With "Freddy Vs. Jason", director Ronny Yu has done what many before him have tried and failed. No, I don't mean resurrecting supernatural psycho killers Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. As we all know, it takes nothing more intricate than a well-placed lightning bolt or ill-timed nightmare to accomplish that. What Yu and his screenwriters, Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, have done here is much more complex and exciting: they've raised the horror hackers' respective franchises from the grave. Freddy's "Nightmare on Elm Street" series has been dormant since "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" way back in 1994, and "Friday the 13th" slasher Jason has appeared in only one film since '93, last year's poorly received sci-fi one-off "Jason X". Now, with "Freddy Vs. Jason", the gloved fiend and the goalie-masked monster have regained their box-office mojo, if last weekend's $36.4 million bow is any indication. Even more thrilling, Yu, Shannon and Swift have injected new creative blood into the series, providing the film with some traits often missing from both franchises, namely a great story, top-notch performances, stylistic flair, and good, old-fashioned thrilling fun.
"Freddy Vs. Jason" opens with big bad Freddy trapped in hell, unable to use the nightmares of Elm Street's teenagers as an outlet for mayhem and murder. Having caught on to the source of Freddy's power, the parents of the town of Springwood have secretly drugged their kids with a powerful experimental dream suppressant, robbing them of their ability to dream and keeping Freddy well in check. To unleash the teens' nightmares again, Freddy needs to reintroduce them to the notion of fear, but trapped as he is, he needs help. In other words, he needs Jason Voorhees, the indestructible hockey-masked killing machine who Freddy raises from the dead and sends on a door-to-door death dealing mission on Elm Street. Fear rises and Freddy's powers grow, but now the razor-fingered phantom has two big obstacles to overcome. First of all, the new kids of Elm Street are not going down without a fight. Second, neither is Jason...and as you may know, the big silent killer is harder to take out than a New York cockroach. It's a monstro a monstro fight to the finish...and only one fiend can walk away undead.
New Line Cinema, who originated the "Elm Street" films and recently bought the "Friday the 13th" franchise from Paramount, worked for nearly a decade on a script that would pay proper respect to the continuity of both series while still providing a suitably exciting backdrop for a Krueger-Voorhees showdown. It was worth the wait; Shannon and Swift's clever screenplay provides a perfect means for Freddy and Jason to find themselves facing off, and it does so without violating the mythology of either franchise. What's more, unlike many of the series' previous films, "Freddy Vs. Jason" is far more than a relentless series of graphic killings interrupted by witless, perfunctory plot-delineating dialogue. Shannon and Swift stud the script with sharp dialogue, beautifully exploit the origin stories of both Freddy and Jason, and actually manage to give us teen characters who are more than pretty cannon fodder for the two maniacs-in-chief. "Freddy Vs. Jason" is one of the rare horror pictures where you may actually find yourself rooting for the kids over the killers.
This is not to suggest, of course, that the film stints on the imaginative bloodletting. Brutally exciting moments abound, from an arrogant young stud finding out the hard way that his bed's not adjustable to a nosejob-hungry PYT who gruesomely learns what she'd look like with no nose at all. Yu, a Hong Kong cult favorite who broke into the U.S. horror market with "Child's Play" revival "Bride of Chucky", stages the film's killings with maximum kinetic inventiveness, and he also keeps the tension and excitement high as the story builds to the inevitable showdown between the demonic duo. The pacing is fast and furious, the storytelling is clear and unstintingly visual, and the action enhances the story rather than overwhelming it utterly.
Yu is given ample support in realizing his vision by the work of a top-notch technical crew who turn "Freddy Vs. Jason" into the most visually impressive film in either series. Cinematographer Fred Murphy provides a vibrant contrast of garish colors and deep, foggy shadow, cloaking the film in suitably foreboding haunted-house atmosphere. Mark Stevens' editing brutally punches home every last spatter of blood, and all that red stuff, plus assorted eviscerated bodies and severed appendages, are ably supplied by makeup supervisors Rebeccah Delchambre and Patricia Murray-Morgan. Even the music is top-grade; stalwart composer Graeme Revell provides a thumping orchestral accompaniment, with a dash of "Nightmare"'s plaintive piano theme and "Friday the 13th"'s chee-chee-hah-hah vocal effects, and the song score is chock-full of grinding hard-core rock, most notably "When Darkness Falls", a doom-laden dirge by Killswitch Engage that closes the film.
Unlike so many other horror-film directors, Yu pays as much attention to his victims as to his killers, and the result is some of the most engaging horror-film acting in quite a while. Ravishing Monica Keena is surprisingly affecting as Lori, the troubled young lady who is Freddy's prime target. Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child displays an enjoyably biting humor as Lori's appearance-obsessed friend Kia, and Jason Ritter, as Lori's one-time true love, shows an easy command of the good-guy role. Kyle Labine provides able comic relief as the Jay-like stoner Freeburg (who has a hilarious encounter with an "Alice In Wonderland"-style Freddy caterpillar with a fatally alluring hookah), and Christopher George Marquette transcends his nerd-cliche character with a surprisingly sincere performance.
