Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

 

Well, my lust for Monica Keena remains intact, but my initial excitement and enthusiasm before, during, and after "Freddy vs. Jason" in 2003 is long gone. This has not aged well. That early 2000s "high school humor" certainly retains the cringe of the post-Scream era right before Zombie and the Splat Pack decided to go in a much darker direction and the French Extreme mid aughts horror movement brought us somewhat officially out of that for good. The CGI Freddy slug blowing pot smoke in the face of a stoner and the Hypnocil drug labrats and "dream blockers" institution angle certainly didn't feel like Peak Elm Street or Friday. And the use of Hypnocil to render Jason unconscious (not to mention the use of water to stop Jason in his tracks) seems, in retrospect, questionable.

Still, this was the chance to see Freddy in Jason's dreams, something I don't think we Friday fans ever thought we'd see. A lot of the CGI (we get it, this saved money) used was perhaps not as big a deal then, but seeing that this evening, I missed the practical effects of yore. Seeing scared little boy Jason whimpering because of waterfall was just nope. And I'm like some of the other naysayers in regards to Frankenstein Jason in this film. I dug Keena going "back in time" while asleep and seeing the past in regards to Jason and how Freddy is there to be a nuisance.

Rowland, when asked to give Jason "mouth to mouth", I remember, had folks in the theater going, "Oh, hell no!" Haha. I will say the film having the opening at Springwood and the conclusion at Camp Crystal Lake was inspired. If this is Englund's last film as Freddy, at least he made the most of it. Though, while Freddy gets all the great lines and Englund gets to do a lot of the open-knives glove poses, Jason gets the body count, especially, the whole cornfield party...Rowland tossing insults at him, though? Yikes.

I do remember in theaters, we were all rather digging the big fight at the end. Looking at it this afternoon, I do realize now that the Developmental Hell that went on for years and years as ideas galore hit New Line pitting these two in a big confrontation, no film of any specific quality was probably ever going to be produced. I guess there are plenty of fans who assuredly surmise after watching "Freddy vs. Jason" that they could make a better film. Perhaps, perhaps.

My daughter was actually still unborn, so as she grows up, this film ages as she does since she was born in November of 2003. I will always remember how gnarly that was to anticipate a Freddy vs. Jason movie, even if it wasn't quite the fan favorite we might have hoped for.