
4. Alien Raiders (2008)
Director Ben Rock has gone on record lamenting how his John-Carpenter-inspired creature feature was forcefully renamed from Supermarket to the painfully obvious Alien Raiders (a change which likely resulted in many potential viewers skipping out on the experience), but the new title doesn’t change the fact that this single-location thriller is something of a hidden gem.
Taking place entirely within a supermarket, Alien Raiders tells the story of an ensemble of customers and employees who are taken hostage by a group of armed men looking for something far more dangerous than an easy payout. I won’t get into details in order to avoid spoiling the experience, but I’d highly recommend this criminally underseen flick to fans of John Carpenter and the Resident Evil games.
3. Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
You’d think that a Ridley-Scott-produced retelling of one of the most infamous real-life UFO sightings of all time would have a bigger following, but I rarely see Justin Barber’s Found Footage period piece brought up during discussions about extraterrestrial-focused horror movies.
This is a huge shame, as Phoenix Forgotten is just as spooky as it is convincing, with this well-researched dive into the Phoenix Lights incident benefiting from surprisingly believable special effects as well as an appropriately horrific finale.
2. Communion (1989)
I wouldn’t blame you for disregarding Whitley Strieber’s controversial book about his alleged close encounter as sensationalist slop, but I’d argue that Phillipe Mora’s 1989 adaptation of these events is much better than the source material. After all, the movie works as a standalone piece of speculative fiction while also benefiting from an incredible performance by the one and only Christopher Walken!
Mora’s take on Communion may not be particularly scary, but the film is still an unforgettable character study regardless of whether or not the abduction really happened. Not only that, but the flick also paved the way for plenty of future sci-fi stories where the extraterrestrial invaders aren’t as evil as they initially appear.
1. Altered (2006)
Originally envisioned as a Sam Raimi-style horror-comedy titled Probed, Eduardo Sánchez (of The Blair Witch Project fame) eventually realized that it would be much more interesting to turn the film into a serious exploration of the emotional aftermath of a traumatic abduction incident.
That’s how we got Altered, a clever inversion of the standard abduction narrative that follows a group of troubled friends as they capture and experiment on an alien in order to enact revenge for their own abduction years prior.
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