Still, as unexpectedly interesting as these guys turn out to be, Yu knows why we're here, and he never fails to make it clear that this is Freddy and Jason's show all the way. Robert Englund is of course back as the sweatered, razor-gloved Krueger, and he's in top-class form, leaning heavily on Freddy's more sinister "New Nightmare" persona while still cracking off a few vintage one-liners, mostly at Jason's expense. The now 54-year-old Englund is still able to exude a palpable sense of danger and physical menace that's as enjoyable as the laughs he wrings out of Freddy's sometimes eye-rollingly corny jokes (sizing up Kia, he comments, "How sweet...DARK meat!"). And Ken Kirzinger, a controversial replacement for four-time Jason Kane Hodder, more than holds his own against Englund, making Jason as physically imposing and murderously forceful as he's ever been, most notably in a dynamite scene in which Jason slashes his way through a rave in a cornfield, taking out one blood-spurting victim after another. Jason, in my opinion, has never been scarier on screen; New Line should sign Yu and Kirzinger to do the next "Friday the 13th" picture without delay.
Of course, even with all this great material, it's just the framework for the film's main event, a two-part smackdown between the titans of terror, and Yu does not disappoint. Battling first in Freddy's boiler-room dreamscape, then through the woods of Jason's Crystal Lake killing ground, the two fiends unleash every weapon in their formidable arsenals in a protracted, insanely bloody duel that includes top-of-the-line effects and stunt work, wince-inducing moments of violence, and literal buckets of blood and flying gore. It's a high benchmark for each series, and one of the greatest horror-monster showdowns of all time. King Kong Vs. Godzilla has nothing on these guys.
Lest the high grosses trick you into thinking that Freddy and Jason have toned down their acts for a kinder, gentler audience appeal, let me assure you that it's business as usual in "Freddy Vs. Jason". The violence is gory and graphic, there's several scenes of gratuitous sex and nudity, and the humor is as dark and politically incorrect as ever (Kia even makes a homophobic crack about Freddy's sweater). Still, these disreputable qualities are not only forgivable, but welcome as essential ingredients in the mix, and if you're offended, you really shouldn't have come to this party anyway.
In a summer of disappointing blockbusters and unnecessary part twos and threes, "Freddy Vs. Jason" is an unexpected treat, the best sequel so far this year and one of the summer's most purely entertaining pictures (I would rank only "Pirates of the Caribbean" ahead of it in terms of sheer enjoyment). Bloody, funny, endlessly exciting, this is the rare horror film that delivers, and then some. Hats off to Ronny Yu, Damian Shannon, Mark Swift, and the entire cast and crew for teaching two old demons so many exciting new tricks. And I end with one simple word, a word certain to be echoed by horror buffs around the country...
Rematch!
"Freddy Vs. Jason" opens with big bad Freddy trapped in hell, unable to use the nightmares of Elm Street's teenagers as an outlet for mayhem and murder. Having caught on to the source of Freddy's power, the parents of the town of Springwood have secretly drugged their kids with a powerful experimental dream suppressant, robbing them of their ability to dream and keeping Freddy well in check. To unleash the teens' nightmares again, Freddy needs to reintroduce them to the notion of fear, but trapped as he is, he needs help. In other words, he needs Jason Voorhees, the indestructible hockey-masked killing machine who Freddy raises from the dead and sends on a door-to-door death dealing mission on Elm Street. Fear rises and Freddy's powers grow, but now the razor-fingered phantom has two big obstacles to overcome. First of all, the new kids of Elm Street are not going down without a fight. Second, neither is Jason...and as you may know, the big silent killer is harder to take out than a New York cockroach. It's a monstro a monstro fight to the finish...and only one fiend can walk away undead.
New Line Cinema, who originated the "Elm Street" films and recently bought the "Friday the 13th" franchise from Paramount, worked for nearly a decade on a script that would pay proper respect to the continuity of both series while still providing a suitably exciting backdrop for a Krueger-Voorhees showdown. It was worth the wait; Shannon and Swift's clever screenplay provides a perfect means for Freddy and Jason to find themselves facing off, and it does so without violating the mythology of either franchise. What's more, unlike many of the series' previous films, "Freddy Vs. Jason" is far more than a relentless series of graphic killings interrupted by witless, perfunctory plot-delineating dialogue. Shannon and Swift stud the script with sharp dialogue, beautifully exploit the origin stories of both Freddy and Jason, and actually manage to give us teen characters who are more than pretty cannon fodder for the two maniacs-in-chief. "Freddy Vs. Jason" is one of the rare horror pictures where you may actually find yourself rooting for the kids over the killers.
