Freddy vs. Jason

Freddy vs. Jason is a slasher film. Directed by Ronny Yu, the film, released in 2003, pits Jason Voorhees (of the Friday the 13th horror series) and Freddy Krueger (of the Nightmare on Elm Street horror series) against each other.

Tagline: Winner Kills All

The film begins with Freddy Krueger (played by Robert Englund) stuck in Hell. Because no one remembers him and his crimes, he remains unable to escape. Therefore, he conjures up Jason Voorhees (played by Ken Kirzinger), a renowned mass murderer from Crystal Lake who also possesses, or is at least controlled by supernatural forces.

Freddy, in the guise of Jason's mother (Pamela Voorhees, the one person to whom Jason will listen), convinces Jason to kill teenagers living on Elm Street to make the residents of Springwood think that Freddy is back.

Jason commits a few murders which are blamed on Freddy. A small group of youths and a sheriff's deputy notice that it was not Freddy who had committed the murders. However, when they realize this, it is already too late and the population's fear has made Freddy strong enough to come back from hell.

Since Jason had done what he was expected to do, Freddy wants him to stop. But Jason does not listen and goes on killing. Thus, a bloody fight begins between Jason and Freddy.

The teens who are still alive try to pit Jason against Freddy in the hope that they will destroy each other and leave the teens and their town in peace.
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Reaction

While a box office success and fairly well received critically (at least among fans and genre critics), many felt that the film failed to live up to the hype that had been building up for so long for such a highly anticipated film. This is mostly faulted to the plot, which is often cited as adding little to the genre, and the characters being standard slasher stereotypes. While these criticisms are argued to be expected in the genre, others express the desire for something different in a film that they believe should be grander than both sets of predecessors and other slasher films. Some Friday the 13th fans have also expressed a distaste for the way in which Jason is portrayed in the film, although these complaints may have root in the controversial decision not to cast fan favourite Kane Hodder again in the role he played consecutively in the previous four Friday the 13th films. However, one of the most talked about aspects is the final scene, which has caused endless debates among fans of both franchises as to its meaning and who of the two actually comes off as the victor. Fans of Jason contend that he won the conflict, due to him striking the last blow of the fight, weakening Freddy enough so that Lori (Monica Keena) was able to decapitate him. Fans of Freddy argue that since Jason himself did not strike the fatal blow, that it was a draw. Neither argument has been confirmed or denied by New Line. However, co- writer Mark Swift has stated that he considered Jason to be the victor.
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Betting

Due to the popularity of Jason and Freddy among adults (who remember them from their teen years), a large number of bets were placed on the outcome of the movie. Some professional betting establiments even started taking bets and given odds on different outcomes. Some of the most common/popular outcomes were:

* Freddy wins hands down, Jason survives
* Jason wins hands down, Freddy vows revenge
* Jason beats Freddy, but ends up in hell at the end
* Freddy beats Jason, but is defeated by locals

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Notes

* At one point, Pinhead was to make an appearance in the film (at the end, as Jason and Freddy are duking it out in hell, Pinhead appears and breaks up the fight) but the licensing issues prevented it.
* Many fans were upset that longtime Jason actor Kane Hodder was not asked to reprise his role. The producers wanted an actor with more sympathetic eyes, and who was much taller than Robert Englund in size, so professional stuntman Ken Kirzinger was hired. Kirzinger previously appeared (albeit briefly) in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. He also served as that film's stunt coordinator.
* An alternate ending was also considered where Freddy and Jason fight for eternity as gladiators in hell for Satan's endless amusement, but it was never filmed. However, animatics for this sequence do exist and were included as a hidden "easter egg" in the DVD special edition of the film.