By Chris Snellgrove | Published
The other day I decided to watch it again Freddy vs. Jasonthe cheesy grudge match between the most famous horror faces. I’m usually a digital guy, but in order to see the fight (which was infinitely more entertaining than the Mike Tyson-Logan Paul fight), I had to do like Tommy Jarvis and start researching. I dug up physical media rather than Jason’s body for a very surprising reason: at the time of this writing Freddy vs. Jason is nowhere to be found in streaming.
That’s partly what makes this so remarkable Freddy vs. Jason was arguably the most hyped film in horror history, one that respective studios have wanted to make since the ’80s. Before it came out, fans imagined for decades how the fight between these two killers would turn out. It was the horror equivalent of nerds debating whether Kirk or Picard was the better Star Trek captain. Now the most entertaining horror fight can’t be streamed anywhere, and that’s a shame because the film is the perfect embodiment of spooky fun.
It’s not exactly clear why Freddy vs. Jason isn’t currently available to stream. The film was available on Max about a month ago and may simply be unavailable while the rights holders figure out where to buy it next. Additionally, there may have been a window to stream on Max in October before disappearing back into our dreams after the spooky month ended. Regardless of the exact reason, it’s a shame this film isn’t streaming because it has many good qualities, including a stunning cast.
The cast of Freddy vs. Jason kills, especially Nightmare on Elm Street Veteran Robert Englund reprises his role as Freddy Krueger. Ken Kirzinger plays Jason Voorhees, and while I miss Kane Hodder’s portrayal of the world’s most violent goalkeeper, Kirzinger brings a nicely brooding seriousness to the character to counterbalance Englund’s bumbling humor. The cast of victims is equally entertaining and includes surprisingly big names like Kelly Rowland (famous as part of Destiny’s Child) and Katherine Isabelle (best known to horror fans as the Scream Queen star). Ginger snaps).
Freddy vs. Jason The film also slayed at the box office, grossing $116.6 million on a budget of just $30 million. That’s a much better return than New Line Cinema has seen so far Wes Craven’s new nightmare (which grossed $19.8 million on a budget of $8 million) or Jason X (which grossed $17.1 million on a budget of $11-14 million). The film was a bit of a dud with critics, receiving an abysmal 41 percent critic score, with critics generally noting that the film was entertaining for fans of the respective franchises, but not so much for general audiences.
That’s a fair criticism, but I wonder who would come to a film with that title Freddy vs. Jason without caring about the title fighters. That would be like watching Batman vs Superman without caring or adjusting to superheroes Godzilla vs. Kong with no interest in Kaiju fighting. And assuming, like me, you’ve enjoyed these two characters for decades, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in them Freddy vs. Jasona film that is simply better than most later entries in any franchise.
For example, the story in which Freddy uses Jason as a catspaw to remind the children of Springwood of him is surprisingly clever. At the center is another clever plan where Springwood isolates anyone who has been exposed to Freddy and gives them a drug to prevent them from sleeping. Personally, I’m a fan of big reveals about how aware the general public is of a mystical killer like Freddy, and it’s rewarding to see them take practical steps to effectively quarantine him from his home turf, the dreamscape place.
As long as you don’t mind the shaky camera (as seen in an early music video), the final fight between Freddy and Jason is quite entertaining. Not content to rely solely on each other’s cutting tools, the two make clever use of the environment as the teenagers exploit their respective fears (the film introduces the admittedly confusing idea that Jason has a phobia of water and Freddy has a phobia of water). has a phobia about it). Fire). It’s a jaw-dropping, drawn-out battle that’s everything you could want from a decades-long horror showdown, and it’s sure to leave you grinning broadly until the end credits roll.
Freddy vs. Jason is an imperfect film, but that doesn’t stop it from being perfect entertainment if you’re in the mood for the ultimate love letter to ’80s horror. It’s not available to stream anywhere, but I highly recommend you track down the physical media. Of course, you could always wait and watch the whole thing in your dreams, but be warned: after this tumultuous year, Freddy has many more nightmares to haunt before he comes for you.