This is not to suggest, of course, that the film stints on the imaginative bloodletting. Brutally exciting moments abound, from an arrogant young stud finding out the hard way that his bed's not adjustable to a nosejob-hungry PYT who gruesomely learns what she'd look like with no nose at all. Yu, a Hong Kong cult favorite who broke into the U.S. horror market with "Child's Play" revival "Bride of Chucky", stages the film's killings with maximum kinetic inventiveness, and he also keeps the tension and excitement high as the story builds to the inevitable showdown between the demonic duo. The pacing is fast and furious, the storytelling is clear and unstintingly visual, and the action enhances the story rather than overwhelming it utterly.
Yu is given ample support in realizing his vision by the work of a top-notch technical crew who turn "Freddy Vs. Jason" into the most visually impressive film in either series. Cinematographer Fred Murphy provides a vibrant contrast of garish colors and deep, foggy shadow, cloaking the film in suitably foreboding haunted-house atmosphere. Mark Stevens' editing brutally punches home every last spatter of blood, and all that red stuff, plus assorted eviscerated bodies and severed appendages, are ably supplied by makeup supervisors Rebeccah Delchambre and Patricia Murray-Morgan. Even the music is top-grade; stalwart composer Graeme Revell provides a thumping orchestral accompaniment, with a dash of "Nightmare"'s plaintive piano theme and "Friday the 13th"'s chee-chee-hah-hah vocal effects, and the song score is chock-full of grinding hard-core rock, most notably "When Darkness Falls", a doom-laden dirge by Killswitch Engage that closes the film.
Unlike so many other horror-film directors, Yu pays as much attention to his victims as to his killers, and the result is some of the most engaging horror-film acting in quite a while. Ravishing Monica Keena is surprisingly affecting as Lori, the troubled young lady who is Freddy's prime target. Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child displays an enjoyably biting humor as Lori's appearance-obsessed friend Kia, and Jason Ritter, as Lori's one-time true love, shows an easy command of the good-guy role. Kyle Labine provides able comic relief as the Jay-like stoner Freeburg (who has a hilarious encounter with an "Alice In Wonderland"-style Freddy caterpillar with a fatally alluring hookah), and Christopher George Marquette transcends his nerd-cliche character with a surprisingly sincere performance.
Still, as unexpectedly interesting as these guys turn out to be, Yu knows why we're here, and he never fails to make it clear that this is Freddy and Jason's show all the way. Robert Englund is of course back as the sweatered, razor-gloved Krueger, and he's in top-class form, leaning heavily on Freddy's more sinister "New Nightmare" persona while still cracking off a few vintage one-liners, mostly at Jason's expense. The now 54-year-old Englund is still able to exude a palpable sense of danger and physical menace that's as enjoyable as the laughs he wrings out of Freddy's sometimes eye-rollingly corny jokes (sizing up Kia, he comments, "How sweet...DARK meat!"). And Ken Kirzinger, a controversial replacement for four-time Jason Kane Hodder, more than holds his own against Englund, making Jason as physically imposing and murderously forceful as he's ever been, most notably in a dynamite scene in which Jason slashes his way through a rave in a cornfield, taking out one blood-spurting victim after another. Jason, in my opinion, has never been scarier on screen; New Line should sign Yu and Kirzinger to do the next "Friday the 13th" picture without delay.
Of course, even with all this great material, it's just the framework for the film's main event, a two-part smackdown between the titans of terror, and Yu does not disappoint. Battling first in Freddy's boiler-room dreamscape, then through the woods of Jason's Crystal Lake killing ground, the two fiends unleash every weapon in their formidable arsenals in a protracted, insanely bloody duel that includes top-of-the-line effects and stunt work, wince-inducing moments of violence, and literal buckets of blood and flying gore. It's a high benchmark for each series, and one of the greatest horror-monster showdowns of all time. King Kong Vs. Godzilla has nothing on these guys.
Lest the high grosses trick you into thinking that Freddy and Jason have toned down their acts for a kinder, gentler audience appeal, let me assure you that it's business as usual in "Freddy Vs. Jason". The violence is gory and graphic, there's several scenes of gratuitous sex and nudity, and the humor is as dark and politically incorrect as ever (Kia even makes a homophobic crack about Freddy's sweater). Still, these disreputable qualities are not only forgivable, but welcome as essential ingredients in the mix, and if you're offended, you really shouldn't have come to this party anyway.
In a summer of disappointing blockbusters and unnecessary part twos and threes, "Freddy Vs. Jason" is an unexpected treat, the best sequel so far this year and one of the summer's most purely entertaining pictures (I would rank only "Pirates of the Caribbean" ahead of it in terms of sheer enjoyment). Bloody, funny, endlessly exciting, this is the rare horror film that delivers, and then some. Hats off to Ronny Yu, Damian Shannon, Mark Swift, and the entire cast and crew for teaching two old demons so many exciting new tricks. And I end with one simple word, a word certain to be echoed by horror buffs around the country...
Rematch!