Reviewed By
Vaughan

Analysis
After years of fan boy speculation, rumors and behind the curtain dealings, one of the biggest horror film bust ups is finely upon us. Many moons have come and gone since distant rumblings could be heard regarding a Freddy Vs Jason movie only to be eclipsed briefly by another much anticipated match up from the world of science fiction, Alien Vs Predator. At one time it seemed that the only people who wanted this film to be made were the hardcore hack em up fans who grew up on a diet of Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street flicks. Well, people power won out in the end with New Line giving the green light to the project but who would take on the mighty challenge of writing a plausible script for such a movie without it all turning into a ridiculous farce. In the end the combined talents of Damian Shannon, Mark Swift put pen to paper and produced a story that would entice the talent to the project. So the fans got what they asked for, and for me personally I am overjoyed that it all finally came together as I am one of those horror fans that could not wait for this to be made.

So was the effort worth the wait? Well regrettably the answer has to be yes and no. Fans of the movies will no doubt be very aware that what they are expecting is a shallow but fun experience with this being compounded further by the opening 5 minutes that see's a good looking chick remove her top for a quick skinny dip in what I am presuming to be Camp Crystal Lake. The full frontal shot of this lovely ladies assets leaves one with out any question that they are in the land of horror as she is then brutally murdered by Jason. A cheer goes up and the audience are set for more of the same. OK this is fine and if that's all you want then knock your self out, but what would have been good for me was a little more development regarding the two murderous menaces. After what seems like 50 sequels per franchise you cant expect much new to come from these characters but together they could have developed something new and original. Instead what we get is a pretty standard Elm Street movie for the first half with the odd appearance from Jason followed by the highlight that every fan has probably paid their ticket money for, the showdown between Freddy and Jason.

This is fun stuff however with some nice if not ground breaking effects and a gaggle of hideous murders to make the coldest of sickos smirk. Robert Englund delivers another manic performance as Freddy Krueger and has to be applauded for injecting such vigor and life into what must now seem like a monkey on his back. The big issue over who gets to play Jason is wasted on me as the character neither speaks or acts in a personalized manner similar to 'The Shape' from the Halloween movies. Give a beefy guy a hockey mask and machete and away you go.

Key Area	Rating (out of 5)	Comment
Action		The principal action segment is left until the final battle which plays out like a pro wrestling match but with out the pants. As it's set on a building site there is plenty of scope to maximise the surroundings to enhance both the action and the violence.
Tension		A great atmosphere should always surround any good horror film and thankfully director Ronny Yu ensures that the viewer is never quite sure what lies waiting for them in their dreams or what lurks within the trees.
Violence/ Gore		You know the score. Freddy has his razor fingered gloves and Jason has his rather sharp machete. Both do heaps of damage when slammed into human flesh. Leave your Imagination at the door, it has no place here.
Bare Flesh		The opening few minutes reveal a young ladies jumper lumps followed about 15 minutes latter by a shower scene that shows a little less but still offers up an eye full.
Plot		The story is the battle between these two creatures, the rest is insignificant. Only the good old horror genre could get away with it. I'm surprised they even bothered with a script at all.

Verdict Gives the fan base exactly what they wanted to see so who can really argue with that. For a casual viewer it might all seem a little too ridiculous. It is shallow to the extreme but it never intended to be anything other than a blood soaked battle between evil and eviler.

Movie Pictures (Click picture to enlarge)