Freddy vs. Jason

Review by Peter

Production Year: 2003
DVD Release Date: January 13, 2004
Studio: New Line Home Video
Director: Ronny Yu
Cast: Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Monica Keena, Jason Ritter
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: R

In the 1980's the horror genre exploded, creating some of the most well known horror franchises in history. But no two horror franchises dominated the 1980's like those of Friday the 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street. Both movies created their own horror icons in Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th), a quiet, deformed man seeking revenge for his mother’s murder and killing the inhabitants of Camp Crystal Lake, and Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare On Elm Street), a highly animated man disfigured by a fire who now haunts the dreams of the children of Elm Street. Two very different characters, but both extremely dangerous.

In 1993 Jason Goes To Hell debuted, and while most of the movie is not noteworthy, the ending is. The grand finale has Jason being pulled down into hell with his infamous hockey mask left behind. Out of nowhere a hand with a familiar glove reaches for the mask and pulls it down to hell. The hand is obviously that of Freddy Krueger and this set the scene for the first confrontation between these two characters. But even with the stage set for this showdown it was met with major production problems. It would take a decade until Freddy vs. Jason would finally go into production with a script that would pay homage to both franchises.

In the movie, Freddy is trapped in hell because he has been forgotten by the children on Elm Street. It’s there that he meets up with Jason. Disguised as Jason's mother, Freddy tells him to go to Elm Street and punish the children. A group of teenagers on Elm Street are soon caught in a battle between life and death when faced with Jason in reality and Freddy in their dreams. When Freddy realizes that he will not be able to get the glory he desires because of Jason's unwillingness to step aside, the scene is set for a showdown between these two supernatural killers, with a group of teenagers praying that neither of them emerges victorious.

Freddy vs. Jason has everything a fan of these two franchises could want. Both characters are featured prominently throughout the movie, which is both well paced and well scripted. The ending will leave many wondering who actually came out on top in the battle, and definitely wanting more.

Video Quality

The film is presented in two versions on this disc: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and a fullscreen modified version. The transfer boasts excellent picture quality with natural colors, a clear, crisp picture and only a hint of visible grain at times. Surprisingly the picture did not suffer in dark scenes. The picture transfer is nothing less than near reference quality and certainly enhances the quality of this DVD release.

Audio Quality

Featuring two soundtracks, a Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound track and a Stereo Surround Sound track, the sound quality is great, especially the EX 5.1 track. The 5.1 track boasts good separation and use of the front and rear channels, as well as bass. This is definitely the way you would want to hear this DVD and nicely enhances the visual experience. For those who do not have 5.1 capability, the stereo surround sound track provides a good alternative with good separation and voice levels. But once you listen to the 5.1 track anything less will be a disappointment. For the hearing impaired, English and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Once you are finished with the film you can look forward to hours of special features to entertain you. Each special feature provides a good look at the film and events surrounding it.

The first is a feature-length audio commentary with Director Ronny Yu, Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), and Ken Kirzinger (Jason Voorhees). The audio commentary contains discussions about individual scenes and on-set happenings. It is mostly light hearted and some gaps in the discussion are present.

Deleted scenes and alternate cuts with optional commentary are also available on this double disc DVD. The two most significant scenes included are an alternate opening and the original ending, both of which were not up to the quality of what ultimately appeared in theaters. For the most part this special feature does not add any significant value to the DVD.

The most valuable features are the production featurettes. Playable separately, each one takes a look at Freddy vs. Jason from conception through creation. They include:

• "Genesis: Development Hell" - A look at the various problems posed by combining the two horror franchises into a spectacular showdown. The biggest problems concerned film rights, a good script and a qualified director.
• "On Location: Springwood Revisited" - A behind-the-scenes look at the filming, including discussions about Director Ronny Hu.
• "Art Direction: Jason's Decorating Tips" - A closer look at Freddy's and Jason's dreamworlds and the showdown between these two horror icons.
• "Stunts: When Push Comes To Shove" - Shows the various stunts that were necessary in the filming of this movie, including the brutal corn crop scene.
• "Make-Up Effects: Freddy's Beauty Secrets" - Provides information about the make-up process, and the design of Freddy's mask.

In all, the featurettes will provide horror fans with a bevy of knowledge about the film with plenty of content to satisfy even the diehards.

There’s also a visual effects featurette that takes a look at 12 scenes and how they were created. Scenes include Mommy Krueger/Counselor Morph, Nose Job, Freddypillar and Jason's World. A must view for anyone interested in special effects production.

A gallery is also present with storyboards and production stills.

The final notable special features deal with publicity and promotion. Included are:

• Pre-Fight Press Conference - A boxing style press conference, with famed announcer Michael Buffer giving the stats of these two horror icons, a question and answer segment and even some smack talking.
• Original Theatrical Trailers
• Eight Television Spots
• Music Video: Ill Nino "How Can I Live"
• My Summer Vacation: A Visit To Camp Hacknslash - The premiere of Freddy vs. Jason at a campsite where fans were invited for an entire day.
• Other previews for New Line movies

For those with a DVD-ROM, extra special features include script-to-screen and the cutting room floor edit activity.

Summary

Freddy vs. Jason was a long time in the making but ultimately was well worth the wait. This DVD release is no less spectacular. This double disc DVD edition features outstanding visual and audio specs along with hours of special features to entertain any horror fan. New Line definitely got this release right the first time around and every horror fan or Freddy vs. Jason fan should have it in their collection.